Brilliant short video on our tolling, road tax problems

By Taxpayers Association of Oregon
OregonWatchdog.com

Videographer Road Guy Rob did a very insightful video tutorial of the history of Oregon’s transportation problems related to traffic, tolling and road taxes.   It is called “Will Oregon Really TOLL EVERYONE Who Drives on I-5?” and is a must watch video.

We highlight four moments of the video to share and encourage you to watch the video.

#1. Oregon lawmakers are talking about setting up tolls to follow the congestion pricing model in Europe.   But the places in Europe where congestion pricing is used is in high density population areas (like pedestrian core city centers) where people do not want vehicles at all to be present.  In Oregon, politicians plan to enact congestion pricing on highways where vehicles are supposed to be (the exact opposite).   Here are three famous places in Europe where congestion pricing is used.

#2. Politicians want to use tolling to force people off the road and unto more transit.  But if the politicians toll both Interstate-5 and I-205 going North and South, it is opposite were the main rail transit lanes go which is East to West.  It doesn’t work.  Existing transit cannot help reduce tolling traffic.

#3. Tolling forces people to make two major decisions (1) leave at a different time or (2) take the side streets.  Everyone is expecting people to take side streets as the number one option and thus will jam up neighborhoods.

#4.  Politicians are trying to expand lanes to access/exit the Rose Garden stadium.  They also plan to put a park on top of the existing highway and build homes and businesses as well at a cost of $1 billion.

Please watch “Will Oregon Really TOLL EVERYONE Who Drives on I-5?“