Board Seeks A Share Of Greenway Tolls

" Comments by Patricia Phillips, candidate for the 33rd District Senate seat, made to the Virginia State Corporation Commission Jan 30, 2007 My name is Patricia Phillips, from Sterling, Virginia and in the spirit of full disclosure, I am running for public office this year. Thank you for taking the time to come to Northern Virginia to consider the views and interests of the motorists impacted by the proposed Greenway rate increases. Let’s review the history of the Greenway for a moment. We are here today because of a series of mistakes made before and after the Greenway was built. The initial mistake was made in Richmond long before the Greenway opened in 1995. Richmond knew of our transportation crisis. Year after year they decided that they had other priorities more important than building and maintaining the roads that are needed to keep this economic engine of the state running smoothly. The General Assembly abdicated their road building responsibility to a private corporation, TRIPS-II. The second mistake was that TRIPS-II, overestimated how much motorists would be willing to pay to use the Greenway, in their initial business plan. As a result, TRIPS-II o lowered the initial toll in order to increase usage. TRIPS-II has been trying to rectify that mistake and recoup those losses with subsequent toll increases. Just because the roll road was built on faulty business projections, and and was possibly purchased on additional faulty business projections is no reason for motorists to be gouged at the toll booth. Please don’t make a third mistake. The Greenway has become a defacto monopoly because Richmond continues to refuse to build a proper road network here. For too many, there really isn’t an acceptable alternative way to work. For this reason drivers are depending on you, in your role to regulate the allowable charges to consumers, to consider the impact on daily commuters and to fairly judge the “reasonable return on investment”. Keep in mind that the Greenway is already one of the most expensive toll roads in America, when measured on a per-mile basis. I respectfully request you refuse the rate increase requested by TRIPS-II. For far too long, Richmond has ignored its responsibility to address Northern Virginian’s gridlock. Excessive increases in the tolls may also impact the secondary roads as cost conscious drivers could easily decide, as they did at the inception in the toll road, that the costs are too high, and return to the already traffic clogged secondary roads. Remember The more roads we pay for ourselves, through higher tolls or special locality taxes, the less inclined Richmond will be to pay for the roads we have needed for years. Thank you for your attention. "

" Who does Tulloch think he is? The Greenway is a private business and they have no responsibility for other roads other than their own. Our BOS is greed at its finest, but I really shouldn't be surprised as they have been robbing us for the past several years already. "

" They doubled the Toll Road to pay for trains that never arrive. But rest assured those tolls will NEVER go down. The Greenway - someone managed to build a great highway. That is something our government is incapable of. So - lets STEAL their money, rather than having to seek a tax approval. The Greenway is private property. If the county just takes money from them, what else is it if not theft? Meanwhile - they risk messing up the one functioning road in the whole county. And - does anyone really think they'll use it to build more roads? Really? "

" The Toll Road/Greenway are private roads. As such, we have to pay a toll to use those roads. Those who wish not to pay the toll, whatever the price, are still able to use the public roads at no cost. Back to RT.7, RT.50 and little known Georgetown Pike for free. Protest with your dollars, its the only way tolls will decline. But I do agree, the Greenway's cost is the most expensive toll road I've even been on. They should give you coffee and a bagel for the prices they charge. "

" This sound like Gov. Kaine's proposal for paying for new roads. Basically do nothing and provide nothing and increase everyone's taxes to pay for nothing that is already payed for earlier but spent elsewhere! Another brilliant democratic plan (no doubt modeled on the Gov. Warner plan) to get deeper into the pockets of Virginians and provide nothing in return. That is other than more empty promises and additional sources of funds to pay for Kaine's pet projects in Richmond. Isn't it amazing how they have better roads in the Richmond area and yet they provide far less than the NOVA area to the state's economic success? "

" Now there is a plan the County of Loudoun is going to get money for not doing anything. Oh wait they do that already with our property tax. The tolls are already too high, can imagine what it would be if Loudoun County gets a share, you know the Town of Leesburg will want a share too. "

" Just think! Almost $2,500 a year in 2012 just to drive to work and back 10 times a week. That doesn't include any other time you might use the road AND or if you continue on the Dulles portion of the toll road and pay MORE. The biggest joke is when you pay the full toll and then get off the first exit at Loudoun County Parkway. Why is it the same rate no matter how far you travel? "

" I'm turning in my SmartTag. I'm already getting money siphoned out of my checking account every other week to pay for this road to the tune of $250 a month. Now the county wants a cut, too? I guess this is a clear case of Can't Beat 'Em / Join 'Em. I'm fairly certain that the next toll hike proposal after $4.80 will be met with approval if the County stands to benefit from every hike. As it is, I pay the highest tax rates in the Commonwealth between the County taxes and Leesburg taxes. Now I've got to pay an ever increasing price just to get out of town. I think I'll take Evergreen Mill Rd from now on and be one more car in the chain...eventually the town plan calls to widen that road, right? And I'm sure those funds were secured via a bond referendum on my last election ballot, no? Somebody please turn off the vacuum.... "