Experts Expound

“In the debate over transportation funding, a critical question emerges: Should California make greater use of toll roads?”

Tolls should benefit transportation users. All tolls paid for transportation should be reinvested in the system for the public’s benefit, not siphoned off for private profit.

Toll roads? I’m still waiting for the governor’s Hydrogen Highway.

Definitely. There’s no other way to pay for the additional road capacity. Dems will complain about “Lexus Lanes,” but the alternative is no roads for anyone.
Nobody wants tolls, but how else do we pay for great highways?

It’s a user fee that’s worked well in other states and might help defray the costs involved in maintaining California’s network. Of course, you’d have to call it something other than a “freeway.”

Tolls? No way. This is California, land of the “free” way. First comes toll roads, then comes taxes on surf boards. Who knows where it will end?

Sure. Stop collecting taxes at the pump and then use all the toll roads you want … but don’t charge people twice for the same thing.

Yes. How about charge for carpool lane use by single users. I do use them anyway. I would spring for a couple-hundred dollars a year to make sure I don’t get a ticket.

The people from whom we sought opinions: Andrew Acosta, A.G. Block, Roy Behr, Don Wilcox, Jon Fleischman, Evan Goldberg, Deborah Gonzalez, Dan Schnur, Jason Kinney, Tom Kise, Karen Hanretty, Kevin Spillane, Michael Houston, Adam Mendelsohn, Matt Ross, Sam Delson, Mike Madrid, Morgan Crinklaw, Dave Lesher, Richard Zeiger, Mike Madrid, Margita Thompson, Ken Gibson, Ralph Simoni, Bob Hertzberg, Scott Baugh, Steve Maviglio, Tony Quinn, Peter DeMarco, Adam Probolsky, Barbara O’Connor, Jack Pitney.