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SideBarParty t1_j6o1t8b wrote

Congestion tolls please

Every trip into downtown Boston should cost the driver a fee, which goes directly towards funding more MBTA service

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giritrobbins t1_j6oh5bq wrote

And demand pricing for parking. Better enforcement of parking downtown.

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johnniewelker t1_j6ozqzo wrote

I honestly think a $20 toll on 93 and 90 is overdue. The traffic is out of control

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ftran998 t1_j6o6b4f wrote

Congestion tolls are a tax on the poor.

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Ciridussy t1_j6obcn8 wrote

The poor are already taking public transit.

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NEU_Throwaway1 t1_j6ohd02 wrote

And the poor definitely aren't paying over $20 a day to park in the city to work lmao

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sock-opera t1_j6obaf2 wrote

I’ve heard this argument many times and I just don’t agree. It’s a straw man argument. By your logic, toll roads are also a tax on the poor. Or you could say taking the T is a tax on the poor. This doesn’t make sense as a toll model is a fee-for-service model just like many things in this world. Except EZpass tolls and the MBTA are tax deductible as commuter benefits. Or, we could exempt Boston residents from the congestion toll. It’s an inappropriate assumption that a congestion tax cannot be implemented without disproportionately affecting those who are low income.

Not only that, but we know that the pollution created by ICE vehicles disproportionately affects poorer residents who are more as risk for respiratory illness, so it’s not so easy to just say “drive tax bad for poor” because driving is already bad for them.

edit: typo

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value321 t1_j6p19jt wrote

>Congestion tolls are a tax on the poor.

A portion of the toll revenue could be used offset costs for low-income drivers.

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