Monday, December 13, 2010

Omigod: Tolling's threat to small business (and large) is so obvious that now even the C-J has noticed.

In which we learn that David Nicklies and Kerry Stemler are suckling from the same Kool-Aid teat, and that as a result, we three-percenters must sacrifice for their common good, although as the reporter succinctly notes, "No one has studied how tolls will affect businesses."

I suppose that's why neither a single Tolling Authority member, nor any of its cadre of apologists, has once so much as attempted to answer the business community's questions to that effect. I'm feeling vindicated, even if Erika still can't bring herself to dispute her beloved's political cowardice and take her own stand on tolls.
Small businesses worry tolls would cut off customers, by Marcus Green (Courier-Journal).

... The Louisville and Southern Indiana Bridges Authority, the body in charge of financing the $4.1 billion project, is expected to vote this week on a plan that anticipates $2.2 billion of the project’s cost to come from electronic tolls, designed so they don’t slow traffic.

No decisions have been made on where the tolls will be located, but the authority has asked the federal government to determine whether existing interstate highways can be tolled.

There’s not a major city in the United States with tolls on all of its interstate bridges, according to the International Bridge, Tunnel & Turnpike Association, a toll industry trade group.

The notion of charging a toll to cross existing roadways has opponents big and small.

UPS, which has its main air hub in Louisville and whose trucks routinely cross the river, is against fees on the Sherman Minton or Kennedy bridges, as well as Spaghetti Junction. The Clarksville Town Council has also passed a resolution opposing tolls on existing highways.

5 comments:

Iamhoosier said...

I will acknowledge that my "belief" as to the number of people opposing this BridgeS project may be somewhat too high at 75%. However, there is no way that it is only 3%. Talk about delusional ideas. I wouldn't trust anything that man has to say after such a far fetched comment.

Practically every governmental body in the area has voted, in some form, against this project and/or tolls. And I state again, living on the north side of NA and working on the south side of L-ville my 21 mile commute normally takes 30 minutes or less. How much better could it be?

Daniel Short said...

I've got an idea! Let's put tolls on 465 and any road out of Carmel.

Jeff Gillenwater said...

The imaginary conversation that's been going through my head all day:

Stemler: BUT WE"RE A LOGISTICS HUB!$!#!!!

UPS: Um, yeah, we know.

The Brookings Institution, at the behest of the City of Louisville, pointed out long ago that what Stemler wants to do threatens our status as a logistics hub far more than not doing what Stemler wants to do, and that was even before tolls were an issue.

It'd be nice if he actually considered evidence an important part of his propagandizing but, after several years of it, I know that's asking for far too much, so I'll settle for his ongoing, self-inflicted public embarrassment.

Karen B said...

The Insight poll a few months back showed 87% of locals are against the 2 bridge/1 SpagJunction rebuild plan in its entirety. Just over 50% would prefer to see the East End bridge built. It was shortly after that poll that Michael Dalby of 1Si claimed so famously that toll opponents (not 8664 folks, as he later tried to revise his own history) were a "demonstrably small number" of people with a "delusional vision".

I'm very glad to see UPS on record as against tolls, though they're also listed as part of the Build the Bridges Coalition. Tolls would severely impact their operation, and given they have a hub in Louisville, a sizable outpost in Clarksville, and their ground hub in Indy, it'd be nice if Mitch Daniels and Steve Beshear would pay some attention. Hell, Louisville didn't think twice about demolishing a shitload of homes to expand the airport and attract a hub (that attracted hub turned out to be UPS), so you'd think they'd maybe think twice before completely fucking over one of their largest employers.

Iamhoosier said...

Daniel,
Again, we agree. I had actually posted almost the same exact thing on the Tribune's site, in reference to Groom's support of the the bridgeS project. I stated that I expected him, should he be elected, to introduce legislation mandating such tolls in the Indy area. Think he will do it? Me neither. But it's okay for us to pay them. (not politically motivated, I didn't care for the Democrat candidate for State Senate, either)