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Greenway new toll rate - July 2010

Discussion in 'General Chat Forum' started by bluepansee, Jul 27, 2010.

  1. lilpea

    lilpea Member

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    That was one of the points I brought up in my letter to Congressman Wolf. Our Smart-tag/EZ pass account is replenish at a rate of $150 x 3 a month (now that I've gone back to work).
     
  2. Ken

    Ken Member

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    WOW. That's a sick amount of money to pay on toll roads. Not that I needed to tell you that. :)
     
  3. flynnibus

    flynnibus Well-Known Member Forum Staff

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    But isn't that a bit melodramatic? That is because you use that much. It's no hit to your budget... it's your toll usage that is the hit to your budget.

    My point was to those who don't use their smarttag much. Today the minimum replenishment default is $35. With high transaction fees, the smarttag people have incentive to make the withdrawals as large as possible to minimize the # of transactions. With such high toll amounts across so many more users, there is a risk that vdot could bump up even the default amount. And for those lower volume users, they in effect have to have more money tied up in smarttag/vdot then they need to.
     
  4. tigercpa

    tigercpa New Member

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    Yep, and the bulk of that debt is zero coupon bonds. This is why you see 60+ million interest "expense" (accrual basis), but when you look at the SCF, actual cash paid for interest was only ~2.5 million.

    This structure, as most partnerships, are designed to fit the tax needs of the investors.
     
  5. redon1

    redon1 aka Aphioni

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    hmmm- is the greedway board of directors hiring? i sense and easy 7 figure salary if i can get that gig.... lol
     
  6. db103

    db103 New Member

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    When I moved to Loudoun in 2004 the Greenway toll was $1.90 and I used it regularly to save time. After moving from Leesburg to Broadlands, I was actually happy that I was just around the corner from Exit 6.

    After the rate toped $3.00 I've refused to use it except when I have to.

    My quick research has the history of tolls as this:

    1995 $1.75
    1996 $1.00 (lowered to boost use)
    1997 $1.15
    1998
    1999
    2000 $1.65
    2001
    2002
    2003
    2004 $1.90
    2005 $2.40
    2006 $2.70
    2007 $3.00
    2008
    2009 $4.00
    2010 $4.50

    Crazy and greedy
     
  7. prasads

    prasads New Member

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    I see they reduced it in '96 to increase use... we can complain all we want but I guess the only way to make a change is to show it affects their bottom-line.

    My wife and I use it twice every day so I have all the incentive to have it reduced.

    Would it be possible for us to organize a mass "boycott" of the toll road for a day or two to send a message? just thinking...
     
  8. redon1

    redon1 aka Aphioni

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    that mass boycott would have to last for months to make them feel the pinch and it would have to be heeeeeuuuuuge. be hard to do since so many people simply need to use it unless they start their day an hour earlier to get thru the streets.

    i know we reduced our usage by more than half this year, but the man is reimbursed for tolls by work so he's not concerned about the hike. but personal use for us is several times a month at best.
     
  9. jwf

    jwf Well-Known Member

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    I guess when you take into account those VISA fees, no wonder they want to up the replenish amount. I got socked with a 165 dollar amount on mine back when I could deduct for business expense.
     
  10. exbubba

    exbubba New Member

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    Not to mention the fact that McQuarie is the toll road owner and finances themselves thru their finance arm. Just moving money from one account to another!
     
  11. mdr227

    mdr227 Member

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    We live in Ashburn and get on at the LCP/Greenway interchange. I work downtown and my wife works in MD. I leave home around 6:10 and had always taken LCP to Waxpool to 28 to the Toll Rd. to avoid the Greenway toll. Going home I always avoid the Greenway portion. It used to be that it would take about 5-10 minutes longer each way and unless I was in a really hurry did not have a problem going to the extra time to save the Greenway toll. However, it's getting to the point where it now takes up to another 20 minutes each way to not take the Greenway and am finding myself taking it more and more and having to pay the cost. Our monthly tolls range between $200 and $250 (with days off and telecommuting, etc.). We also are out an about all over the place with different things on the weekend that take us on the Toll Rd (though always avoid the Greenway then). The increase in tolls will probably add $25-$35 per month to our toll expense which isn't the end of the world, but it surely is frustrating and irritating (especially as many point out that we are only using a small portion of the whole road and paying what someone from Leesburg and beyond pays).

    I would be willing to be if they would implement a different toll structure based on distance travel so that those coming from Ashburn (at any of the four exits) would pay say $2-$3 and maybe those traveling from Leesburg pay a bit more they would see better revenue from more overall usage plus the other roads like 7, Waxpool and 28 would see much less traffic.
     
  12. tigercpa

    tigercpa New Member

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    Started taking the Tyson's Express Bus this week...

    It's primarily a money-save right during the summer, but will also become more of a time-save once the regular school congestion returns to the DTR.

    Certainly saved time yesterday....
     
  13. pamD

    pamD New Member

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    I wonder if we could all take our $9/day and send it to VDOT to build another route out of Ashburn??
     
  14. shim

    shim shim

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    Yes a graduated toll rate seems fair. I take the Greedway two exits and pay the same as follks from Leesburg and WV and PA for that matter. I called the Public Affiars Office of the Greedway and they said "blame the state of Virginia, they won't pay for the upgraded transponders needed to implement a graduated toll system." Fired off a letter to Frank Wolfe and so far have only received a fund raising letter from his office. Sucks to be the little guy but there is power in numbers.
     
  15. GeauxTigers

    GeauxTigers Member

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    I remember in the past hearing that the reason against changing to a graduated rate is the cost. To do this, several new exit/entrance toll booths would be required as well as terminal toll booths at the Leesburg end. The cost would result of course in increased toll rates. The suggestion was at best the lowest tolls (ie, the ones we'd likely pay) would be no less than what is paid today thereby giving no benefit of changing the system.
     
  16. gunzour

    gunzour "Living on the Edge"

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    And why should the taxpayers pay for improvements on a privately-owned road?

    The reason they don't want to do graduated tolls is obvious. They currently get all of us here in Ashburn for the full toll even though we use only a fraction of the Greenway. If they implemented graduated tolls they would lose money.
     
  17. goofus

    goofus New Member

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    Over the years I have written multiple letters to the SCC and to Rep. Wolf's office regarding my objections to the obscene toll hikes and the ridiculous rate structure. The SCC has never responded (of course), but Wolf once put one of my letters on his web site.

    In my correspondence I have routinely cited the unfairness of a rate structure that is neither directionally symmetrical nor distance-based. To me this is the 800-lb. gorilla in the room. Most of the complaints about the Greenway are about the rates, but the rate structure is equally bad, and I am delighted that some of the folks posting on this thread agree with me.

    That the TRIP II people complain about the cost of setting up transponders on the 'open' ramps is crazy... they are simply crying "woe is me. They had to have known at the outset that they were setting themselves up to gouge the motoring public. I knew that true distance-based tolls would be impossible when I first moved here back in 1995 and realized that one end of the road was going to have a massive toll plaza while the other end had nothing. The SCC should never have allowed TRIP II to implement a toll structure that was not based on distance and which could possibly be metered differently if the route was east-west versus west-east.

    Exorbitant rates + an unfair structure = one giant boycott from my family!!
     
  18. Brit

    Brit New Member

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    I don't understand HOA politics, but is this an issue that could be taken up by Broadlands, Ashburn Farm and the Village HOAs collectively on behalf of the masses of discontented home owners?
     
  19. vacliff

    vacliff "You shouldn't say that."

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    If a US Congressman can't get anything done, you really think an HOA could?
     
  20. Brit

    Brit New Member

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    Well a US congressman might listen to an HOA rather than onesy twosy letters here and there. But then again, it's Frank Wolf.
     

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