REVscene Automotive Forum - View Single Post

MindBomber · 12-12-2012, 12:45 PM

The Gateway Project should be tolled, but it never will be.

It's simple, really. The economy benefits from construction both during and after, but investing a billion dollars a year in infrastructure is not practical or sustainable in the long term. The finances to do that are not in the budget, and even if we were to have a government operated as efficiently as a private sector business they would continue to be absent. The only answer is tolls, a solution people and businesses will happily accept if they experience a benefit from the projects.

The Gateway truck route will cost $3 billion dollars, but if it doesn't save drivers time over current routes it will be empty. If it does save drivers money, it will be eagerly embraced. A tractor-trailer costs about $65 an hour to operate - that's $1.08 a minute. If there were a $3 toll for use of the Gateway truck route it would make financial sense if it saved 4 minutes or more. If the route saves drivers less than 4 minutes it's a failure in concept, achieving almost nothing. If the route is well designed, even with a toll, the drivers its designed for will happily use it. It doesn't have a toll though, and that's a $3 billion dollar fuck-up IMO.

12-12-2012, 12:45 PM	#343
MindBomber Wanna have a threesome? Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Squamish Posts: 4,888 Thanked 5,054 Times in 1,657 Posts Failed 439 Times in 203 Posts	The Gateway Project should be tolled, but it never will be. It's simple, really. The economy benefits from construction both during and after, but investing a billion dollars a year in infrastructure is not practical or sustainable in the long term. The finances to do that are not in the budget, and even if we were to have a government operated as efficiently as a private sector business they would continue to be absent. The only answer is tolls, a solution people and businesses will happily accept if they experience a benefit from the projects. The Gateway truck route will cost $3 billion dollars, but if it doesn't save drivers time over current routes it will be empty. If it does save drivers money, it will be eagerly embraced. A tractor-trailer costs about $65 an hour to operate - that's $1.08 a minute. If there were a $3 toll for use of the Gateway truck route it would make financial sense if it saved 4 minutes or more. If the route saves drivers less than 4 minutes it's a failure in concept, achieving almost nothing. If the route is well designed, even with a toll, the drivers its designed for will happily use it. It doesn't have a toll though, and that's a $3 billion dollar fuck-up IMO. Last edited by MindBomber; 12-12-2012 at 06:48 PM. Reason: re-worded a sentence for clarity.