Tolls turned out to be a blip on the political radar

Tolls turned out to be a blip on the political radar

Recall that in running for governor in 2018, Democrat Ned Lamont watered down his toll proposal to say he would only assess the fee on large trucks, a more politically palatable position. Once in office, and having calculated how much money the state would need to upgrade its deteriorating and outdated transportation system, Lamont announced plans for an extensive toll system that would assess all vehicles. Turned out there was a reason most of the states in the Northeast have tolls. Lamont was rightfully called out for the flip-flop. What followed was Lamont’s retreat, first downsizing the administration’s plans and eventually returning to the truck-only proposal, even though it would not generate the necessary revenues and was constitutionally suspect. And still Connecticut does not have a sensible plan for how it can pay for its infrastructure needs over the next couple of decades. In hindsight, the cowardice of many of these Democrats, and the idea that their vote to assess tolling would have been a decisive issue in this election, seems laughable. Facing a real crisis has a way of changing perspectives.

https://www.theday.com/columnists/20200705/tolls-turned-out-to-be-blip-on-political-radar

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