Ohio Turnpike to be Privatized?

[nyratk1]

Are there ANY privatized toll roads/toll bridges/toll tunnels that are cheaper than or equal to similar nearby government-based toll authorities?   That is one of the problems.  And that is why those privatized toll facilities go to pot so quickly.  Since the private ownership can't funnel extra needed money over from other government funding sources, they have to raise tolls by a lot to get money to pay for things.  And as most people know, when you raise fees, you lose customers.  And how are you going to convince the well-to-dos to pay boku money to travel on roads that, over time, will probably get worse than roads that the common people can ride on for free?

I just see these privatization moves as having a snake start eating it's own tail, and sooner or later the governments will have to bail them out and dump more money to bring these facilities back up to acceptable levels.  Sure, decades down the road governments may have ample money to be able to save these "slum tollways", but if they have to bail them out in a economic time like the one we are in now, I don't see any good coming out of these deals.

It's getting late...did I make ANY sense??? 

Absolutely made sense. (Same thing is going on with health care in a way, Medicare is actually less expensive per capita than pretty much most regular insurance and it performs quite a bit better. But of course, the center-right Democrats and far-right Republicans both want to gimp and gut it just to make a quick buck for them and their corporate benefactors.)

Government is not meant to be run like a business. It is supposed to care and protect its people and being run like a business forgoes that. Government should cover where capitalist ventures don't. (That's basically the beginning of how we got the Internet and other things like accurate weather forecasting developed in the 50s/60s/70s.) Business interests are always too short-sighted.

[vdeane]

I like the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority and I'm pretty sure they're private.  The toll is $2.50 for a one-way trip across the whole system or both across a single span (each is between a couple of islands and the US/Canadian mainland; leaving the islands is free but the toll is on entering).  However, I'm pretty sure all the St. Lawrence crossings between the US and Canada are private so I can't think of a nearby area to compare it to.  They are cheaper than the public NYC area bridges and other private bridges like the Ambassador.  They also own/operate Boldt Castle.

Since they don't do anything like Mouron does, the only downside I can think of is the lack of Ez-pass; they won't enter the program because the costs are too high.  I-81 may be the only interstate in the entire northeast where a cash toll is mandatory; the only other places without electronic tolling options that I know of are the other two bridges across the St. Lawrence.

[Alps]

Are there ANY privatized toll roads/toll bridges/toll tunnels that are cheaper than or equal to similar nearby government-based toll authorities?   

Dingmans Ferry Bridge is now equal to other westbound Delaware crossings at $1. (The others were 75 cents, and Dingmans also charges eastbound.)

[The Premier]

Are there ANY privatized toll roads/toll bridges/toll tunnels that are cheaper than or equal to similar nearby government-based toll authorities?   That is one of the problems.  And that is why those privatized toll facilities go to pot so quickly.  Since the private ownership can't funnel extra needed money over from other government funding sources, they have to raise tolls by a lot to get money to pay for things.  And as most people know, when you raise fees, you lose customers.  And how are you going to convince the well-to-dos to pay boku money to travel on roads that, over time, will probably get worse than roads that the common people can ride on for free?

The best solution to all of this is rather than leasing the Turnpike, the solution is to raise the vehicle registration fees, the vehicle title fees, raise the sales tax for motor vehicles, and, in urban metro areas, establish a vehicle tax. If a car is priced at $50,000 or more (restricted to cars only), a luxury tax needs to be added. If you live in a larger metro area, such as Cleveland, Akron-Canton, and Toledo, no doubt it will cost you more. Those taxes will go strictly into maintaing and building our roads, and it will be based by county population. That way, there will be no need to privatize the Ohio Turnpike.

I have mentioned about this in both the crumbling infrastructure and the If you could fix... threads.

[Hot Rod Hootenanny]

I like the Thousand Islands Bridge Authority and I'm pretty sure they're private.  The toll is $2.50 for a one-way trip across the whole system or both across a single span (each is between a couple of islands and the US/Canadian mainland; leaving the islands is free but the toll is on entering).  However, I'm pretty sure all the St. Lawrence crossings between the US and Canada are private so I can't think of a nearby area to compare it to.  They are cheaper than the public NYC area bridges and other private bridges like the Ambassador.  They also own/operate Boldt Castle.

Since they don't do anything like Mouron does, the only downside I can think of is the lack of Ez-pass; they won't enter the program because the costs are too high.  I-81 may be the only interstate in the entire northeast where a cash toll is mandatory; the only other places without electronic tolling options that I know of are the other two bridges across the St. Lawrence.

Thousand Island Bridge is as much a private entity as the New York Thruway.
From http://www.tibridge.com/wp/?page_id=2
The TIBA is defined by New York State Public Authorities Law as a public benefit corporation.  Its seven members are appointed to five-year terms by the Chairman of the Jefferson County Board of Legislators, subject to approval by such Board and are comprised of four US Citizens and three Canadian Citizens serving without salary or monetary compensation, but in the interest of public and community service.

[Stephane Dumas]

The best solution to all of this is rather than leasing the Turnpike, the solution is to raise the vehicle registration fees, the vehicle title fees, raise the sales tax for motor vehicles, and, in urban metro areas, establish a vehicle tax. If a car is priced at $50,000 or more (restricted to cars only), a luxury tax needs to be added. If you live in a larger metro area, such as Cleveland, Akron-Canton, and Toledo, no doubt it will cost you more. Those taxes will go strictly into maintaing and building our roads, and it will be based by county population. That way, there will be no need to privatize the Ohio Turnpike.

I have mentioned about this in both the crumbling infrastructure and the If you could fix... threads.

Actually, that what we did in Quebec and the results was not as big as we hoped.

[mightyace]

Government is not meant to be run like a business. It is supposed to care and protect its people and being run like a business forgoes that.

The latter is true if money is ALL the business cares about.  Now, I'll admit it's rare in corporate America, but there are countless small businesses across the country that forgo the maximum profit possible to care for their employees and/or the community.

Also, our government is not being run like a business and it STILL DOESN'T CARE ABOUT PEOPLE!

Business interests are always too short-sighted.

I think you should say U.S. business interests are usually short-sighted.  To say always is like saying politicians always lie.  The Japanese seem to work for the long term.  However, as their business and government are more intertwined than ours, that may affect that.

Absolutely made sense. (Same thing is going on with health care in a way, Medicare is actually less expensive per capita than pretty much most regular insurance and it performs quite a bit better..

Huh?  What evidence do you have to support this claim?  And, if it is true, it is probably because it limits coverage.  For example, Medicare won't pay for annual exams.  (preventive medicine)
Why else are there Medicare supplement plans?

If a car is priced at $50,000 or more (restricted to cars only), a luxury tax needs to be added.

Why, does a luxury tax NEED to be added?  This kind of thinking is why I'm a political conservative.  I can't stomach a system that assume that if I have more than you I must have exploited someone or just because I have more I should pay more.

[agentsteel53]

Also, our government is not being run like a business

no it's not.  unless its product is "borrowing", in which case business is booming.

[vdeane]

Also, our government is not being run like a business and it STILL DOESN'T CARE ABOUT PEOPLE!

That's a combination of lobbyists, special interest groups, and people acting like sheep.  We could fix the government simply by enacting REAL campaign finance reform (including ending the ridiculous notions that money = speech and that corporations are people), outlawing interest groups, and if people actually payed attention to politics and what politicians are actually saying (instead of buying the politician's image, voting by party, and generally forgetting everything that has happened previous to the last election).

Why, does a luxury tax NEED to be added?  This kind of thinking is why I'm a political conservative.  I can't stomach a system that assume that if I have more than you I must have exploited someone or just because I have more I should pay more.

It would be a step in the right direction to making the sales tax system less regressive.  As of now, a poor person pays a far greater percentage of their income in sales taxes than a rich person.

Also, a lot of wealthy people do get rich by exploiting the system/others.  Just look at multi-million dollar bonuses to CEOs while wages for everyone else stagnate.

IMO everyone should be entitled to a basic living and the ability to earn money to raise their standard of living beyond that by making positive contributions to society.  It would be a lot nicer than the current system, where nobody is entitled to anything and earns money by being lucky enough to have opportunity and be prepared for said opportunity, knowing people, inheritance, or "stealing" the money from someone else through legal or illegal means (this covers exploiting people/the system, corruption, and theft under one umbrella).  Kinda a merger between communism and capitalism, taking the best of both.  Sadly I don't think people are willing to put up with the eternal vigilance on their part that would be necessary to maintain it.

[agentsteel53]

if people actually payed attention to politics and what politicians are actually saying (instead of buying the politician's image, voting by party, and generally forgetting everything that has happened previous to the last election).

I think for that to happen we'd have to reinvent the species.