This entry was posted on 11/5/2011 9:23 PM and is filed under uncategorized.
This week, the Georgia State Road and Tollway Authority (SRTA) issued its 100,000th Peach Pass for the controversial I-85 HOT lanes.
Toll rates for those who use these HOT lanes can range from 10 to 90 cents per mile (6.25 to 56.25 cents per kilometer). However, SRTA can raise the maximum toll rate above the 90-cent level in "special cases".
So what constitutes a "special case"? The SRTA Peach Pass site doesn't list what special cases are. If any of our dear friends at SRTA could give us a little more detail (which I doubt they would), then that would be great, mmkay? (With apologies to Bill Lumbergh.)
Here's how I see it...
SRTA is sorta like your "friendly-neighborhood" crack cocaine salesman. You get a nice sample of said salesman's wares for little or nothing. As soon as you get hooked on said substance, said salesman has got you as a customer and can start charging you more-and-more. Said salesman may determine that the current price increase is due to a "special case", which, of course, means you have to shell out even more money.
Right now, if you're one of the first 300,000 new Peach Pass customers for the I-85 HOT lanes, you get your pass free. Doesn't seem like a bad deal, huh? Well, since SRTA has you "hooked" on their product (e.g. Peach Pass), nothing theoretically stops them from charging you more-and-more, up to (and including) the so-called "special case" rate, whatever that may be. Oh... and did I mention that the HOT lanes (former free HOV-2 lanes) and the Peach Pass tolling system were paid for by our tax dollars? Each time a Peach Pass driver with fewer than 3 people in their vehicle (including driver) uses the HOT lanes, said driver is paying even more of their hard-earned money to pay for this proverbial real estate (lanes and tolling system equipment) over-and-over-and-over.
SRTA did one great job, however, in constantly congratulating themselves over this whole HOT lane mess. Since no one else I know of (including "yours truly") is exactly celebrating, I guess Gena and her SRTA minions have no other choice, do they?
For now, I'll step down from my "soapbox". In the meantime, I encourage all my fellow anti-HOT lane compatriots to keep on fighting the good fight.
Don't forget to turn your clocks back one hour tonight before going to bed, thanks for reading, and enjoy the rest of the weekend.
Copyright 2007. Steve Williams. All rights reserved.
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