Free the Tolls
Turning OC Toll Roads Into Instant Freeways

(bio)
Pete Van Nuys is Marketing Director for a California corporation.
A lifelong SoCal highway advocate and visionary, Pete maintains close ties to
SoCal's advanced highway planners. Pete travels California highways weekly
from his residence in San Clemente, north to the Bay Area, Pete's highway
expertise is hands-on and statewide. As a founding member of Fix-5-First
and Mobility For All - OC advocacy groups, Pete is dedicated to honest,
commonsense alternatives to OC's failed toll road experiment.

The debate about the environmental costs of OC toll roads
(the one's already built) - arguments about sprawl and blight are moot.

Toll Road pavement is down (damage done) on all but 16 miles of the 241.

But one undeniable fact about OC toll road's remains unchallenged -

they aren't pulling their financial weight.

The 73 (Laguna Hills) toll road has been financially failing - from Day-1.
And - with the possible exception of the 241 from Yorba Linda to Irvine,
the balance of TCA's "network" are under-used, producing marginal
countywide traffic relief.

Not what TCA promised when launching their Test-Case Private-Highway
experiment* back in the 80's.

TCA does provides convenience for a small percentage of OC drivers choosing
to afford its escalating toll rates.** In theory, they're paying for that privilege.
But they aren't really.

Because TCA's ever-escalating toll rates do not compensate the rest of us
for the "population growth" toll roads have facilitated.
Result: OC's Freeway-crush.

I argue - TCA's toll road experiment has failed.***
It time to turn OC's traffic-lemon - into lemonade!

Buy Out The TCA ($3.8-billion is the price I've heard - and that's a steal).

In the process, we'll make TCA Bondholders**** including I suspect, many
on TCA's various boards (local political-and-private operatives) happy.
And richer.

But we'll make ourselves wealthier too.
Because Freeways create wealth.

Freeways are a part of the California dream that worked. Available to everyone.
Moving people and goods for mostly the cost of fuel. Their tax burden - spread
over decades, with their net-cost more than balanced by the prosperity and
increased tax revenues they facilitate.

Measure M is pegged at $12-billion.
Increase that Bond-Measure by 25%***** (1/2 pennies at the pump)
and our OC commute is instantly improved - for everyone.

51-miles of Instant Freeway (you pay for now - everyday in your taxes)
fixes the toll road's one fundamental flaw - being adjacent to, a Free - Way.

Freeing the toll roads instantly pulls traffic off the 405, I-5 and 91 freeways,
Immediately improving regional mobility (flow) for all.

Think about this - next time you're jammed to a stall on any South County
Freeway - not far away sets a mostly empty toll road - you pay for - in taxes.
But you're not allowed to drive - huh?

This is not about ideology, economic theory, or TCA's-right to taunt Sacramento.
It's about moving millions of OC vehicles daily, for the least amount of money - NOW.
Not 2065. We can't afford to wait.

Buying 51-miles of Ready-To-Roll Freeways NOW - and using them at full capacity,
is good business for this County. Toll roads are not.

The time is now.
This is critical for our county.
But it will take a traffic-jammed, fed-up citizenry to make it happen,
because TCA dictates OC highway policy in OC - on your Dime.

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*signed into legislation on the last day of ex-Governor Tom Wilson's reign.
TCA (Transit Corridor Authority) is a quasi private-public body, with a
CEO and staff - and 2 "Public" Boards of Directors appointed from
participating OC City Councils. The 73 San Joaquin (Laguna Hills Corridor)
and the 241 Eastern Foothills Corridor. 16 Directors sit each Board - 3 OC
Supervisors are part of the 16. TCA is a Test-Project, aka Demonstration
Project, asking the question, "Can Private Toll Ways - construction-funding
via Wall St. issued Private Bond Sales - equal the mass-transportation
efficiencies of Freeways?"
OC's toll road concept surfaced in the 1970's when the State, in dire budget
crunch, halted Freeway construction, leaving the financial hopes of OC land
developers stranded in their orchards and vast ranchos, anticipating
freeway-access to their planned build-out of South County.
Hence OC's toll road experiment.
Part of the Toll road plan worked - giving access to otherwise unbuildable
open-space made OC the 2nd most people-crowded county in the state.
What hasn't worked: toll roads brought development, but not mobility.

**Escalating tolls - TCA Congestion Management - to limit rider-ship during
peak traffic hours, toll fares are routinely raised. Apparently skies' the limit.

***Toll Road experiment failed. Obviously.
Taxpayer dollars support toll roads 90% of OC taxpayers can't afford to drive.
OC Freeways stall, as adjacent toll roads sit empty - with stalled Freeway's
held-hostage from improvement by TCA's Non-Compete-Clause -
OC's traffic Catch-22 / snafu - read: Non-Compete-Clause on this website.

****Bond Holders happy - why punish the naive, hoodwinked, TCA bondholder?
TCA's failed-promise was Grand (larceny?), albeit deeply flawed. But money is
there to re-pay the Bond Holder's bungle, and give 100% of OC commuters their
Promise of - toll roads turned Freeways NOW.

*****1/2¢ gas tax buys 51-miles of Instant OC Freeway Today/ No more Tolls. Ever.

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