Post by Maraxus of Keld on Oct 1, 2004 12:33:14 GMT -6
I ask each and every one of you who reads this, whether you live in Illinois or not, to go to www.illinois.gov/gov/contactthegovernor.cfm and send a letter to governor Rod Blagojevich. He has introduced a plan to fund tollway repairs by doubling toll rates for highway users that don't use I-Pass, and it is scheduled to take effect January 1, 2005.
In case you dont' know, nearly all tolls in Illinois cost 40 cents. That means that, unless you use I-Pass, those tolls will now cost 80 cents each. On the road from Chicago to Champaign-Urbana (where the University of Illinois is located), there are three tolls. That means U of I students, should they live in or around Chicago and want to visit home, will have to pay $2.40 in tolls each way. This is in addition to absurd gasoline prices, which I'm sure you've all noticed by now.
Northern Illinois University, which is where I go to school, lies just off I-88. NIU has a reputation as a "suitcase school," meaning that a large portion of students go home every weekend to be with their families and friends. In order to travel to Chicago, students pretty much have to use I-88. In order to get home, NIU students have to pass through three tolls, including a toll to even get onto the highway of 55 cents. This means that should Blagojevich's plan go into effect, it will cost NIU students more than a dollar just to leave campus. All in all, it will cost $2.70 for an NIU student traveling home or back each way, just based on tolls. It also takes roughly a quarter tank of gasoline (based on the tank size of a 1997 Buick Century, which is what I drive), which is also a bit of a hit to the average college student's wallet.
Why not just get I-Pass, you say? Well, first of all, it's expensive. Just buying the I-Pass thing itself costs upward of $30 (I don't have exact prices because I haven't researched it yet). In addition to that, you have to put money on it for the tolls. So in effect, you are paying an extra fee for the pass just so you don't have to stop at the toll booth. I regard this as utterly pointless, because traffic still backs up for about a mile or two in front of the tollbooth anyway, so you have to wait either way.
In addition, I-Pass is used to track cars and make sure they don't speed. Illinois Tollway Authorities calculate the time it should take to travel from one tool booth to the next at the speed limit of the highway, and if you arrive at the next toll booth faster than you should be able to, you will be sent a speeding ticket in the mail. I refuse to support this Orwellian, Big Brother-style policing. And I don't think I should have to pay double tolls because of it.
So once more, I ask you to send a letter to Rod Blagojevich, whether you live in Illinois or not, and protest this toll increase. Thank you in advance.
In case you dont' know, nearly all tolls in Illinois cost 40 cents. That means that, unless you use I-Pass, those tolls will now cost 80 cents each. On the road from Chicago to Champaign-Urbana (where the University of Illinois is located), there are three tolls. That means U of I students, should they live in or around Chicago and want to visit home, will have to pay $2.40 in tolls each way. This is in addition to absurd gasoline prices, which I'm sure you've all noticed by now.
Northern Illinois University, which is where I go to school, lies just off I-88. NIU has a reputation as a "suitcase school," meaning that a large portion of students go home every weekend to be with their families and friends. In order to travel to Chicago, students pretty much have to use I-88. In order to get home, NIU students have to pass through three tolls, including a toll to even get onto the highway of 55 cents. This means that should Blagojevich's plan go into effect, it will cost NIU students more than a dollar just to leave campus. All in all, it will cost $2.70 for an NIU student traveling home or back each way, just based on tolls. It also takes roughly a quarter tank of gasoline (based on the tank size of a 1997 Buick Century, which is what I drive), which is also a bit of a hit to the average college student's wallet.
Why not just get I-Pass, you say? Well, first of all, it's expensive. Just buying the I-Pass thing itself costs upward of $30 (I don't have exact prices because I haven't researched it yet). In addition to that, you have to put money on it for the tolls. So in effect, you are paying an extra fee for the pass just so you don't have to stop at the toll booth. I regard this as utterly pointless, because traffic still backs up for about a mile or two in front of the tollbooth anyway, so you have to wait either way.
In addition, I-Pass is used to track cars and make sure they don't speed. Illinois Tollway Authorities calculate the time it should take to travel from one tool booth to the next at the speed limit of the highway, and if you arrive at the next toll booth faster than you should be able to, you will be sent a speeding ticket in the mail. I refuse to support this Orwellian, Big Brother-style policing. And I don't think I should have to pay double tolls because of it.
So once more, I ask you to send a letter to Rod Blagojevich, whether you live in Illinois or not, and protest this toll increase. Thank you in advance.