Lawmakers Call for End to Toll Roads at Capitol Rally
With more than 50 supporters behind them cheering and waving signs that read “Toll Free Texas” and “Hands Off Our Freeways,” Republican lawmakers on Monday called for an end to the state’s heavy use of toll roads and toll lanes and returning Texas transportation to a pay-as-you-go system.
“These are people from all across the political spectrum, on all sides of the aisle, who are sick and tired of toll roads in Texas,” said state Rep. Jeff Leach, R-Plano, who has authored bills to boost the Texas Department of Transportation's transportation budget and reduce its reliance on tolling.
Supporters at the rally in front of the Texas Capitol voiced support for a variety of bills filed that are aimed at either stopping new toll road projects or undoing the state’s current tolling system entirely. Anti-toll sentiment at the Capitol is high this session as state leaders have backed boosting TxDOT’s budget by billions of dollars.
“Texans cannot sustain the toll tax burden anymore,” said Terri Hall, the head of Texans for Toll-Free Highways, a lead organizer of the rally. “Something must change and fast.”
Read more: http://www.texastribune.org/2015/03/23/republicans-call-end-toll-roads-capital-rally/
