Virginia Congressman Frank Wolf (R-10) asked Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R) to investigate high tolls on the Dulles Greenway, calling the collection rate “highway robbery.”
To bypass the trip, which could cost up to $4.80 one way during rush hour, Wolf said large trucks and cars crowd residential streets and the already overloaded Route 7. He also complained that the pricing structure, which charges consumers the same price for a 1.1 mile trip as a trip that covers the whole Greenway, is unfair.
Caroline Gibson, Cuccinelli’s Deputy Director of Communication, said consumer protection laws do not apply. “However, the attorney general is happy to talk to the company about its openness to considering distance pricing as one solution that could make the road attractive to more drivers,” she said.
Dulles Greenway CEO Tom Sines said Monday the Virginia Department of Transportation, Loudoun County and the State Corporation Commission approved the Greenway tolling points in 1993. He also pointed out that the state legislature approved the Greenway’s method of determining toll amounts.
In the past, Wolf has asked that signs be posted at the entrances to the toll road, notifying consumers of the price they will be required to pay. The Dulles Greenway Advisory Committee approved the signs in May.
@Nascar:
Lets see you expect average Loudouners to stomach more corporate welfare? No thanks. Personally, institute a requirement that they implement the new technology or their taxes double. With the number of Greenway friendly local politicians - I’d prefer they get some form of low interest loan like Stevens Miller to implement than a give away.
Corporate giveaways are unacceptable, but a reasonable low interest subsidy is digestible for most voters in Loudoun.
Stevens - If the cost of implementing pro-rated tolling is the real issue, then why doesn’t Loudoun offer to pay for it? The Greenway website says they pay $3 million a year in real estate taxes (what other locality in Virginia has the luxury of being able to tax a road?), so why can’t the BOS use some of that money to cover the cost? It could be a win-win for all!
Oh yes, Stevens Miller’s answer to everything is get the government involved, typical liberal ideology, the government is the answer to all that ails you.
The Greenway is a private road/business, they should be responsible for the front loaded cost to retro fit their hardware. The greenway’s CEO is full of it. Many roads that utilize the EZ pass system are distance based (MD, NJ, NY etc).
It comes down to greed and the Greenway’s owners (Macquarie/Intoll Group) are highly profitable, regardless of how many times they split their corp portfolio in an attempt to hide their profitability.
And this is where Stevens Miller is completely wrong and out of touch. The Greeway was built as a DBFO and was scheduled to be turned over to VDOT in 2036 via a concession agreement. However in 2001 the VA State Corp Commission extended the turn over to 2056. The Greenway was and continues to be a private/public transportation partnership failure.
JC, the Greenway’s CEO told me that the main barrier to pro-rated tolls is the overhead in reprogramming the system to assess them, and in adding the hardware to levy the charges.
It’s hard to believe they wouldn’t recoup that cost in increased usage from drivers who now avoid the shorter segments that should be charged on a pro-rated structure.
The solution is to have the government (which regulates the tolls in the first place) extend a low- or no-interest loan to the Greenway to cover those up-front costs.
Why hasn’t Frank Wolf done anything about that?
I agree, it is definitely robbery. it costs $4.80 to take the first exit (Old Ox Road), which is only 1.1 miles into the Greenway. I think most people wanting to take Old Ox Rd bypass the toll by taking the Rt. 28 exit for $.75 or cutting through the airport. I feel sorry for the people that HAVE TO take the Greenway every morning!
Every election year, Wolf wakes up and yells about the Greenway. Nov.3, he will go back to sleep. By looking the other way, Wolf joins Richmond lawmakers who are in cahoots with the Australian owner of the Greenway.
Woah…Frank Wolf doing something. Must be an election coming up.
Has anyone noticed that Frank Wolf votes 100% of the time with Eric Cantor and the rest of the GOP? Then he pitches himself to the 10th district as a moderate. Yeah, right.
I find it ironic Wolf calls on Cuccinelli to do someting populist for Loudoun the same day Mark Herring announces his run for VA AG. Steal some thunder with something you know will go nowhere.
What is there to investigate?
Wolf uses that “highway robbery” slogan every time he milks this cow. This time, he’s milking it for Cooch’s sake, not the toll-paying public’s. If he really wanted to help, he’d have introduced federal legislation capping toll increases for roads that affect interstate commerce. But that would affirm regulation of private industry via the Commerce Clause, so that’s off the table…
(BTW, Mr. Attorney General: how’s that investigation into OpenBand my board asked for coming along?)
The State and County could have done so much more for transportation in NOVA simply by buying the Greedway instead of throwing millions at Mismanaged Money-losing Metro.
LTM, could you fix the comment issue???
Isn’t this just private enterprise doing what their American freedom should allow? Shouldn’t the Tea Party be out there defending their god-given right to make a buck??
The Greedway and Wolf share another PR guy as well. Nothing will change.
The Government should not dictate pricing to a private business. Without private dollars, the Greenway wouldn’t exist and the debate would be moot.
Let the Greenway charge whatever it wants and the public will adjust accordingly. If the Government doesn’t like it, it is more than welcome to build a publicly funded road that is an alternative to the Greenway for free. Expanding Sycolin Road -> Ashburn Farm/Waxpool Roads might be a cheaper solution.
Wolf does sound the Greenway alarm every so often, but nothing ever comes of it.The General Assembly, VA SCC etc never seem to do anything. I think it’s odd that Wolf expects that Cuccinelli will actually investigate, since Wolf & Cuccinelli share the same PR guy.
It is robbery.
For half the price (maybe less) of the greenway you could go over the bay bridge or through the Ft McHenry tunnel. These are colossal marvels of engineering.
The greenway is just a flat road basically.
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Lets see you expect average Loudouners to stomach more corporate welfare? No thanks. Personally, institute a requirement that they implement the new technology or their taxes double. With the number of Greenway friendly local politicians - I’d prefer they get some form of low interest loan like Stevens Miller to implement than a give away.
Corporate giveaways are unacceptable, but a reasonable low interest subsidy is digestible for most voters in Loudoun.
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