PLEASE CALL OR EMAIL YOUR MEMBER OF CONGRESS IMMEDIATELY AND ASK HIM OR HER TO OPPOSE TOLLS ON EXISTING INTERSTATE HIGHWAYS.  THIS IS AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT AND TIME-SENSITIVE REQUEST.

This is our last opportunity to be heard on this issue before the U.S. House of Representatives begins debate on TEA-LU (H.R. 3550), the highway reauthorization bill, on Tuesday.  The bill grants extensive Interstate Highway tolling authority to states. 

You can find contact information for your Member of Congress in the House of Representatives at the weblink below, or call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 225-3121.  http://capwiz.com/ata/dbq/officials/directory/directory.dbq?command=congdir

When contacting your Member of Congress, please let them know that:

•         Tolling existing Interstates has never been attempted before, and there is virtually no available research demonstrating the safety, congestion, environmental and economic effects, which could be substantial.

•         Tolls on existing Interstates will result in substantial diversion of traffic to other roads.  Traffic diversion reduces safety because of additional miles traveled and greater accident exposure.  Interstates are the safest roads, and alternate routes can have accident rates 4 times higher or more.  There are environmental concerns due to greater fuel consumption and increases in congestion in urbanized areas.  The quality of life of those people who live along routes parallel to the toll roads will be degraded.  Finally, you now have a type and volume of traffic on lower-order roads that the roads were not designed to handle, so there are additional costs associated with maintaining and upgrading these roads.

•         Truck-dependent businesses along toll roads will have an economic disadvantage.  Furthermore, mandatory tolls reduce trucking industry and overall business productivity because tolls are a disincentive to using the most cost-efficient routes.

•         By a two-thirds margin, the public opposes Congress’ allowing states to toll Interstate Highways.  

•         Trucks and passenger vehicles currently pay state and federal highway user fees on the roads they use and should not be double-taxed with tolls.