Community Corner

LTE: Speak Up on Tolls or Lose Big

Loudoun resident makes the case against raising tolls for Metro.

What happens when you complain to MWAA about Dulles Toll Road tolls? That depends on what you say and whom you say it to. First, don’t be surprised when you go to a public hearing to find out you are being treated to a Dulles Rail, MWAA, Dulles Toll Road promotional presentation.

[The first of three MWAA hearings on proposed toll increases to pay for Metro’s Silver Line is set for Sept. 6 at Stone Bridge High School in Ashburn.]

NoTollIncrease.org will be there to give you an opportunity to send a personal video message to the Virginia legislators who are hiding behind MWAA.

Find out what's happening in Ashburnwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Here are a few points you may want to make if you are opposed to toll increases:

  • The Dulles Toll Road was supposed to charge tolls until it was paid for. Enough tolls were collected to pay for the road years ago, but those funds have been wasted. It's time to say quit making toll road commuters the cash cow for other projects.
  • Letting higher tolls force more cars onto local free roads (Route 7, Georgetown Pike, Route 28, and Interstate 66) is not acceptable. Current toll avoidance estimates show 35,000-50,000 cars/day forced into our already-congested neighborhoods.
  • All this traffic will result in hours of time wasted in congestion. That's time we should be spending with our family and friends, or working to make ends meet.
  • The resulting congestion will have serious effect on our environment as these thousands of cars and truck are stuck in traffic, and belch pollution out into our neighborhoods.
  • Route 7, Georgetown Pike and other local roads will see an increase in accidents and related injuries, and probably lives lost, due to this over-loading of already-busy roads.
  • Excessive toll rates on the Dulles Toll Road isolate the Herndon/Reston area and Loudoun County from the rest of the Washington, DC, region, stifling the local economy.

We also recommend that you demand answers from your Virginia legislators.

Find out what's happening in Ashburnwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

  • Ask why Route 7 was left out of the Environmental Impact Traffic Study
  • Ask why they are standing on the sidelines as MWAA collects billions more in tolls than would be needed if Virginia was in charge
  • Ask what they are going to do about all the above

Contact us for a bumper sticker today at: info@notollincrease.org or pick one up at the hearing.


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