Community Corner

LTE: Wrong for Tolls to Pay for Silver Line

A Purcellville resident makes his case for alternate funding of Metro.

I am against increasing the tolls on the Dulles Toll Road; particularly the plans proposed to use those tolls to finance Metro's Silver Line. It is unfair and appears to be targeted at a particular segment of people who happen to commute daily on the Toll Road or businesses that employ folks in the area. It is also unwise given wages are not keeping pace with increasing costs, especially those folks in low-pay or entry-level type jobs. 

There is no guarantee that any sort of economic growth will sustain the development and maintenance of the planned extension of the Silver Line given business-preferred strategy to outsource jobs to drive down wages. If Metro wants to extend the Silver Line then Metro should pay for it from the revenues they generate from existing sources or expand their other options to finance it. Anyone who cares to look knows it is wrong to expect folks who don't use the existing Metro Lines to finance it. The most we can hope for in terms of accountability for incompetence in proposing these intended plans is to vote out those that were elected to represent their constituency but who look the other way as this is allowed to happen.

D. Siecker
Purcellville, VA

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