Double Toll Increase To Be Reversed
POSTED: Thursday, June 21, 2007
UPDATED: 4:35 pm CDT June 21,
2007
HOUSTON -- Harris County commissioners decided on Thursday to reconsider its plan to double tolls on the Westpark Tollway during peak hours, KPRC Local 2 reported.
Survey: Should Commissioners Have Overturned Toll Increase?
Commissioners voted on Tuesday to double tolls from 6 to 9 a.m. inbound and 4 to 7 p.m. outbound to relieve congestion.Angry motorists e-mailed and called the commissioners to voice their opposition. Officials said the backlash did influence the decision to overturn their decision, but was not the only factor.Construction chaos along the Katy Freeway also played a major role in the reversal.County Judge Ed Emmett said the plan did not make sense."There's a problem," Emmett said. "The problem is you cannot have congestion pricing if you don't have a place for people to go to avoid congestion. You can get them off the Westpark (Tollway), but where are they going to go?"Emmett said new studies would be conducted to determine other ways to alleviate traffic on the road."We may have been short-sighted to believe that it could work previously. But we certainly are not so hard-headed that we don't listen to what people say," said Art Storey, with Harris County Public Infrastructure Department.On Tuesday, commissioners also approved a 25-cent increase at booths on the Sam Houston Tollway and Hardy Toll Road. Emmett said that increase would remain in effect.The extra fee will go toward improving mobility on other roadways in Harris County.Doubling the fee of the Westpark Tollway did not sit well with many drivers."I just thought it seemed a little excessive to me. I could understand a fee increase but not double," driver John Bodin said."I was a little irritated and kind of shocked, actually," driver Rebecca Cappello said. "The fact that they were responsive to everyone's response to the news, I think is great."Commissioners are expected to overturn the toll increase on Tuesday. Check Traffic Now:
Copyright 2007 by Click2Houston.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Survey: Should Commissioners Have Overturned Toll Increase?
Commissioners voted on Tuesday to double tolls from 6 to 9 a.m. inbound and 4 to 7 p.m. outbound to relieve congestion.Angry motorists e-mailed and called the commissioners to voice their opposition. Officials said the backlash did influence the decision to overturn their decision, but was not the only factor.Construction chaos along the Katy Freeway also played a major role in the reversal.County Judge Ed Emmett said the plan did not make sense."There's a problem," Emmett said. "The problem is you cannot have congestion pricing if you don't have a place for people to go to avoid congestion. You can get them off the Westpark (Tollway), but where are they going to go?"Emmett said new studies would be conducted to determine other ways to alleviate traffic on the road."We may have been short-sighted to believe that it could work previously. But we certainly are not so hard-headed that we don't listen to what people say," said Art Storey, with Harris County Public Infrastructure Department.On Tuesday, commissioners also approved a 25-cent increase at booths on the Sam Houston Tollway and Hardy Toll Road. Emmett said that increase would remain in effect.The extra fee will go toward improving mobility on other roadways in Harris County.Doubling the fee of the Westpark Tollway did not sit well with many drivers."I just thought it seemed a little excessive to me. I could understand a fee increase but not double," driver John Bodin said."I was a little irritated and kind of shocked, actually," driver Rebecca Cappello said. "The fact that they were responsive to everyone's response to the news, I think is great."Commissioners are expected to overturn the toll increase on Tuesday. Check Traffic Now:
- Houston TranStar Real-Time Traffic Map
- Traffic Pulse Real-Time Traffic Map
- Traffic Section
- Houston Transtar
- Texas Dept. of Transportation Web site or call 800-452-9292
- Harris County Office of Emergency Management Web site
Previous Stories:
- June 21, 2007: Toll Roads To Cost More
Copyright 2007 by Click2Houston.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
A body is found in a wooded area near a busy freeway interchange, KPRC Local 2 reports.
A man is wanted after he kicked a front door off its hinges and shot a woman, KPRC Local 2 reports.
A 19-year-old is accused of using a stolen gun to shoot a Houston police officer who was trying to stop a burglary, KPRC Local 2 reports.
A man dies nearly two weeks after a masked gunman shot him in the head, KPRC Local 2 reports.
A driver admits to drinking and taking drugs before getting behind the wheel and crashing, police tell KPRC Local 2.
Feb. 9, 2010: A 19-year-old is accused of using a stolen gun to shoot a Houston police officer who was trying to stop a burglary. Lisa Baldwin reports.
Feb. 8, 2010: A METRO bus hits a light-rail train in downtown Houston, injuring nine people and knocking the train off the tracks, KPRC Local 2 reports.
Feb. 9 2010: Three men pose as police officers to get a businessman into the car to rob him, police say. Phil Archer reports.
Anthony Yanez
A METRO bus and a light-rail train collide in downtown Houston.
A police officer is shot in northwest Houston, KPRC Local 2 reports.
Email Alerts
RSS News Feeds
Mobile
Live Streams
Slideshows
Video
Search
