Tolls At The Bridges? 'Boo, Hiss' - Editorial
When we first heard the word “tolls” in relation to the Cape Cod Canal bridges—from the mouth of the state’s transportation secretary, no less—we were overcome with a barrage of criticism, concerns, and questions aptly punctuated with four-letter words unfit for print.
We do not doubt that we were alone in that reaction—we know for a fact, actually, that readers, residents and visitors alike largely shared our indignation and befuddlement once the articles hit their newsfeed. We know this because members of our newsroom, amidst their own bemusement, treated themselves to a scroll through the comments on our website and on social media in response to our article on state transportation secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt’s concerningly noncommittal response to the concept of tolls on the Bourne and Sagamore bridges.
Many shared our initial reactions: “traffic isn’t backed up enough?” and “best not be for year-round residents who travel off-Cape to work.” We agree on both fronts, especially the latter. Our personal favorite, though? “Boo. Hiss.”
Can you imagine a toll booth at the bridges? That is the exact question posed in an email from a member of the newsroom. Frankly, we would rather not imagine it, but with all the hours we have racked up already in seasonal and construction-induced bridge traffic, we actually can. “Like construction on the bridges all the time,” the email said.
To be fair, Ms. Tibbits-Nutt did say that tolls are not currently being looked at, but she would not rule out the possibility. We see why—especially from a revenue standpoint, like the secretary said—but our blood pressure still rises at the thought of it.
The only logical way to implement tolls at the Bourne and/or Sagamore bridges would be to exempt residents of Barnstable and Dukes County, and probably some neighboring towns or even whole additional counties. It has been done before, and many residents with vehicles registered in the areas surrounding the toll roads of the Tobin Bridge and the Sumner and Ted Williams tunnels have enjoyed discounted toll rates since at least the early aughts. If a resident-discount system could be implemented then, one can imagine how much more streamlined traffic could be with the ever-improving technology of toll cameras and license plate scanners—but even that opens a whole other can of worms, rife with surveillance and security concerns. Maybe the best alternative, should the tolls come to pass, would be to finally, somehow, bring regular rail service back to Cape Cod. Nothing is off the table, right?
There is a lot to consider and, from a revenue standpoint, the powers that be are probably right in not ruling anything out just yet—but the visceral recoil of all of Cape Cod’s residents and commuters has to count for something.
Would it be great to turn the summer influx across the canal into cold, hard cash? Sure.
But would it be great to never hear the word “toll” in relation to the Cape Cod Canal bridges ever again? Absolutely, positively “yes.”