Unfortunately, the Deseret Morning News has donned rose-colored glasses in its endorsement of toll roads for Utah. As state legislators take junkets across the country to find data to support their pro-toll positions, they willingly accept a picture of toll roads slanted by the interests of those who make their living via such tolls. If not an out-and-out conflict of interest, this is at least a case of the blind leading the blind. Ask the hard questions and demand hard facts. For instance: What are the true costs of building, maintaining and operating these toll systems? What are the true costs to the public? Gather real data about traffic jams and accidents at toll plazas.
Do the people of Utah, properly and honestly informed on the toll issue, truly support the concept of toll roads?
I have no issue with private concerns building toll roads, such as the connecting route between South Weber and South Ogden. But state agencies looking to allocate lanes of I-15, I-215 and I-80 to toll lanes play into the hands of cynical elitists, effectively stealing roads already bought by all citizens, for the benefit of a few.
Loren Minert
South Jordan