Pike Plan Raises Doubts
from Waltham News Tribune


Traffic in downtown Waltham, shown last night, is always an adventure.

For commuters who travel down routes 20 or 30 on a daily basis, rush hour has become a frustrating, stop-and-go gauntlet, one that could bear little more stress.

So when Massachusetts Turnpike Authority Board member Christy Mihos proposed eliminating tolls for drivers leaving Boston and doubling tolls on the inbound side, officials and residents in Waltham and Newton were outraged.

"It's horrendous," Turnpike activist and West Newton resident Joan McGrath said of the plan. McGrath believed a $2 inbound toll would send commuters from Needham, Wellesley, Weston and Waltham heading to Boston through Newton roadways.

Waltham Police Officer Frank Lombardo said the plan would make traffic worse.

"There's always going to be those people who avoid paying tolls and we're already running near capacity on our city's streets," said Lombardo, clerk of the traffic commission.

"Some people say that Waltham is the city of the 12-hour-long rush hour," Lombardo said. "And I think any increase in commuter traffic would reinforce that statement. It already takes an hour to get down Moody Street during rush hour."

According to Mihos' proposal, commuters on the Pike's Boston extension will get home faster if westbound tolls at the Allston-Brighton plaza and the ramps at Rte. 128 are eliminated. Commuters traveling eastbound would shell out an extra dollar when coming into Boston.

More

Double trouble: Local advocates, officials doubt inbound toll hike plan

By Melissa Beecher / Tribune Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 4, 2004

For commuters who travel down routes 20 or 30 on a daily basis, rush hour has become a frustrating, stop-and-go gauntlet, one that could bear little more stress.

So when Massachusetts Turnpike Authority Board member Christy Mihos proposed eliminating tolls for drivers leaving Boston and doubling tolls on the inbound side, officials and residents in Waltham and Newton were outraged.

"It's horrendous," Turnpike activist and West Newton resident Joan McGrath said of the plan. McGrath believed a $2 inbound toll would send commuters from Needham, Wellesley, Weston and Waltham heading to Boston through Newton roadways.

Waltham Police Officer Frank Lombardo said the plan would make traffic worse.

"There's always going to be those people who avoid paying tolls and we're already running near capacity on our city's streets," said Lombardo, clerk of the traffic commission.

"Some people say that Waltham is the city of the 12-hour-long rush hour," Lombardo said. "And I think any increase in commuter traffic would reinforce that statement. It already takes an hour to get down Moody Street during rush hour."

According to Mihos' proposal, commuters on the Pike's Boston extension will get home faster if westbound tolls at the Allston-Brighton plaza and the ramps at Rte. 128 are eliminated. Commuters traveling eastbound would shell out an extra dollar when coming into Boston.

Mihos has said his plan will save the state more than $4 million, by cutting the cost of staffing outbound toll booths and cutting transaction fees for Fast Lane transponders.

A Turnpike spokesman said yesterday that Mihos has yet to formally file the proposal before the board but is likely to do so by the next meeting, which has yet to be scheduled.

Some officials say Mihos' plan is flawed because toll dodgers will increase traffic on routes 20, 30, 9 and 2, as well as roads in Newton, Waltham, Watertown and Brookline.

"What we discovered was you would lose as much as $8 million a year due to toll evasion," Turnpike spokesman Doug Hanchett said. "What goes hand in hand with that is the impact on neighborhoods."

"Human behavior is to avoid tolls whenever you can," said Newton traffic engineer Clint Schickle.

Not everyone, though, had a negative reaction to the proposal. Waltham Transportation Director Frank Ching is more optimistic, saying that Pike commuters will pick convenience over cost.

"At first, people may avoid the tolls until they find that their alternative routes are much more congested and take longer," said Ching. "People are willing to pay for convenience."

Ching, echoing Mihos' argument, pointed to the state's other running one-way tolls -- the Callahan, Sumner and Ted Williams tunnels, and the Tobin Bridge. Ching also used New Hampshire as an example, saying traffic and congestion were less intense on Interstate-95 during the one-way toll implementation last summer.

"People get hung up at the (Weston) tolls and it really causes a backup," said Mihos. "If there were a way to keep the flow of traffic moving I think the effort would be well worth it."

That said, Ching admitted he was concerned about additional traffic in Waltham -- particularly on Main or Moody streets.

"Of course Rte. 20 is a concern from the people who may be coming in from Weston, going down Moody to access Rte. 30 and the freebie (tolls) in Newton," said Ching. "But if that becomes the case, the congestion will be so noticeable that people will avoid that route."

Mihos and other proponents of the proposal are banking on the support of commuters like Pat Polino, who makes the drive from Wellesley to Boston each morning.

"I wouldn't put myself out to that extent to save $2," he said.

Boston Herald reporter Robin Washington and CNC Staff Writer Sarah Andrews contributed to this report.

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