Toll Proposal for I-70
Filed Under:Written by Justin Walker
Denver Senator Chris Romer is proposing a possible $12 charge for the weekend warriors traveling I-70 between the hours of 6:30 and 8:30 on both Saturday and Sunday. Romer seems to think that a ten to fifteen percent traffic reduction is what it would take to get drivers moving at a decent pace. He figured this while screaming at the car next to him on I-70 last weekend.
To accomplish this, he is offering a $25 check for staying off the congested highway at that time. “You’re just reallocating money from those who are time- sensitive to those who are price- sensitive, and that’s a perfect market based solution†Romer said. An avid skier, and apparently sick of waiting in traffic on the way up in the morning, Romer was quoted in the Rocky Mountain News saying he’d be happy to pay to drive his “time sensitive†family to the slopes during peak times, if his fees could keep others off the road.
Mr. Romer’s desire to catch the first chair up is pitifully transparent. This is the first time that I have heard of a Political Powder Scandal. Mr. Romer goes on to say “What teenager or college student wouldn’t take $25 for gas money to move their departure time up 45 minutes,†“Throw in a Chipotle burrito and you’ve probably got all of themâ€.
So let me get this straight…
Mr. Romer wants first chair on Saturdays so bad, that he will pay us $25 and give us a Chipotle burrito? I have news for this prick, we don’t eat football sized burritos at 6:30 in the morning before a day of riding. We are not going to trade a pow day for a burrito so that your “time sensitive†family can scream up the hill and get an almost full day of skiing in. By the time we eat and delay our trip 45 minutes, we’ll all be leaving at the same time, pissed that we ate a ten pound burrito so early. Now we have a “price- sensitive†road rage problem with no traffic de-congestion whatsoever, the car accidents go through the roof, and there goes our $25 for gas money. If we do make it up the hill, all the snow is gone due to the “time- sensitive†skiers.
Nice try Senator, but I have another suggestion. Try getting up earlier. We can’t get everything we want. If you want first chair, earn it like everyone else from Denver.
-DUB
