Already? Okay, I went for the attention grabbing headline. It’s more complicated than that, and the increase is minuscule, but based on recent feedback and pressure from Metrowest communities MassDOT has approved new toll rates which will rebalance the burden and ultimately cost drivers less. One might say that Newton got the short end of the stick. The result is a 15¢ increase for EZ-pass holders at the new Newtonville gantries going live later this month, from 20¢ to 35¢. Will this be enough to add to cut through pressures on Newton streets? We’ll never really know.
Newton tolls going up 75%
by Adam Peller | Oct 13, 2016 | traffic | 9 comments
I am seeing now that a round trip from Newton Corner to Boston will be $2.70 (from $2.00). That seems to be one of the few (if not only) routes to be affected.
As I commute West (and my tolls will actually go down: coffee’s on me), my larger concern is if the toll in Newtonville, taking away the free ride from Newton Corner to West Newton and back (our very own Hyperloop, if you will), will negative impact traffic. Since they increased that proposed toll from $.20 to $.35 (again, from zero), I can tell you I will be more likely to clog the local roads to get across town unless I’m in a hurry.
Doug, remember that there still is a likely big win still for Newton: the Weston tolls were moved just outside 128, so the ride from Auburndale to/from West Newton is “free” and without tollbooth queues, hopefully doing a lot to discourage Boston-bound cut throughs through Lower Falls and Auburndale. I’d be willing to bet that impacts a lot more trips than those of us looking for a quick route from West Newton to Newton Corner.
This same 15 cent increase came with a similar drop at the Allston tolls, so while it’s still more than before, the news means many Newton drivers will save enough for a cup of coffee… perhaps twice each month?
Personally, I don’t care that much about the cost of the tolls. But I do care about the 400 toll takers who lost their jobs to machines. Yet another disgraceful move from a Governor who doesn’t value jobs.
Mike, it makes no sense to employ people to do jobs that simply don’t need to be done. Automation provides productivity gains which ultimately raise our standard of living.
David– What do you mean jobs that “don’t need to be done”? Seems to me like a question of priorities. Did the Governor want the job to be performed by people or machines? He chose to put 400 human beings out of work. I hope people remember his choice when he runs for reelection. As far as this decision somehow having a positive effect on my “standard of living”… I doubt that very much.
Mike – the jobs don’t need to be done anymore because we have machinery which can do the work much more efficiently.
If jobs alone were the path to prosperity, we could employ people to dig holes in the ground and then fill them back in, again and again, day after day. Obviously this is foolish as this labor produces nothing of value. Similarly, paying toll collectors when a machine can do the same work more cheaply is a waste of our precious resources.
Here’s a reference on the link between productivity and standard of living:
http://www.epi.org/publication/webfeatures_snapshots_archive_03222000/
What David said. Now these people are freed up to do something even cooler with their lives. Oh and guess what, we have a ton of programs that help laid off people gain in demand skills for free. So they’ll almost certainly end up BETTER off than they are before.
David– I respect your opinion. We just have very different priorities. Good jobs are the key to our economy. And a strong economy is critical to a socially just society. Certainly efficiency is important, but it doesn’t pay the rent or put food on the table. I’m worried about the 400 people who lost their jobs to machines. I’m worried about their families. And I’m worried about people in the private sector whose jobs are also threatened by automation. So I will no longer shop at stores like CVS that are hellbent on replacing real workers with automated check out. And I certainly will never support a Governor like Charlie Baker who puts such little value in jobs.
Hi Mike, I completely agree that change brought be technological advances can be painful to those impacted. But rather than continue to employ people to perform obsolete tasks, I’d much rather see the government and industry step up and provide training and education to help these folks find new, better, higher-paying, more productive jobs. There’s no shortage of work but we’ll be better off if we use human capital for tasks that truly require it and let technology handle repetitive, straightforward tasks.