The Tollways in Illinois are Really the Worst thing in the State
It's time for us all to vent some frustration on what is quite possibly the WORST thing about living in the state of Illinois, the Tollways.
I just got finished going to illinoistollway.com to pay $15 in missed tolls I went through driving from Quincy, Illinois to my parents house in Crystal Lake, Illinois and back. I want nothing more than to scream from a rooftop every time I have to pay the state of Illinois that toll money. Illinois has a lot of negatives going for it when it comes to living here, the political corruption, the bad weather, the extremely high gas tax, but honestly the tollways are the worst of the worst.
The tollways were designed according to Wikipedia ...
"The original decision to build the tollway was made in an era when five states used toll roads to create a superhighway between New York and Chicago. This predated the Interstate Highway System and the associated funding from federal gasoline taxes. Critics argue that Tollway users are paying twice, first by paying tolls and then by paying the same gasoline taxes that other motorists pay."
And I think that is what frustrates me the most, I can understand needing a toll system to help pay for a new road, BUT once the road is paid for and complete why keep the tolls except for greed? You can argue that you need that money to repair and keep the roads safe and smooth, but in Illinois a state with the SECOND Highest Gas Taxes according to Taxfoundation.org, should that money be more than enough to cover the costs of roads needing repairing? It should but according to motorist.org...
"There are billions of gas-tax dollars being siphoned off for non-highway purposes, or covering government deficits. Anyone who thinks tolls will be any less likely to be usurped for non-highway purposes is not a student of history."
So ya big props to states like Missouri and Iowa for NOT having toll roads, especially in the modern age where the "Paying online technology makes it easier" NO IT DOESN'T, what it does is it makes it easier for you to forget all about the tolls you went through and then you get hit with a MASSIVE fine that doubles and triples very quickly if you don't pay online in those 7 days.
Ok rant over, take my $15 tollways, making a 4 and a half hour drive from Quincy to visit my parents in Crystal Lake and back cost me well over $130 in gas and tollway fees... Thanks Illinois.
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