Just sounds like another scheme to raise more tax money?

Sounds like another reason to stay away from Chicago.

Won't be long until there will be a fee for breathing fresh air!

Sounds like another good reason to move out of the state of Illinios!!! We get robbed everyway you turn around!!!

That's why we are leaving.
But, the biggest reason for congestion is misplaced and mis-timed traffic controls.
Commercial property owners "donate" money to politicians to have a traffic light installed near their property. It makes it worth more. And the companies that install them "donate" to the politicians too. Why do you think they installed one at Shermer and West Lake? An intersection that sees three cars an hour? Because they're building commercial development there.
Illinois is a corrupt, over taxed, mess.

WE should have an HOV lane in one of the express lanes into and out of Chicago. This really would reduce the number of vehicles on the highway yet give people choices without an extra fee. It has been an effective tool in many other cities.
( HOV for the uninitiated is High Occupancy Vehicle. It can require 2 or more in car or three or more.) Fewer cars=less pollution, fewer fuel consumption.

This not a Democrat problem, this is lack of planning by the road commision. When the roads where orginally planned the road commisions completely planned the need for our roads wrong. Look at the Elgin O'hare, they have a stop light at the beginning and the end, they could of spent the extra money to have the correct exit and entrance so the traffic doesn't back up. Our traffic lights are not timed so traffic moves in an non-efficent manner. How many times have you seen during rush hour one or two cars at a cross bound traffic signal stopping the flow of traffic. No - we shouldn't have to pay extra for a speed lane, our government should do their job right in the first place so traffic moves in an efficent manner. If they can build an extra lane to help move traffic this should be planned and payed by tax dollars monies set for road improvement. Also do a better job planning consrtuction companies schedules,so we don't have to see no work being done for months at a time during road consrtuction.

The proposal needs further evaluation but it is not on intended for other than new express lanes to be built or for certain new roadways to be built
The question is not clear on that point the way it was worded

Who in their right mind thought of this and what resident of Illinois would say ya charge me more money. If it isn't enough we pay for all these tolls, now they want to charge people because if congestion. These people in charge need to get a brain. Instead of fixing the problem, they choose to use a tax or toll. Oh ya like that's going to change the fact that people have to use those roads to get to work, it's not a choice to use those roads it's a need! And they know that. It's just another reason to make more money! For Pete sakes think of all the money they make off the tolls, where does it go? I have to use it to get to Lincoln park from Dundee their is no other way to get there then to take the tollway! Unless I want to take 3 hours and more gas to get their. They know it won't detour people, they just make more money to pay for government pensions like the new increase to the teachers pay? Just a thought. It's just disgusting! I want to get out of this state like so many others do too. How many other states have toll roads? Very few! Our state is screwed up, broke and corrupt! We are taxed more, have toll roads, get nickel and dimed but our state is the second to the last of being closest to bankrupt! Think about that! Whose in office for the last how many years? Democrats! Wake up people we need to vote them out and get fiscally responsible people in office like Wisconsin, we should follow suit!

I agree , me an my wife make very good money , not rich or well off but I have a very good job . The last few yrs we live pay check to pay check an we don't have fancy things but lately it seems so much as a parking ticket or red light ticket for stopping on the cross walk line which my 16 yrs old seems to do , puts up in a situation that we r eating ramen noodles for dinner 2 days prior to payday. We just can't live here anylonger. We do own a house on 3 acres down south we pay 109.00 dollars in taxes a yr. That's RT a yr. After goin back an fourth bout do we stay here or go. We have finnialy taken steps to get the hell out of Illinois . We hate to do it because our teenagers are fighting us on this.. But they way the politicians have thier hands in our pockets , I just don't have any more to give them , they have milked up dry , an have taken any pocket money an loose change we have left. We are outa here....

Congestion taxes are already being collected in Europe and the democrats want to model our country after their EU, so why not. Let's tax more as that solves everything.

How about ticketing those that drive under the speed limit in left lane and the constant construction on roads that's barely need it or changing light bulbs in the middle of the day and closing lanes. Most congestion could be avoided if people paid attention, stopped talking on the phone and texting and if IDOT used some common sense instead of what's most convenient for them or how they can make their buddies rich with road work we do t need. You don't hear a single state rep talking about this and how much time and money is wasted in traffic that could be avoided.

Pete- I would wait until your children have graduated HS then move. My brother lives near Atl. In an exclusive suburb and he feels that the public education his children receive there is substandard to the one he received in AH 30 years ago. As much as we complain about school taxes I truely believe our children benefit greatly compared to many other parts of the country. Now wanting to pay those taxes after my kids graduate is another story....

Chicago and its democrats are always looking for a buck, and usually at the expense of those that really need something. I think it is high time to make Chicago it's own county and then convert it into an island. I personally have no use for the city and all of the crime and political graft it harbors. For those of you that seem to enjoy the city so much, go live and work there, otherwise abandon the city entirely until it can learn that its property owners need to start paying the piper and the communities need to make their streets safer. There are many ways to accomplish that, however it would be unpopular as it would be discrimanatory, yet reality must take precedent. Whatever the case, keep Chicago out of our suburbs, we have enough to deal with and user fees for us if it means we can't get around, then maybe the north & northwest burbs need to secede from Cook County and find jobs and entertainment here. We are on the way with towns like Rosemont for entertainment, schaumburg for shopping. Disassociate ourselfs from Chicago, do we really need the museums, kids can get that education from good teachers. Do we need State Street, we have malls that offer most of the same. I could go on, but I think we are intelligent enough to see we don't need Chicago, Chicago needs us.

I've heard they are looking at those signals as you enter for example 94 and Touhy. When you blow through the red your plate will be photographed and a ticket sent your way ...any way to squeeze a buck.

Another example of unintended consequences -- those who can least afford to waste gas sitting still in traffic can also not afford access to premium lanes. It will be fun watching the Democrat hypocrites try to justify the conflicts of the three headed monster -- need to raise taxes, need to protect the poor, need to save the environment. In this case, pick one!

Sitting in the car on the congested roads is "tax" enough. Driver's who don't want to will find another route if one is available.

Frank I'm all for red light cameras , cause blowing a red light can easily cause a death an is down right dangerous , but they are abusing the cameras by issuing tickets to people who stop to close to the cross walk line which is not what thier intended use was for . An half the time you can't see the line as most of the pInt is worn off . Now I've won 2 of the 3 red light tickets but find my self losing 350 $ which is a days pay for taking off work to fight the hundred dollar ticket. An they know most people will just pay it an they do ... That's Sooo criminal....

Hey Q. I drive 294 every day. I know that patch of road you are talkin about ..when I saw it I had to laugh to myself an wondered if other people did the same thing. All that money spent ....

People who work and must be in traffic to get to work are to be penalized with additional charges? Why? I'm a retiree and try to time my tollway travel to the off hours for my sake and the sake of those who must be on the road at peak travel times -- it's easy for me to do but not easy for working people.

Congestion would be relieved if more lanes were added when the tollways need refurbishing. Congestion would be even more relieved if road work wasn't always being done. Can't we use improved materials to make roads last longer?

Can't the state schedule road work so that jobs get done swiftly before starting another road -- it seems that too many jobs get started in spring and not finished until November thus constricting lanes for half the year or longer.

I'm amazed that there isn't more road rage due to the constant repair blockages. American people are too patient and should demand efficiencies. Everyone who frets about wasting energy should also demand that traffic not be stalled with engines running.

Tolls pay taxes.

It's just another for Chicago to steal from suburban commuters. Illinois is so corrupt & the unions so strong that roadwork is never done efficiently. After all the union workers have to be kept busy or the corrupt unions would quit donating to the corrupt politians. BTW when this posts, it eill probably have "Reject" on it. Don't know why, but it will.

We already have that system, it's called the toll roads. How's that working for you?

This state is so corrupt, it's time to go. In a couple years we'll be just like California, more people moving out than in. Who will the crooks tax then, once all the peasants have fled!

29 comments is all the discussion has generated since
5 am this morning. This is excalty why these politicians get away with what they do . Patch gives us a voice an don't think for one minute that they are not reading these boards . People leave your comments even if it's about other taxations, it's the same subject matter. I mean district 69 doing away with Halloween had over 300 comments. An yet nobody want to comment on our real issues. Leave a comment an be heard. Or mabe they are right when they think we are just Gina roll over an take it

Instead of fixing 294 in the few spots the concrete went bad they paved over an 8 year old road with asphalt. Road would have lasted 30 years. Now it will need to be repaved every 3-5 years......Union payback at its worst!

The Edens lasted almost 25years before it needed to be repave. IL is so corrupt keep voting for them Dems so that they can keep Madigan in charge. You get what you deserve!

I also spend a lot of time in Colorado they try as hard as possible to avoid inconveniencing their drivers. Road work at night, they reopen them during the days, work 24 hours shifts.......but of course here in IL the Unions come first and citizens time and money comes last.

they did just raised the toll , when they get away with it the first time, they will try immeditly for more. what happen with the express lane on i94 to ohare????first it was there and then gone. one winter it was piled with snow for storage. it does make me laugh. it will be congested no matter what, paying or not paying. it is like with property taxes, one time it was every 4 years you would get property assesments. now you get them every year, and you wonder why you pay so much taxes. schools and goverment want always more of your money, till you dont have anymore to give. and then they will tell you, if you can not afford it , it seems you have to move . we are taxed out, happy halloween to all , this is like you get booed

Ok I live in niles in an average home with little property . I pay 9,000 a yr in properity tax , 6 months ago my daughter was choaking so we call the paramedics which resulted in a 500.00 bill we received in the mail . My kids go to main south which is a public school why do I pay almost 500.00 each kid for enrollment .my home taxes are based on my property value an my property value has continued to decline over the last 4 yrs but yet my taxes on my home continue to go up. The politicians think we have forgotten why we pay property tax. It's to pay for our police which Chicago thought they could get away with asking people to pay an additional 5 a month an useing the excuse that it's for Ur safety to put more officers on the street. An I can't believe some people went for it an said they would. Our property take is for fire an ambulance so why did I receive an additional bill for their services. The toll were put in for a short period of time back in the 50s to pay for these roads. Do you all know how many people travel these roads everyday. Where is the money goin . No they have been goin after ciggerattes ok fine I'm a smoker but I'll give you that it's a nasty habit .. An they tax alcohol. An they put a high tax on gas . An now they wana go after sugar. Where is all this goin an at what point do we all march through our state or atleast our county an put a stop to all this insane madness

Oh yea an now a proposed violence tax . Another smoke screen to get people to vote it in by telling you less people will be running the streets with guns . This is BS at it's finest . The only people it's goin to effect is the neighbor you have next-door who is of no threat to you or the public . he has his FOID card , an he has one because he follows the law an because of that the law issued him one . The ones not effected by this law is the thug that breaks into Ur home an put a gun to your head , an he will you know why. Because he will beable to afford one on an illegal basis an unfortunately for you your neighbor who legally owns his gun won't be able to help you as he will be out of ammo due to the fact that he can't afford it... Really people start thinking

An btw I don't even like guns they scare me. Smoke an mirrors people

I read somewhere they collect near 1 million dollars per day from toll booths, If you are old enough, in the 1960s the policticians said that once the road was paid for the toll booths would be removed. That was lesson number one when it comes to fees/taxes on the middle class citizen trying to make a living. Now this example has mushroomed into D Durbin looking for more ways to take your money.

Did you guys know the city of Chicago made 70 million alone on their red light traffic program last yr. That is a fact not a guess ...

Lottery was going to pay for schools too......Rich people dont play the lottery just another poor tax, like Casinos. Vote these theifs out!

An yes McCloud not sure on what they bring in a day but yes you are correct. The toll booths were put in place to build our highways an supposed to be taken out once they were built. But once again nobody called them on this an here we are today still paying to use them. I agree we need to pay a small separate fee to use them as our roads do need up keep. But it's now just highway robbery. No pun intended. I don't usually joke bout these things but couldn't help the pun !!!!

An not to mention that blagoavich spent 250,000 $$$ per sign he had built telling us that he was responsible for the new iPass project that is supposed to help traffic move smoother. An not to mention that they were not goin to make you get an ipass an that is was totally up to you. Buuuuuuuut on the other hand if ya don't get one we will charge you double. Sounds like socilcist through your pocket.... Ty ex governor I hope you are resting comfortable again at our expense

The dopes who have political power have not yet figured out that at a certain point of taxation, the revenue will fall. I would suggest that you all add all of the taxes you pay including income tax, property tax, sales tax, utility taxes, gasoline tax, social security tax, Medicare tax, auto license, parking, hotel tax, alcohol tax, etc, that you are paying close to 60% of your annual income in taxes which are collected and spent by folks who cannot make a living doing anything else. And we keep electing them. We must be as dumb as they are.

This proposal is a gift to the rich people to get their own 'private' road, since they can well afford to pay any fees. What it does is make the congestion worse for us lessor
wealthy folks to ride on reduced lanes. Let the rich build their own private roads, if they want better traffic flow. They don't care what the peasants have to endure.

Ok, the one thing I don't see mentioned: If they "tax" those drivers and get them off Route 53 (for example), then where will they go? Those people still have to get somewhere (most likely to work). So they are just going to take another road and clog it up. So this will not work. There are only a few ways to reduce traffic: more lanes, public transportation (that really works), spread out the commute times, let people work from home, etc.

Of course, less people working/living here also reduces traffic. Keep raising taxes and that's going to happen.

Chuck,

They just don't get it. Pols spend other people's money. If they couldn't do that they would be in some other line of work. And besides they don't care. By the time your scenario comes to fruition, the present dopes will be long gone and no one will remember who was responsible.

I don't see where yet another fee is going to help solve the problem - people still need to get to work, shop, schools, etc; once again it will hurt mainly the working class people and older fixed income people. Maybe better and faster mass transit at at fair cost and ample parking at the stations? It's getting real hard to think about staying in Illinois with all the nonsense being brought up that will only hurt the working class and taxing everything under the sun (maybe that will be next, a sunshine tax)

Also, I thought the express lanes were supposed to help the traffic issue; oops, guess they goofed again. Sometime the express is slower than the local lanes; back to the drawing board and this is the best they can do; another tax?

OK, which local candidate is promising to rein in taxes and spending? Which local politician has shown any backbone by saying, "Yes, doing this or that would be nice, but we cannot afford it, so we won't. "

The real issue is that we do not live in a free country. When we have to get permission from the STATE to travel, you do not live in a free country.