Well, that was fast.
County Judge Ed Emmett announced today that the county will not double fees during peak hours on the Westpark Tollway, backing off a decision made two days earlier that was assailed by many tollway drivers and area residents."We will cancel the Westpark (peak-hours) increase,'' he said.
Member of Commissioners Court, especially Commissioner Steve Radack, have received phone calls and e-mails from residents criticizing the court's decision Tuesday to raise Westpark fees from $1 to $2.50 per transaction during peak hours.
Rescinding Tuesday's unanimous vote by the court "was certainly influenced by the public's reaction,'' Emmett said.
So-called "congestion pricing'' was intended to reduce gridlock on the tollway during the morning and evening commutes. But after voting for peak-hour pricing, court members became concerned that doubling the fees would force some drivers onto just-as-congested nearby roads.
Although the decision may have been wise, the way it got there was arbitrary: as arbitrary as a unanimous vote in Commissioners Court, and as arbitrary as a reversal in private.
Posted by: Charles Hixon on June 21, 2007 5:02 PM