Judge Ed Emmett and Commissioner Steve Radack enjoyed hearing from Harris County drivers yesterday and today regarding the (now dead) proposal to increase fees dramatically on the Westpark Tollway:
Harris 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,” at the next Commissioners Court meeting, 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.
The plan to rescind Tuesday’s unanimous vote by the court “was certainly influenced by the public’s reaction,” Emmett said.
And in spite of the toll road authority hiring a consultant to figure out what to do about the crowded toll roads (no, not the judge’s own transportation consulting company), Judge Emmett says there was more that he and the commissioners should have considered:
On Tuesday, Radack said of drivers who couldn’t afford peak-hour fees, “Let them go down Richmond Road. Or they can use Westpark,” a secondary road near the tollway. His comment especially angered commuters.
But Emmett said Radack’s comment may have been useful because many residents phoned or e-mailed to say that Richmond also is congested and is not a viable alternative.
Emmett said he and other court members reviewed alternatives to the tollway and decided that it was unwise to force some drivers onto backed-up secondary streets and highways where construction is under way, such as Interstate 10.
“The truth of the matter is, we and the consultants hadn’t factored in the construction on the other highways,” Emmett said. “You can’t have congestion pricing if you don’t have a place for people to go to avoid congestion.”
Uh, didn’t factor in alternatives for drivers to use? How much do these transportation consultants get paid, anyway?
This was probably an interesting couple of days for the new judge. And others have noticed, too.
COMPLETELY UNRELATED: Did you know Judge Emmett was named 2005’s Transportation Person of the Year?
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