Lynn rep seeks tolls block until end of ’09; area pols sign on

LYNN – Exasperated by the prospect of steep toll increases in Greater Boston, state Rep. Steven M. Walsh filed a bill Tuesday that would freeze all toll hikes until Dec. 31, 2009.”The bill would essentially stop this silliness in its tracks,” said Walsh, a Lynn Democrat who, along with other North Shore legislators, is feeling the brunt of the toll-hike fallout.Last week, the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority’s Board of Directors voted to double the Ted Williams Tunnel toll from $3.50 to $7 and to dramatically increase the cost of using other roadways in the metropolitan area.”All of that was done without any discussion,” said Walsh. “We should be able to debate and deliberate. The legislation would freeze tolls until Dec. 31, 2009 or until the governor’s transportation reform package has passed.”A team of experts assembled by Gov. Deval Patrick has been crafting a plan for major overhaul of the state’s transportation system. According to Walsh, the Turnpike Authority should have waited until the package was unveiled before voting to increase tolls.”So far, more than 30 of us have signed on to the bill,” Walsh said Tuesday, adding that other North Shore legislators such as Sen. Thomas McGee and Reps. Robert Fennell, Mark Falzone, Kathi-Anne Reinstein and Lori Ehrlich support the bill because it attempts to spread out the cost of bridge, road and highway costs rather than burden only commuters living north of Boston.”The bill may be only symbolic for this session, but I think it’s important to get organized so that when we return the first week of January we will be ready to take action.”Walsh said the toll-freeze bill would give the Legislature one year to find an equitable solution to paying off its transportation system debts, particularly those related to the Big Dig.”There has been a lot of talk about people using alternative routes. If that’s the case, then we are essentially creating a road for the elite and pricing out working families. There won’t be any traffic in the tunnels. Only the rich can afford to use them. The rich will have their own private tunnels. That is not the goal of public roadways.”The Turnpike Authority increases are set to become effective Feb. 9. Four public hearings are scheduled before then, including one on the North Shore.”Signing on to the toll-free bill is optional,” said Walsh. “The only reps opposed to it would probably come from the districts where the people currently pay no tolls. I think everyone should pay a little something.”Under the present transportation system, North Shore commuters pay the highest tolls since most depend on a bridge or tunnel to reach Boston. Commuters from the western suburbs pay minimal tolls while those coming from the south pay nothing.