I've traveled back to Boston via I-90 several times over the past year, and the prices tend to go up-and-down in sync, so I have to assume the primary reason the gas is more expensive here is because of NYS gas tax. Certainly the taxes in NYS are pretty steep.

Anyways, Peter – name me a public transit system in the world that DOESN'T operate at a loss? Public transit is just that, a public benefit, and thus designed to be subsidized. Just like highways, I might add…if every highway had tolls that covered their construction and operating costs – instead of receiving federal funds – then nobody could possibly afford to drive on them!

Anyways, have we kind of forgotten that Massachusetts is, in general, too cheap to live in at the moment? There's too many people crammed into too small a space; that's why the highways are permanently at rush hour clog levels, the housing prices & rents are still astronomical, and the T is running at 115% capacity and still nowhere near providing optimal service.

Well, would you rather piss of a few taxpayers (who use the pike)…or do you want t o piss of ALL the taxpayers in the commonswealth.

I think the politicians can withstand some western suburb political fallout. But I dont think they can withstand every taxpayer in the state pissed off at them.

The leadership at the State House has not accomplished much, with the ethics investigations of Theresa Murray, Dimasi, Wilkerson and Marzilli jading public opinion.

Making people in Fitchburg, Gardner, Franklin etc. pay for the Big Dig Tunnel doesn’t make sense either.

It all about political survival of those elected.

Having said all that, I am angry to the point of finding it difficult to elaborate with any sense of logic. The Big Dig, and the Pike, for that matter, benefits everyone, regardless of whether they drive on it, or even drive at all. Goods and services flow along its roadways, to the benefit of all citizens. Putting the onus of paying for this on the backs of drivers trapped into using the Pike Extension and various tunnels to get to work is unconscionable. It costs them more per unit than if the cost was spread across all the drivers in the Commonwealth, or better yet, all taxpayers. The choice of tax to achieve this can start with a gas tax increase, but also spread to other broadbased tariffs.

It almost feels like the Turnpike Authority is trying to get one last shot in before they are put out of existence. It’s the right thing to put them out of business, top to bottom, but I question the plan. The tolls should be eliminated 100% and replaced by my earlier mentioned revenue streams. Putting East vs West, and North/South drivers at each others’ throats over who is paying, who is getting a free ride, and who should bear the burden is not the way to go. Broadbased support is the only way to do this, and keeping tolls because of some legacy mindset is not.

What drivers should do in the way of protesting this, aside from speaking out and writing legislators, is to give them a taste of what the future could bring with these increases. Start immediately, by engaging in a boycott of the Pike by using alternative roads. Watch those living along these road experience jams and clogging as a result, bringing them into the protest. Watch the Pike and the State experience the reduction in revenues from cars avoiding the increased tolls. Increase those tolls, and it will be the norm. Maybe those in charge will then understand they can’t finance this think on the backs of a few, and these increases could have the effect of killing the golden goose that the turnpike polls had been before they were given responsibility for the Big Dig in exchange for some control of its roadways.

I apologize for this rambling rant, but frustration will do that.

Yes, but you have to drive backwards!

I’m sure others do too.

I think the Pike Board knows people have the money they were using for gas.

“I’m already mapping out, in my mind, alternative routes…”

I dont think people are madly doing this. Considering how much gas prices have decreased, they are still ahead, even with the increases.