THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, June 7, 1996 TAG: 9606060022
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Local
LENGTH: 31 lines
The new four-lane Coleman Bridge, although an asset to Yorktown and Gloucester Point, doe not have the ``dubious distinction of being Virginia's only toll bridge,'' as stated in your May 18 editorial, ``Bigger and better.''
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel (CBBT) charges automobiles $10 each way, which is five times more than the Coleman.
Furthermore, the CBBT does not allow a commuter rate for residents of Northampton and Accomac counties on Virginia's Eastern Shore, arguably the poorest in our state.
Thus the commuter rate for Eastern Shore residents is 20 times more than the rate for Coleman Bridge commuters, who receive a 75 percent discount. I deplore the incredibly unfair tax the CBBT imposes upon those Virginia citizens most dependent upon its use.
In good conscience, the CBBT should allow at least a free return to same-day commuters, which would impose no added administrative overhead.
Commuter travel constitutes only about 1 percent of all CBBT traffic; therefore, a commuter rate would negligibly impact CBBT revenues.
With a new commuter rate, increased Eastern Shore traffic might in fact offset any revenue loss. Although the CBBT Authority is minimally funded by state and federal agencies, its obligation to the welfare of taxpayers and toll payers remains morally imperative.
JOHN SHEPPARD
Cape Charles, May 20, 1996 by CNB