Create tolls requiring indivduals to pay to enter the city.
A very significant portion of the workers come into the city every day from Montgomery, Fairfax, Prince Georges, Loudon counties and other points beyond. Other cities charge, which aids immeasurably to their bottom line with respect to revenue. This does a few positive things for the city. First and foremost it generates revnue. Secondly, individuals faced with the choice of paying tolls or ultilizing public transportaion would probably choose the latter as oppossed to the former. If that was the case then traffic and parking would significantly be affected in a positive way. Lastly, given the choice of the aforementioned, a lot of individuals may choose to relocate within the city, which would be a win-win for all concerned.
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Anonymous commented
I realize the technical and political challenges to this idea, but there are other ways to effectively toll commuters and tourists who don't pay for their fair share of the services they use. I'm particularly in favor of tolling commuters who come here and choose to break our traffic and parking laws -- speed cameras and photo enforcement of parking are great ideas! Higher parking fees and taxes will also hit mostly Maryland and Virginia commuters as streetcars and Bikeshare make it less necessary for DC residents to drive and park in town.
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In Town Brown commented
Why not, we have to pay tolls to travel to other states, Md and Va. People in Md and Va, take up all the parking spaces, they get up at 5:00 am to do this, and then they move their cars every 2 hours in the same zone. I live, work, play and worship in DC, and I get my share of tickets every time I drive my car. I live in zone 2 and work in zone 2, I can never find a parking space. If I move my car to go out at night, when I come back home I don't have a parking space. If I move my car on Rhode Island Ave, where there is parking spaces left, in the morning I get a ticket and then towed. Yes, ticketing in DC is killing the folks that live in DC also, we need a break.
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DC has a toll. It's called traffic cameras. I left DC last year BECAUSE of the extortion by parking/traffic camera tickets and the rent is too high. When the City makes DC more user-friendly I'll return.
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Mr. Parham, I am cogizant of that fact. However, until the residents are truely committed to doing what is within their best interests then nothining will ever change. Congress has treated the residents of the city as second class citizens and they are not going to make a change unless we demand it!
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John Parham commented
Congress does not allow the District have toll roads into the City.