As kid, I remember that North Carolina was known as “The Good Roads State”, because our road system was so comprehensive and well-maintained. For whatever reason, I particularly remember US Highway 52 north of Winston Salem, where the entire thing was maintained so well that it could have been mistaken for someone’s yard.
Of course, back in those days, our now legendary (at least to those of us who grew up here) corruption in just how roads are handled had yet to occur, and the chain gangs were always highly visible, cleaning up things, mowing, trimming trees and so on.
It would seem that our politicians have totally forgotten that legacy, and now would like to make us The Toll Roads State, acting as if the failure to buy gas here (with the highest gas tax in the Southeast) is somehow a crime. Unless of course you live here, in which case more is required from us.
I guess that I may as well make peace with the concept of a toll booth at the end of my driveway eventually. I mean, I’m now driving one of those evil, efficient cars that NCDOT Spokesdroid project engineer Kristine O’Connor, spouting the party line of DOTs nationwide, blames for all this.
“…because their cars are so efficient they don’t have to stop…”
Mr. Thompson is not going to allow us to win. Remember that.
Read more here: http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/02/12/1848361/plan-fights-toll-evasion.html#storylink=cpy”