apparently the bush administration thinks traffic jams violate a fundamental right of american citizens:

“it’s almost sort of un-American that we should be forced to sit and be stuck in traffic.” - d.j. gribbin, DOT general counsel & white house liaison

their solution? pull public financing of public transportation and use it as an incentive to prompt states to privatize roads. the hoped-for result? congestion-based tolls!

“the idea is to reduce traffic by discouraging some motorists from driving during peak hours.”

without continued investment in public transportation, those most likely to be discouraged will have no choice but to stay home or feel the pain of the tolls.¹ regressive tax much?

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¹ someone who is familiar with the northern virginia phenomenon of slug lines might argue that they are empirical evidence that the private sector will find a way to cope with congestion-based tolls. however, i tend to think this is a flawed comparison - the sluglines developed in response to fixed-time carpool lanes, where solo motorists ran the risk of a hefty fine if they were caught in the HOV lanes. in contrast, the toll “solution” lacks both the perceived risk of a high financial sting and the reliability of a set schedule.