Argument 1 against toll roads

One argument put forward against tolling Pennsylvania interstates is the it will create a new bureaucracy.

The idea of course is that we call something a bureaucracy if it is a government program that we do not like. The real meaning of bureaucracy is a set of government officials who are decision makers. Toll booth collectors are not decision makers. They are essentially guards who make sure people pay upon exiting the toll road.

Administering toll booths will not likely create any more management jobs than already exist to govern the maintenance of the interstate. It will, however, require the creation of several new toll both collection jobs. Given that we would like to keep the creation of government jobs to the barest minimum to accomplish a job, how do we do this?

The answer would be the creation of toll gates along various portions of the road. This would have the added bonus of reducing the amount of construction or reconfiguration of roads that would need to take place around the various exits to accommodate toll booths. It may be a better idea simply to place them at the state borders. This would eliminate the inconvenience to those who live and work in-state during their commutes and would put the burden of the tolls primarily on those drivers from out of state who use them. Keep in mind that out of state drivers currently pay nothing to use these roads. That money comes exclusively out of our pockets. Given that much of the out of state users are trucks, it is likely that the trucks themselves are more responsible for the wear and tear on the roads and bridges given their enormous size compared to regular vehicles.

The toll gates could either be placed exclusively at the state borders or, in addition those locations, a few spots near key interchanges with other interstates. That would be it. The system would not be obtrusive in construction or administration and would bring in a lot more revenue from outside of the state to pay for the roads. Right now we don't receive any.