South Carolina Motorcycle Rights Association

How would you like to see the number of tolls on America’s interstates multiply like rabbits? That’s just around the corner unless we make our voices heard.

You may think the interstate in your backyard is safe from having tolls slapped on it by politicians and bureaucrats, but the interstate tolling murmur is growing in Washington DC, and it’s coming from both sides of the aisle.

Under current law, States are prohibited from tolling any roads that were built since the inception of the Federal Interstate Highway System in 1956.

Last spring, President Obama proposed eliminating the longstanding ban on tolling existing interstates and giving every state the option of tolling them to raise transportation revenue. That means continuing to pay for roads with the current gas tax and then tacking on an additional toll for each interstate you use.

How bad can it get? Have you ever traveled through New Jersey and New York? Imagine suffering that tolling nightmare everywhere across the country. We’re talking about the possibility of hundreds of dollars in tolls for a single long trip.

But it’s not just Democrats who want to toll our existing interstates. Powerful Republican Congressman Paul Ryan (R-WI) recently voiced strong support for letting states toll any interstate they’d like. If this idea continues to get traction and the interstate tolling levee breaks, expect riding on interstates to get a lot more expensive, unsafe, and inconvenient.

The new highway bill could be up for debate at the end of May, and we need to fight hard against interstate tolls. One step the Motorcycle Riders Foundation has taken is joining the Alliance for Toll-Free Interstates, a broad coalition of interstate users and businesses who want to see our interstates protected from new tolls.

ATFI is building momentum through a national petition to keep our interstates toll-free. Please take 30 seconds to sign the petition today. You can also spread the word and help make tolling impossible for politicians by liking ATFI on Facebook and following them on Twitter. They put out a lot of good content, and the wider it gets circulated, the more public opposition there will be.

It is important to visit www.TollFreeInterstates.com to learn more about ATFI and sign the petition today. Help spread the word by directing your riding friends to also sign the petition.