Your irrational pet peeves

[shafnutz05]

A westbound trip across the entire 359-mile turnpike mainline will increase by $1.90, to $39.90, for cash users and by $1.36, to $28.60, for customers who use E-ZPass. Going eastbound, tolls will increase by $2.20, to $46.10, for those paying in cash and $1.57, to $32.95, for E-ZPass.

This is just patently absurd. Anywhere from $30 to $45 to cross the state on a largely garbage road. As a comparison, the NJ Turnpike, a largely eight lane road (or more) that they are continuing to widen and improve is $13.85 from end to end.

[Hockeynut!]

How many miles is the NJ turnpike?

[shafnutz05]

How many miles is the NJ turnpike?

It's about a third as long, so I concede your point there. I think the frustration stems from the antiquated nature of much of the Turnpike.

[mac5155]

Do toll dollars go to building plazas too? It seems they're redoing like all of the plazas between Ohio and at least breezewood.

Why exactly is the Pike subsidizing Penn DOT?

[columbia]

State politicians are good at getting elected for not raising taxes/fees for road construction (and in general) and fobbing off the rest of the expense to general state revenues and the Feds:

Nationwide in 2011, highway user fees and user taxes made up just 50.4 percent of state and local expenses on roads. State and local governments spent $153.0 billion on highway, road, and street expenses but raised only $77.1 billion in user fees and user taxes ($12.7 billion in tolls and user fees, $41.2 billion in fuel taxes, and $23.2 billion in vehicle license taxes).[3] The rest was funded by $30 billion in general state and local revenues and $46 billion in federal aid (approximately $28 billion derived from the federal gasoline tax and $18 billion from general federal revenues or deficit financed).

http://taxfoundation.org/article/gasoli ... d-spending" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Troy Loney]

Yeah, easier to raise tolls than to raise taxes

[mac5155]

So the 5 cents extra is paving thousands of miles worth of roads? i find that hard to believe.

[Factorial]

Do toll dollars go to building plazas too? It seems they're redoing like all of the plazas between Ohio and at least breezewood.

Why exactly is the Pike subsidizing Penn DOT?

Who should pay for the new toll plazas?

[mac5155]

I meant the rest stops. I dunno.. that should be open to the private business to build their own building.

[pens9192]

The PA Turnpike situation is just classic Pennsylvania. It was/is one of the most corrupt organizations in the commonwealth.

It is crazy that they have to pay PennDOT (no saint in of itself either) $450 million a year until the 2020's (then $50 million every year thereafter thanks to the transportation bill) in order to fund our infrastructure and transit. This deal happened the state wanted to toll I-80 to raise revenue and the feds denied it. So Gov. Rendell worked with his buddies at the PTC to come up with this deal. Plus the state legislature could never pass a transportation bill so now they just move money around. That PG article says that $450 million is half of their yearly operating revenue, so they have to borrow money to pay. Imagine doing something that crazy in real life where you drain 50% from your bank account, give that money to your buddy, and then recoup the money by taking a cash advance from a credit card. Rinse and repeat every year. Irresponsible. So get used to yearly fare increases.

Luckily only the people traveling the turnpike have to fund this deal and it doesn't appear to be a decrease in traffic.

Yes, the PTC can't wait to switch electronic tolling. I read an article last year that the average toll collector makes $50K a year. Add in benefit costs and multiply it by how many toll collectors they have and you can see why long term they will save money with electronic tolling.

[Sam's Drunk Dog]

When it comes to the government, sometimes I feel we'd be better off in the end by completely starting over than trying to fix what's broken.

[tifosi77]

People who post details of their health life as a Facebook status update.

We have friends, a married couple, who constantly post photos of themselves in ERs, or at clinics in waiting rooms, their admission wrist badges. It's weird.

[PensFanInDC]

People who post details of their health life as a Facebook status update.

We have friends, a married couple, who constantly post photos of themselves in ERs, or at clinics in waiting rooms, their admission wrist badges. It's weird.

Coping mechanism?

[tifosi77]

I dunno, but I ultimately stopped following them/getting their status in my news feed/whatever you call it on Facebook that's short of unfriending them. But if you go to their wall page, it's like 30% of the posts.

Granted, the wife and their young daughter (apparently) have a fair share of issues. But it's a little obnoxious.

[PensFanInDC]

I'm sure it is.

Getting rid of Facebook has been good for me.

[Shyster]

Just found out that a manga I really like—Samurai Papa—was dropped after the first volume. It's about a single father, who considers himself a modern samurai, trying to raise his young daughter Nadeshiko after the death of his wife. Now i'll never get to know if Bushido manages to fend off Kojun's predatory courgar mom, or whether Nadeshiko gets her wish and manages to hook her father up with Koharu-sensei.

[blackjack68]

You should send him a PM.

[meow]

And if we don't get no tolls, then we don't eat no rolls.

[PensFanInDC]

And if we don't get no tolls, then we don't eat no rolls.

TIGHT tights.

[dodint]

I'm just mildly pissed at everything today. No real reason other than a lack of some sleep. I could use one good night of 8 solid hours. Essentially I am my own pet peeve. I'm not even angry or raging or anything, just somewhere between disgusted and pissed off, just idling there.

[Letang Is The Truth]

I don't like sleepin for 8 hours. Seems like a waste of time

[dodint]

It's more the solid that I'm after. I have a lot on my mind, and other stuff, so sleeping is an adventure that it shouldn't have to be.

[shafnutz05]

I don't like sleepin for 8 hours. Seems like a waste of time

If I get 8 hours I feel groggy and lazy the next day. Six is my sweet spot.

[Troy Loney]

I don't like sleepin for 8 hours. Seems like a waste of time

For me, i feel like i'm wasting time when i'm tired and forcing myself to stay awake. I'm most comfortable when going to sleep at 9:30 and waking up at 5:30.

[Letang Is The Truth]

my new routine is sleep between 10 and 11 and up between 445 and 500. feeling like a million bucks