The new toll lanes on I-85 in Gwinnett County and the planned HOT lanes in Cobb and Cherokee are not popular with this column’s readers. Feedback indicates the toll lanes will have a negative impact on the proposed 2012 special local option sales tax for transportation (TSPLOST). Some feedback from readers:

Last GA Democrat: The debacle with the HOT lanes on I-85 has all but sunk the modest existing support that the TSPLOST had in Gwinnett. People are adamantly opposed to paying more taxes to an inept government that has proved that it will only use the money to make traffic worse like has been done on I-85 in DeKalb and politically-crucial Gwinnett.

The very much ill-advised approach of confiscating a lane of existing traffic in each direction and creating massive gridlock to create demand for the HOT lanes on I-85 has severely undermined what modest existing support for the TSPLOST in Gwinnett and the I-85 Northeast Metro Corridor.

Because of the state’s disastrous Lexus Lane experiment on I-85, the TSPLOST is likely headed towards massive failure just on the strength of Gwinnett County alone, which is where the state’s largest power base of GOP voters is located (even bigger than Cobb County).

Do nothing viewpoint: Don, which transportation projects do you support? I-75 is a parking lot now and you seem to care less with all these anti-transportation improvement opposition rants.

(Note to Dnv: This columnist is very much in favor of transportation improvement but there’s a better way to do the job. More later.)

Piney Woods Pete II: Big thumbs up to Don McKee for shining the spotlight on this lunacy. We will not get to vote on these toll lanes, they are not part of the TSPLOST.

CobbCountyRedneck: This latest bumbling attempt at relieving congestion in the I-85 corridor does not bode well for the TIA/TSPLOST vote in July. As others have suggested, let’s put the vote off for a couple of years. In the context of projects that take decades to put in service, two years is insignificant. Let’s revisit the legislation, correct its obvious flaws and at the appropriate time make another run at composing a regional transportation solution that makes sense.

Right now what we have is a bunch of money-wasting crap based on the wishful thinking that makes the delusional assumption that the federal gravy train will continue to roll. Our Senators and Congressmen, who are in the best position to know, have all but guaranteed that things are going to be much different in the future when it comes to manna from Washington.

br548: No on the HOT lanes; no on TSPLOST. The economy needs to recover before we should consider raising our taxes. We pay enough on property taxes and ED SPLOSTs. No more new taxes. Get the economy back on its feet and then get government spending under control; then and only then, should we even consider additional taxes and

projects.

dmckee9613@aol.com