Here's just one traveler review of the restrooms in Fremont, Ind.:
The washrooms had pipes showing, the water was yellow, rust was all over the toilets & sinks, there were broken doors, no hooks inside the stalls...I felt like I needed to take a shower after I left this rest stop. I cannot believe you would allow such filth for the amount of money we pay to ride the toll road.Since turning the highway over to a foreign consortium, tolls rose for the first time since 1985. In fact, they've nearly doubled, and they'll double again within 10 years.
The foreign consortium, Macquarie-Cintas, has found other, more creative ways to suck every possible penny from travelers' wallets. Here's one: demanding money for "compensation events" (thanks to The Bell) :
...in 2008, the State of Indiana reimbursed the private Indiana Toll Road operator $447,000 for waiving tolls of people evacuated during severe flooding. Had the road not been privatized, the state would have waived the tolls and simply collected less revenue. The contract, however, put the contractor in a much better financial situation than the state, because it did not lose toll revenues...Here's something else Indiana's
Shortly after it took over the Indiana Toll Road, the private contractor put sand-filled barrels in turn-arounds with no notice to the state. State officials begged and pleaded for the barrels to be removed, so police and emergency crews could get to accidents and deal with other public safety problems as quickly as possible. Those pleas fell on deaf ears, while the turn-arounds remained blocked for months.Most Hoosiers aren't happy with the demise of their toll road. A Hart Research poll between March 18-20 asked 600 Hoosiers whether they agreed or disagreed with the the privatization of public services. They were told:
SUPPORTERS of this idea say that public-private partnerships will reduce red tape and make government services more efficient, more cost-effective, and save taxpayers money.
OPPONENTS of privatization say Daniels privatized the Indiana Toll Road and the result was a doubling of tolls, longer waits at toll booths, dirty rest stops, and a loss of toll revenue for the state while a private corporation profits by cutting corners. Privatization is a bad deal for Indiana taxpayers.A large majority, 58 percent, said they're against privatization, with 35 percent strongly opposed. Only 17 percent strongly support privatization, with a total of 35 percent in favor.
Next door in Ohio,
