Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s proposal to double toll costs for those who do not use an I-PASS as part of a plan to “rebuild,” “widen,” “extend” and “decongest” Illinois tollways will, in fact, do none of the above. The only thing the new plan will “extend” is travel time – and, most likely, road rage.

The governor plans to increase 40-cent tolls to 80 cents – and 50-cent tolls on I-355 to $1 – for those who pay in cash. Rates for large trucks will nearly triple regardless of whether drivers choose to use an I-PASS.

For drivers who do not use tollways on a regular basis, purchasing a $50 I-PASS is unnecessary. Just because an individual is lucky enough to avoid highway commuting doesn’t mean that individual should be punished for wanting to venture outside his home town to visit a distant relative at Christmas time. And requiring a different toll charge for non-I-PASS users is just that: punishment for refusing to buy into the system touted so much by the state.

Blagojevich claims the tollway system has become “a place where people spend too much time stuck in traffic, spend too much time trying to get to work and spend too much time trying to get home.” Hello – this is because of the tolls, not because there are too many cars flinging change into the toll bins instead of cruising through the I-PASS-only lanes!

The governor may think he is going to force the state to invest in I-PASS, but there will always be those people who don’t want to deal with new technology and just won’t budge.

Common sense tells us that forcing these drivers to search their pockets and purses for more money would slow things down at the booths and annoy both the booth attendants and drivers waiting behind. Making people angry in the car only causes road rage, endangering drivers and everyone around them.

If the government wants to speed traffic up, here’s an idea: get rid of the traffic-stopping, money-taking tolls.

With gas prices rising daily, the last thing travelers need is yet another driving expense.