POLL: Majority Support Truck Toll Plan in Rhode Island

Fifty-five percent of AAA members in Rhode Island support the Raimondo administration’s RhodeWorks plan, and more than 80 percent believe the state is not spending enough money on repair and maintenance of roads and bridges, according to a survey from AAA Northeast.

More than 2,200 AAA members responded to the online survey in late November. AAA asked a variety of questions related to transportation funding options. The survey found:

• 55 percent support the RhodeWorks truck toll proposal. 36 percent oppose the proposal, and the remaining 9 percent were neutral or had no opinion.
• 59 percent give a rating of poor to the overall condition of the state’s roads and bridges.
• Asked about an increase in the state gasoline tax if the revenue is used solely for transportation purposes, 51 percent opposed an increase and 43 percent supported.
• 82 percent believe the state isn’t spending enough money on repair and maintenance of the transportation system.

“We were very pleased to see the large number of AAA members here in Rhode Island who took the time to respond to our survey,” said AAA Northeast Senior Vice President of Public and Government Affairs Lloyd P. Albert. “The truck roll proposal has received a great deal of attention, and the interest shown by AAA members is a clear sign that the public will be closely following its progress early in this legislative session.”

Members who opposed both the RhodeWorks plan and an increase in the state gasoline tax were given a set of additional options for transportation funding, and were asked if they could support any of them.
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• Maintain the current level of road funding – 10 percent
• Raise the tax on diesel fuel by 18 cents per gallon and raise fees paid by Rhode Island trucking companies – 16 percent
• Begin charging tolls on all classes of motor vehicles – 5 percent
• Add a 7 percent sales tax to all gasoline and diesel purchases at the pump, in addition to the gasoline tax – 1 percent