Tiverton Residents Rally to 'STOP' Tolls
Tiverton STOP, a grassroots citizen-based group opposed to tolls on the Sakonnet River Bridge, will hold is launch meeting on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at the Tiverton Town Hall.
Tiverton residents are organizing against the tolls on the Sakonnet River Bridge.
In a grassroots approach, citizens will gather for the Tiverton STOP - otherwise known as the Tiverton Sakonnet Toll Opposition Platform - launch meeting on Thursday, Sept. 27, to discuss strategies to fight the imposition of tolls on the Sakonnet River Bridge.
"The goal is to not have tolls," said Joy Gilkeson, a Tiverton resident who is chairing the committee along with Chee Laureano, also a resident.
"We will not settle for $2 or 50 cents," continued Gilkeson. "We do not want tolls period. It will devastate us and cut Tiverton and little Compton off from the rest of the state."
Gilkeson invited every Tiverton and Sakonnet-area resident who would be affected by a toll on the new bridge to come out for Thursday's meeting. She said numbers would be important in swaying the opinion of the state against tolls on the Sakonnet River Bridge.
"Basically we are looking for ideas, collecting feedback and ideas on Thursday," said Gilkeson.
Tiverton Town Council President Jay Lambert said the group is a local component of a regional effort to halt tolling initiatives on Route 24.
"A number of committees have activated related to opposition of tolls on the Sakonnet River Bridge - including a number of committees in the East Bay communities," said Lambert at Monday night's Town Council meeting. "As I stated at the last meeting, we would have an initial meeting to represent, for most part, the Tiverton community."
Tiverton STOP will meet at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 27 at the Town Hall, 343 Highland Road in Tiverton. For more information email TivertonSTOP@gmail.com.
Ray Berberick
10:50 pm on Thursday, September 27, 2012
This meeting was excellent. Any group wishing to join the effort to stop the tolls should contact tivertonstop@gmail.com or the Portsmouth Business Association or STOP = Sakonnet Tolls Opposition Platform. For more info, call Ray Berberick at 682-2007.
Jim L
7:58 am on Friday, September 28, 2012
Of the 880 signatures I picked up the other day 100 of them were from Ri residents from outside Newport county, I don't think the GA thought about that either, the way this is starting to look is that, quite a few folks from up state will have to By a transponder or pay the $8.00 cover charge,thats bad enough but all that money from all over the state will be going into the coffers, of a private enterprize, somehow that doesn't seem right. From what i understand and have been told even as you read this the Bridge guys are hiring, No new tolls have been approved, no new bridges have been turned over to them, The present toll fee's aren't enough to cover expenses and their hiring! More help is needed as automation takes over? Does the state realy have a pressing need to hand Millions of fee's paid by residents of RI to this company and still let the DOT, mishandle the millions they get now?