As a public policy matter, exactly how does the state decide which Kansas residents should have to pay more to drive on the state’s highways?

That question comes to mind as officials with the Kansas Department of Transportation start floating the possibility of instituting tolls for Kansas Highway 10 east of Lawrence. KDOT Secretary Deb Miller said recently that the department must look at a number of new revenue sources in preparation for formulating a new state highway plan next year. Other states are adding tolls, Miller said, so why not Kansas?

K-10 apparently is a prime target because of the large volume of traffic it carries and because the money raised by tolls could be used to expand the highway. Traffic studies show that, within five years, two new lanes need to be added on K-10 between its intersections with Kansas Highway 7 and Interstate 435.

It seems of little concern to transportation officials that adding a toll on K-10 would require drivers to pay for access to both of the two major highways from Lawrence to Kansas City, common commuter routes. Adding a toll just to the new lanes on K-10, giving paid access to lanes that presumably would carry less traffic, is a more creative option, but it isn’t a perfect solution.

Which brings us back to the original question. Why should people who must travel between Lawrence and Kansas City to access their jobs, schools or other necessary destinations pay tolls while people driving between Abilene and Salina or Hutchinson and Wichita can travel four-lane highways toll-free?

The Kansas Turnpike, of course, is a toll road, but drivers all along the turnpike route have other highway options, especially for nearby destinations. People driving between Lawrence and Kansas City would have virtually no free options unless they want to drive north through Tonganoxie or travel south to Ottawa and pick up Interstate 35.

If the state wants to maximize the percentage of the tolls being paid by nonresident drivers, Interstate 70, the main east-west route across the state, would seem a logical target. I-70 east of Topeka already is a toll road. Why not just extend the toll area westward?

Many Lawrence residents already pay daily tolls to travel to Topeka or Kansas City to their jobs. Adding a toll to K-10 would place an undue burden on Lawrence drivers and perhaps even be detrimental to economic development efforts in Lawrence, Eudora and other locations along the K-10 corridor.

It’s fine for state officials to be creative in their planning to finance a new highway plan, but they also need to be fair. Lawrence residents already pay the same fuel taxes, state sales taxes and vehicle registration fees as the rest of the state. Why should they have to pay more than their fair share to drive on the highways that serve their city?