"Toll Free"

Everything in our country is changing, and lately is not for the better. Our government leaders have recently discovered that Puerto Rico has certain problems concerning money. Apparently the budget of the fiscal year doesn’t balance up, and the only solution they can think of is raising fees for basic services and products (and those that aren’t basic also). For example: water, energy, and gas, to mention a few.
The morning I was looking for a subject for this essay, I came across with a plan to raise tolls all over the country, beginning in September 10, 2005. The increase can be up to 50%, depending the toll station. For instance, Caguas Sur goes up from 70 cents to a dollar, San Juan from a dollar to $1.50, etc. I believe this measure is very inconsiderate to people that go through these stations daily, but especially to students that drive everyday to campuses and people that have to pass through more than one station.
Students that are living in Mayaguez having the worst part. Most of the student population (50 – 60%) in the UPR Mayaguez (RUM) is from the northeast, east and southeast of the country. A trip back home for the weekend last semester was around 40 dollars. Now, with the raises (in both gas and tolls) it may go up to 50-55 dollars. That’s $200 a month. A large amount of these students have to pay apartment, water, energy, phone, food, etc.; expenses that can go up to 600-800 dollars a month. Soon a trip back home will be a luxury that most students won’t be able to afford.
Half of the Cayey population drives everyday to campus from Caguas, Gurabo, Trujillo Alto, San Juan, and Guayama. This increase also affects us because from approximately $3.50 per week, it goes to $5.00 a week. That’s only students that come from Caguas, Gurabo, San Lorenzo; people that go only through Caguas Sur’s toll station. For people that come from the metropolitan area, it’ll be more.
I support a claim that most RUM students are making of giving discounts for college students, from 30- 40% percent. Our budget is very limited. There are students that don’t have a steady job or scholarships and still they have to support themselves throughout college. We have to cover most of our expenses which include books, meals, photocopies, gas, etc; and sometimes it gets pretty hard for us. San Juan gave a discount to college students using the “Tren Urbano”, isn’t only fair to give students that travel a relief in tolls?
I know that everybody it’s affected by this raise, not only students. A great deal of the population has no choice but accept this measure. But, once again students get the worst part due to our limited income. Most do get scholarships, but it’s proven that it’s not enough, due to the increase in the tuition fees in the university, not only in the UPR but also in the private universities, and other expenses that we have cover for in the semester. It’s not viable to look for alternate roads to get to college because of the big traffic jams that are formed in these others that would make impossible for us to get in time to class.
I think that this raise has been done without properly thinking what the effects will be in the long run. Studies should be completed and made public so people could know, understand, and make arrangements in advance (the raise was proposed and approved 2 days before it began). A formal proposal should be made to the government concerning this issue and they should take into consideration the claims of the student population. They’re making more expensive than it should be going to college due to these raises that affect more directly than indirectly our pocket.