The North Carolina Turnpike Authority’s mission is to build toll roads. Its problem is people feel, with all the gas taxes they’re paying, they shouldn’t have to pay tolls, too.

So the Authority has taken a poll – or more concisely it conducted a focus group – to figure out how to convince voters to support its toll roads. Think about that for a minute: a government agency is conducting a poll to find out how to convince voters to support something they don’t want – I guess, so the agency can stay in business.

What did the “focus group” find? According to the News and Observer (7-12-06), the “focus group participants… initially questioned whether tolls were really needed.”

But the agency kept digging and, according to its director, it finally found a way to sell voters on toll roads. According to Turnpike Authority Director, David Joyner, “If you say ‘toll road or free road’ people will say ‘free road’ every time.” But when you say ‘toll road or no road’ the answer changes.

So, the next time you hear the Turnpike Authority saying your choice is between a ‘toll road or no road’ – remember, that came out of a focus group. So, maybe, it’s not the whole story.

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