Toll Trolls convince Connecticut to abandon proposed tolls on state residents
Yankee Institute took a page out of a Tolkien novel in response to a proposal to litter the state of Connecticut with 72 toll gantries. Connecticut has no tolls and citizens pay high gas taxes and road taxes, making Connecticut roads the most expensive in the nation. The addition of 72 tolls would have cost state residents $240 a month just to commute to work.
Enter Yankee Institute’s Toll Trolls.
Yankee launched an awareness campaign with a demonstration on the state house lawn. The Institute placed 72 numbered “toll trolls” on the lawn to represent the 72 tolls the legislators wanted to install in the state. The Institute worked with the press and secured coverage on each major TV station, as well as coverage on radio and digital. To maintain the momentum, the Institute also launched a targeted social media campaign to get lawmakers’s attention, keep the press in the loop, and raise awareness among key constituents. The effort yielded tremendous press coverage. Yankee Institute was featured in news segments from every major TV affiliate in the state and across five radio interviews.
It appears the toll trolls got their point across. Five days before the end of Connecticut’s legislative session, the House Speaker postponed the vote due to lack of support.
