STAFF EDIT: Keep Boston a toll-free city

If a silver lining can be found in the financial quagmire of Boston transportation, it is the laughable stream of creativity now funneling out of city government. With the Big Dig billions over budget, the MBTA struggling to make ends meet and congestion still problematic despite highway improvements, city lawmakers have been under pressure to find ever-more-imaginative sources of revenue. Suggestions from the MBTA have ranged from the practical (automated turnstiles) to the unfortunate (slashing Night Owl service) and the obscure (closed-circuit television advertisements on T cars). But Thursday's proposal out of the City Council makes the leap from mildly amusing to worrisome.

Councilor Paul Scapicchio (North End, Charlestown) has suggested that Boston impose a daily toll on commuters into the city, with "commuter" broadly defined to include any vehicle that enters the city. The commuter toll system - which would cost drivers between $1 and $5 daily and would be enforced with a vast network of cameras - is based on a system used in London with considerable success. Scapicchio's proposal has the backing of Mayor Thomas Menino and local converservationalists.

But Boston is not London, and with several major transit and transportation projects in questionable shape, the city is not prepared to force another dramatic shift in the way Bostonians travel. For the last decade and a half, the city has poured enormous resources into a project (the Big Dig) to more quickly move hundreds of thousands of vehicles into the city. More recently, the MBTA has been forced to cancel subsidies for suburban bus lines. The overriding message of these and other projects is the same: Coming to Boston? Bring your car.

After decades of sending this message, it is too late to reverse the mentality of commuters in a single, shortsighted project. Instead of punishing drivers for what they have been trained to do, the city should entice them to utilize public transport by improving and extending city transit lines and making suburban bus lines more convenient.

The problem is that enticing drivers to use transit is expensive, while deterring drivers can be highly profitable. This makes the latter an attractive option for budget-minded lawmakers. But potential income will only be realized once the system has been established for some time and initial setup costs, including a network of hundreds of cameras, has been recouped. And when the money does start pouring in, it may still not balance out the detrimental effect a toll system will have on Boston's economy. Downtown retail is already struggling, and a toll that encourages suburbanites to shop at home rather than come into the city would be a crushing blow. And there is no doubt that even minimal transportation costs factor into shopping decisions - Boston's annual "free-parking Saturdays" regularly bring throngs of additional shoppers into the city.

Boston is a city constantly in flux. An immense student population moves in and out annually and many employees work in the city and commute home at night. Meanwhile, the city is not distinct from its suburban neighbors, but shares a common culture and atmosphere. Boston should not adopt a taxation system that treats the city as an isolated island with the power to tax any foreigner that touches its shores.