Fees? Another reason to stay out, some say

To Boston City Councilor Robert Consalvo, it seemed like a clever money-making idea: charging a fee to out-of-town drivers who cause accidents on the city's streets. But while some Bostonians have embraced this concept, officials in area communities bristled at the suggestion.

Some said Consalvo's idea might just give suburbanites another reason to snub the Hub.

``I don't see any fair way it could work," said Carmen DelloIacono, vice chairman of the Dedham Board of Selectmen. ``What would happen if those people stopped driving to Boston? What would Boston be?"

DelloIacono described the proposal as ``creative" but said he doubted that it would become reality.

``Would Dedham ever consider this? Personally, speaking as one out of five [selectmen], no," he said. ``What's next -- setting up a toll booth on the VFW Parkway? It's kind of funny."

Quincy Councilor at Large John Keenan said Boston gets a huge economic boost from commuters who work there. ``They pay to park in lots, feed parking meters, fill the downtown office towers, eat meals at Boston restaurants, and shop at Boston stores on a daily basis," he said. Consalvo's idea is logical in theory, but impractical, he said -- the same as it would be for Quincy to begin charging nonresidents who come into that city.

``Consistently applied, Quincy would be able to charge for every out-of-town resident who is stopped or arrested by the Quincy Police Department, for every out-of-town resident treated at accident scenes by the Quincy Fire Department, for every time the Quincy Fire Department covers a firehouse in a neighboring community, for every person who uses a Quincy beach during a heat wave, and for every person who utilizes the free Thomas Crane Public Library, or travels Quincy's roads going to and from work in Boston," Keenan said in an e-mail.

Marie-Louise Kehoe, chairwoman of the Dedham Board of Selectmen, questioned whether Consalvo's proposal targeting certain commuters could be considered constitutional. And she had other questions, too.

``How would it be policed? And if the city can do that, can a town like Dedham do the same thing?" she said. ``It is a novel concept. . . . We need to wait to see where it goes."

Consalvo could not be reached because he is on vacation, but his aide, Delhia Emanuel, said: ``It's so black and white: If you come from outside the city and cause an accident here -- the accident is your fault -- then the charge would apply because you're utilizing city services. I think many people probably assume they're paying for [those services] anyway. You're liable for what you do . . . you have to be responsible for your own actions, and drive carefully like everyone else."

The Boston City Council is expected to schedule a hearing on the proposal shortly, according to Emanuel .