CLINTON'S ROAD TOLL PLAN SAID `UN-CALIFORNIAN'.

Byline: Paul Hefner Daily News Sacramento Bureau

President Clinton's proposal to let states charge tolls on interstate highways belongs in the slow lane, California lawmakers said Thursday.

State Senate President Pro Tem Bill Lockyer called the idea of installing toll booths along freeways to collect fees from drivers ``un-Californian.''

``It's a terrible idea,'' said Lockyer, D-Hayward. ``Maybe they like toll roads in Arkansas, but in California, freeways ought to be free ways.''

Clinton administration officials included the proposal in their six-year plan to spend $175 billion on the nation's highway system. But several state lawmakers were quick to dismiss the idea.

``I think it's preposterous,'' said Huntington Beach Republican Scott Baugh, vice chairman of the Assembly Transportation Committee. ``It'll result in double taxation. Essentially, what you're doing is charging people to operate their cars on a road they've already paid for.''

While Baugh said he doesn't object to charging tolls on some new roads that can't be financed through other means, he rejected the idea of levying fees on roads that are already built.

``It'll never fly,'' he said.

But others - including state transportation officials - refused to reject the concept out of hand. They said they had not yet seen Clinton's formal proposal and would need time to study it.

``They haven't put out the specifics yet,'' said Caltrans spokesman Jim Drago. ``What kind of strings come attached? Until you know that, it would be reckless to take a position, one way or another.''

California already has two toll roads, including a 10-mile highway built by a private company in Orange and Riverside counties. A second toll road also runs between the Golden State Freeway and the San Diego Freeway in Orange County.

Gasoline taxes provide the bulk of funding for the state's roadway systems. The federal government collects 18.4 cents per gallon in taxes, and the state charges 18 cents more, providing the state about $5.2 billion in transportation funds a year, officials said.

But more fuel-efficient cars and telecommuting have slowed the growth of gas-tax revenues. Electric vehicles could also hurt if they become a sizable share of the California car market, officials said.

Drago said that Wilson has long pushed federal officials to give the state more control over how it raises and spends transportation dollars.

``We in California know how to best serve our needs,'' Drago said.