Posted on 04/14/2018 8:17:56 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
The Maryland Transportation Authority is exploring phasing out all cash toll booths across the state.
Today, tolls are collected three ways: by cash, or electronically, by either an E-ZPass transponder or by video tolling — when the state uses a license-plate photo and mails drivers their bill.
Transportation officials say that the transition to all-electronic, high-speed toll collection will: save drivers time on their commute, save the state money, reduce accidents at toll plazas, and reduce CO2 emissions as less fuel is being burned, according to a national study by the University of Central Florida.
Drivers in Maryland could start seeing new plazas that only collect tolls electronically at highway speeds by the summer of 2019, said Kevin Reigrut, executive director of the Maryland Transportation Authority.
However the state has no specific timetable or budget for all-electronic tolling at this time, Maryland Transportation Authority Communications Director Cheryl M. Sparks told Capital News Service.
The transition would also mean that anyone driving on Maryland toll roads could soon need an E-ZPass to avoid paying higher fees, and 218 toll operator positions will be phased out across the state.
If you pay using video tolling, Reigrut said, you pay 1.5 times the base rate for that road — and if drivers don’t have an E-ZPass by the time Maryland’s electronic tolls are phased in, that’s the price they’d pay across the state.
This means that drivers from other states who use Maryland roads will be forced to pay more if they don’t have an E-ZPass by the time of the transition.
(Excerpt) Read more at capitalgazette.com ...
Because the gov’t is so effective and efficient ?
now THATS funny
Different states have reciprocity with each other. So, if you don’t pay the Maryland toll, another state can make it obligatory that you do or they won’t approve your upcoming registration and/or licensing of your vehicles.
Seems to me that it would be easy to set up a nationwide account based on your license plate and if prefunded by money order, check, or credit card would let you drive anywhere at the discount rate. If not prefunded just charge the higher rate for the hassle of billing you.
The database wouldn’t need to store more than the license plate number and current account balance. Nothing to hack as long as you can’t move money between license plate numbers or draw money out.
Why are we still dealing with the outdated tech of the EZPass and its lookalikes?
I passed through a photo toll booth on a Raleigh NC bypass. A month later, I received in the mail a bill for the toll. It was $0.43.
The postage for the notice was $0.41
Good. The fewer Unionized government “workers” the better.
maybe it’s like instate college student costs vs out of state college stsudent costs?
No, my daughter visits me and she gets them in the mail, with a picture of her plate on the back of the car.
I drive to or through NYC fairly often. All the bridges and tunnels now have EZ Pass only (no toll booths).
One thing this allows them to do is charge non-residents more. If your EZ Pass unit was not issued by Albany, all tolls are higher.
I’m sure that the next step, easily done, will be higher tolls at rush hour times.
I wonder if the legality of the higher tolls are somehow tied into the EZ Pass unit - if, for example, you are an out of state driver and you DON’T have an EZ Pass unit, are the photo tolls also higher?
I would think that’s unconstitutional, to have a border fee for a state.
I drive to or through NYC fairly often.I make a point of never traveling within the jurisdiction of the New York Port Authority.
No because the only incentive a private business has is maximizing profit. They'd presumably charge the highest tolls the market can absorb.
if interstate freeways were privatized, there would be butlers and coffee shops every 300 feet.
Am I really reading a defense of socialism on FreeRepublic ?
the profit motive is evil ?
free enterprise is bad ?
Huh? The profit motive is good. Free enterprise is great. But for profits will charge what the market will bear. That’s Econ 101.
so you would pay less for food at CostCo if CostCo was gov‘t run ?
No but that’s a bad comparison because Costco is subject to price pressures due to competition. If they raise their prices too much you’ll go elsewhere. If you privatize a road, there are huge obstacles to competition. That leads to rent seeking - and ultimately higher prices. This is pretty basic economics but happy to walk you through it.
There are many alternatives to interstate car travel.
the monopoly issue is a red herring.
Profit is not evil. Capitalism is good.
The free market is always superior to socialism
Profits are good in a competitive market but private toll roads don’t exist in a competitive market. That’s not capitalism it’s something called rent-seeking. That’s actually the opposite of a free market - where a private entity enjoys windfall profits due to a government imposed monopoly. I’m glad you have a plenty of alternatives to road travel wherever you live. I don’t - and I don’t know many people who do.
Troll
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