Posted on 08/20/2016 7:49:57 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Slam on the brakes.
That's what state lawmakers want to do to increasingly frequent instances of motorists skirting payment of Pennsylvania Turnpike tolls.
The problem wouldn't be nearly as prevalent had many of those same legislators years ago taken a detour around the lame-brain idea that directly resulted in turnpike travel becoming significantly more costly. How costly? Pretty soon only Saudi Arabian sheiks will be able to afford the outrageous tolls, though those guys probably prefer to fly their personal planes from Pittsburgh to Breezewood.
Those lacking private jet transportation sidestep the tolls in renegade fashion. They fly through toll booth areas without paying, despite the fact photos of their license plates are taken to make them easily identifiable scofflaws.
The Turnpike Commission lost $5.4 million last year to Chevy Suburban outlaws, so the state Senate is considering legislation that would punish toll cheats. The proposed law would permit PennDOT to suspend a motorist's registration until outstanding tolls are paid.
That would treat the problem's symptom but not address its cause: tolls are too pricey.
The Turnpike Commission last month approved a 6 percent toll increase beginning in January. It's the ninth straight year tolls have risen, but there's light at the end of an extremely long tunnel.
Commission officials have predicted annual toll hikes of as much as 6 percent will only be necessary until 2044. By then, the E-ZPass will be a microchip not mounted on the inside of your windshield but implanted directly beneath your left earlobe.
The toll hikes are needed because of an ill-conceived law passed in 2007 that requires the Turnpike Commission to pay PennDOT $450 million a year to help fund mass transit and pay for infrastructure improvements. (The amount drops to $50 million annually in 2023.)
At the time, Turnpike Commission officials essentially said, “Four hundred and fifty million? You think there's turnpike treasure buried underneath the New Stanton service plaza?”
“Not at all,” legislative leaders effectively replied. “The same law requiring the PennDOT payments authorizes you to toll Interstate 80 in northern Pennsylvania. Balance your books on the backs of truck drivers.”
“Wait,” Turnpike Commission officials said. “It's illegal to use tolls collected on a federal interstate for anything other than the operation and maintenance of that interstate.”
“Really?” legislative leaders said. “Wow. We really should have researched this thing a bit better.”
The feds predictably nixed the plan, but the Turnpike Commission remained on the hook for the PennDOT payments. Toll increases alone are not nearly enough to pay for them, so the commission has been borrowing money at ridiculous levels. About two-thirds of its $980 million budget is dedicated to paying down debt.
Nine years after its passage, the illegal I-80 legislation just isn't turning motorists into scofflaws. It has the Turnpike Commission well on the road to bankruptcy.
Nine years later, this ludicrous law continues to exact an absurdly high, well, toll.
I have been traveling regularly into PA from MD for the last 8 years and have considered retiring there. This is just another reason to consider retiring elsewhere. Although many parts are conservative, it’s been influenced too much by the liberal mindset of the states surrounding it.
Pennsylvania Turnpike tolls may or may not be "too pricey" compared to the cost of taking local roads or I-80 across Pennsylvania. The market should decide. Price tolls too high and everyone will take the back roads or I-80.
This issue is that some people are stealing the PA Turnpike tolls. "If only the tolls were cheaper, people wouldn't need to steal!" I think you can make the same argument about just about anything. "If only ____ were cheaper, people wouldn't need to steal!"
I avoid it like the plague. I come from MA to Lancaster PA so I take 78 over and 222 down. No pike.
“It’s illegal to use tolls collected on a federal interstate for anything other than the operation and maintenance of that interstate.”
If that’s the law, New York and Delaware must be flagrantly violating it. Delaware charges $8 for 15 miles; at that rate the Pennsylvania Turnpike would cost about $150. And because it’s between Baltimore/Washington and New York/New Jersey, you probably have four times more drivers per mile paying in. So that’d be like $600.
Meanwhile, in New York, one g— damned bridge is $17.
What are we all going to do when self driven autos become common, and mandatory insurance rates for human driven machines “necessarily skyrocket”? We should all seriously quit licensing our vehicles, and throw away our drivers licenses en masse. Will it make the roads less safe? Not one bit. Will it make us more free, YES quite a bit. QUIT COMPLYING with the beast.
Breezewood, Pa.—Isn’t that the place they call the Windy City? Or maybe that’s Galesburg, Ill. or Hurricane, Utah.
In any case, the only time I drove from Pittsburgh to breezewood, I took Route 30.
Just DemoRats on the road to running out of other people’s money!
I80 is not a viable alternative to I76/I376 in ANY way, shape, manner, or form.
I76 connects Pittsburgh and Philadelphia with all major points in between including the state capital. I80 was designed as "The Keystone Shortway." If effectively bypasses EVERY major city in Pennsylvania and was intended as a bypass route connecting New York and The Great Lakes. Even worse, it is a minimum of 80 miles north of I76 throughout its entire run.
High prices are no excuse for theft.
Wish I could say the same, I often have to go from Texas to Philly. Sadly, I’ve got no choice but the TP. It’s sad, 10, 12, 59, 81 then at 76 I have to pay and pay big.
It used to be a good racket because the Teamsters were the toll collectors getting boo coo bucks and the office jobs were always Democrat nepotism jobs, also, paying big bucks.
Okay: my trip from Northern Virginia to Dubuque, Iowa, which I have had to do numerous times for family funerals & holidays can be done in several routes. Many think the toll roads are the fastest and most direct: perhaps.
But the route I take using a combination of state & interstate roads requires no tolls and adds only about 80 miles in distance.
That said, instead of taking 270 to 70 to Breezewood to PA Turnpike then OH, IN, IL turnpikes (can’t even imagine what those tolls are!) I take what I like to call “The Southern Route”.
That is, I take Route 7 to Route 15 in Virginia, go across the Point of Rocks Bridge on 15 to Maryland 340 to 70 West to 68 West to 79 North do a “dog leg” crossing into Ohio back on to 70 through Ohio to Indiana to 74 outside of Indie to Peoria to Quad Cities then up the great Highway 61 to Dubuque in Iowa.
No tolls, fewer speed traps/cops/hassles, cheaper gas, easier, straight road driving (I put in cruise control, hang in the right lane and do about 65) and for the most part, it is truckers who are great drivers. Can get great radio reception too.
Don’t pay tolls, stay off congested roads and it can be done.
I just don’t ever see myself going anywhere near the entire northeast.
I just googled and got airfare from San Antonio to Philly for $242. Seriously, gas, wear and tear, it’s cheaper (especially with $30 tolls) to just fly.
I’ve been to Hurricane.
Likewise!
And, you can get feltup by strangers!
Consider Southern DE, rather then PA.
Chart out your property tax savings, no sales tax, lower cost of living.
“The market should decide.”
Actually it’s a public utility. Considering that a big percentage (don’t know the number, but it is big) goes to pay for public transportation in Phili and Pit (or mass transit, as they call it out there, LOL), it’s instead an indirect tax. With that approach, one could argue that they could raise the tolls to monopoly level, where the idea is to maximize revenue, regardless of operational costs. In Canada that’s about 40 cents per mile, at least on one of their toll roads (407 ETR) - which is much, much, more than it costs to operate (which is likely under 10 cents) - but 40 cents does maximize revenue, as there are enough willing to pay for using it at that price.
Also, with that approach, it would be like telling people they have one choice for electric power, and then charging them $1.00 per kwh (when a competitive price might be 12 cents) - and prohibiting competition (and generators). If they don’t like it, they can put in a solar/battery system which will only cost them 35 cents. If they cannot do that for some reason, they can move. But $1.00 maximizes revenue for the utility, so tough...that is what the rate will be.
Pretty much what the PA Turnpike is doing now, at least from I read. The pleasures of near-monopoly pricing - they have a great thing going - their unionized workers get inflation-adjusted pensions, and they still have money to hand over to the inner cities to help finance their boondoggles (which is how they can continue to get away with it). The only people screwed by this are those that have to use the road itself, and they’re constantly told that the Turnpike Authority has a huge debt and no money for repairs - which keeps them off their back.
I think the rule against using tolls for anything other than operating the highway only applies to conversion of existing Interstate freeways to toll roads.
For example Pennsylvania BADLY wants to convert I-80 to a toll road. They see HUGE REVENUE potential from people that that cannot complain (i.e., out of state drivers transiting the state...very few cities on that route). So they applied to convert it. The feds said fine, as long as all of your revenue goes back into operating the tolling scheme and maintaining the road...which likely would have been no more than 5 cents per mile (dirty little secret: highways are cheap to build once you have the right of way, and very, very cheap to operate). Pennsylvania then dropped the idea - they had planned to charge way, way, more, and use the revenue on the inner cities, just like the PA Turnpike does.
States will always try to set up little toll booths at their entrances to make throughput people pay up big-time - it is one of the MAIN LEGITIMATE FUNCTIONS of our federal government - which is to allow the free flow of Interstate commerce. The feds (i.e., Obama Administration) actually got it right here.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.