Pennsylvania to do away with Toll Booth collectors and bill people by mail

[LynneSin]

Pa. Turnpike looks at much higher non-E-ZPass rates

Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20120313_Pa__Turnpike_looks_at_much_higher_non-E-ZPass_rates.html#ixzz1p1ccYYqI
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Better get that E-ZPass.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike's plan for all-electronic tolling envisions a 76 percent surcharge for motorists who don't use E-ZPass devices. That means a trip across Pennsylvania from Ohio to New Jersey that costs $30.17 with E-ZPass would cost $53.10 for a driver who would be billed by mail.

The turnpike is moving to do away with all toll booths and instead charge drivers as they pass at highway speed under overhead gantries equipped with electronic readers and cameras.

The move is probably at least five years down the road because of the time required to install the equipment, reconfigure on- and off-ramps, and get legislative authority to penalize scofflaws by suspending their car registrations. Pennsylvania also needs to make cross-border deals with neighboring states, such as New Jersey and Ohio, to bill their residents who don't use E-ZPass.

"The financial feasibility is based on a robust violations-enforcement, legal, and administrative framework," said a new study on installing all-electronic tolling prepared for the Turnpike Commission by transportation consultants McCormick Taylor and Wilbur Smith Associates.

But success depends on widespread use of E-ZPass by motorists and truckers. Electronic billing is easy, but non-E-ZPass billing is time-consuming and expensive. Vehicles' license plates are video-photographed, and the vehicles' owners are billed by mail. It then takes three months to collect about half of those pay-by-mail tolls, and many of the rest go unpaid, other all-electronic tolling agencies have foun

Read more: http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20120313_Pa__Turnpike_looks_at_much_higher_non-E-ZPass_rates.html#ixzz1p1cxjOGS
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ARE YOU KIDDING ME????!!!!

First, any bozo going across the state will just drive the extra 30 miles or so and take Route 80 across - same goal, decent highway and no tolls.

Second, not everyone who drives on the PA Turnpike is from PA or any of their neighboring states. Governor Corbett is going to turn this process into a bill collection and will have no way of being able to enforce many of the out-of-state drivers especially those in states that do not border PA.

Plus, how many hundreds of state employees does Tom Corbett play to put out of work. State employees who do the one thing that almost always guarentees that they will be paid by those who use the turnpike - and that is to collect tolls.

Corbett is a dumbass to consider this.

[MadHound]

1. Yeah, that's what I'm wondering,

How are they going to enforce tolls on those of us who are from waaaay out of state? Or using a borrowed car, or any of a number of other such scenarios I can think of.

[zipplewrath]

12. Depends upon the costs

If the amount of extra-state drivers is minimal, especially those from states with whom they don't have agreements, they may just take the loss. Alteranately, they can do quickl studies and find out where the majority of the out of state drivers are from and go negotiate with those states. Mind you, they have the ability to offer them a cut of the take. Many EZ-pass systems can be made compatible and they can share the information between systems. Drivers from Boston to DC may end up having systems that can be read by PA. Rental cars are easy, and to some extent the rental companies can also be offered a "cut" to collect these fees.

I won't be surprised if soon, cars will come STANDARD with transponders and the government will use them for taxes instead of gas taxes. (Or in addition to).

[atreides1]

2. You're Right...Corbett is a dumbass

But what does that say about those voters who put him in the governor's mansion?

We can point out all the faults of Corbett or any other Repuke politician, but we have to always remember that they wouldn't be in office if not for the voters who elected them.

So, that would mean that those voters that voted for Corbett are the actual dumbasses...Corbett is just the result of their own stupidity.

[Justice wanted]

3. What if your car is stolen? What if a friend borrows your car and never tell you they are on the

turn pike? THERE IS SO MUCH WRONG WITH THIS!!! Leave it to Jacka$$ Tom Corbett.

That is bull crap. Some people DO NOT have bank accounts to get EZ pass.

[MadHound]

4. Some people simply don't want their car tagged with an EZ pass

Just another way to monitor where and when you are going.

[Justice wanted]

5. True.

[woo me with science]

10. Makers of EZ Pass are working on a model with a camera inside the car.

See my post below.

[woo me with science]

6. Government cameras in your car? E-toll patent hints at Big Brotherish future

From October 2011

http://redtape.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/10/13/8308841-govt-cameras-in-your-car-e-toll-patent-hints-at-big-brotherish-future

Government cameras in your car? E-toll patent hints at Big Brotherish future
By Bob Sullivan
....
Kapsch TrafficCom AG, an Austrian company that just signed a 10-year contract to provide in-car transponders such as the E-Z Pass to 22 electronic highway toll collection systems around the U.S., recently filed a patent on technology to add multi-function mini-cameras to their toll gadgets. Today, transponders are in about 22 million cars around the U.S. Adding inward and outward facing cameras to the gadgets would create surveillance capabilities far beyond anything government agencies have tried until now.

The stated reason for an inward-pointing camera is to verify the number of occupants in the car for enforcement of HOV and HOT lanes. The outward-pointing camera could be used for the same purpose, helping authorities enforce minimum occupant rules against drivers who aren't carrying transponders.

But it's easy to imagine other uses. The patent says the transponders would have the ability to store and transmit pictures, either at random intervals or on command from a central office. It would be tempting to use them as part of a search for a lost child, for example, and law enforcement officials might find the data treasure trove irresistible. The gadget could also be instructed to take pictures when the acceleration of a car "exceeds a threshold," or when accidents occur, so it could be used like an airplane cockpit flight recorder.

It's important to note that a patent filing is a far cry from the invention and manufacturing of a new product....(but) "I think (drivers) should be pretty concerned," he said. "You want to make sure any use of that technology is very carefully regulated. People should let the E-Z Pass folks know now what they think about any possible plans to introduce cameras in their cars, now, while it's being developed, rather than before it's already a fait accompli, and some agency says it's already spent millions on it and can't turn back now."

[The Doctor.]

7. Time to steal some license plates?

Or switch a bunch at the truck stops?

Nah, that would be mischievous.

[MissMarple]

8. Colorado does this on our one lone toll road around Denver.

It caused havoc for rental car owners, and it is a quite irritating to get a bill for $2.25. What ever happened to you pick up a card when you get on and pay when you get off? I think Kansas still does it this way. Or at least they did. Who knows about Kansas anymore.

Proof read...Proof read...Proof read.

[frazzled]

9. What if you're driving a rental car?

I ask only because it so happens that my daughter in law and her sister are driving this very day from New York to Chicago in a rental car—and passing right across Pennsylvania, east to west.

Are the rental car companies going to take the time and money to track down who was driving a specific rental car on a particular date and time if these tickets are sent to them? Or will you just not be able to drive on the PA Turnpike if you are in a rental car? Or will rental car companies have to install the EZ Pass in all their cars (I think it's an option now) and then bill you at the end? (Probably the latter.)

We have an EZ Pass, which gets used very rarely but is handy when you're on a busy toll road. But I can't see it being universal. There are too many unusual circumstances that would prevent it. Plus, every once in a while someone may need to stop to speak to a human in a toll booth!

[kurt_cagle]

15. Rental Cars in PA

I routinely rent a car in PA to get to a client out there when I take train trips up to Philadelphia. Most if not all rental car companies there have EZ Pass transponders already mounted in the car. They pay the EZ Pass fees because it's cheaper than paying the tolls directly in most cases, and then cover the cost with an added fee on the rental. Since the monthly fees are fixed, it generally works out to be a pretty decent deal.

My suspicion is that they'll probably scale back the toll booths so that only one is active, while the others are EZ Passes for some time before they phase it out altogether. Here in Maryland we have the same system, but as I don't normally commute across toll roads I haven't yet picked one up. My guess is that you'll see toll transponders become more commonplace as Federal transportation funds dry up.

[tammywammy]

19. That's how it is in Orlando with tolls

Avis has a toll tag already. You get charged 2.95 activation plus the toll fee. It's automatically then charged to whatever credit card you gave them to rent with.

[Politicalboi]

11. This is what you pay

Registration for. Pa is a crazy state. Get rid of toll booths and charge more for registration. Here in Ca we don't have many toll booths. I have NEVER had to pay a toll out here. I remember leaving Pa into Ohio and I had to pay $20.00 in 2004 just to drive the highway. But I also never registered my vehicle for 3 years while out there. LOL! I had May of 04 Ca tags till I left in August of 07 and it costs me over $700.00 to register when I got back to Ca. I drove across country with 3 year expired tags. Man, what an idiot I was. The crack in my windshield wouldn't allow me to register my vehicle in Pa. And I slacked in fixing it, and never got registered.

[belcffub]

13. they have the same thing near toronto

http://www.407etr.com/

I don't like to talk about tolls... NY has the worst ones... travel into any state on the highway whats the first thing you see... usually a welcome center... get to NY a toll booth... should be our state mascot

[LynneSin]

14. NJ is the worst state

I think they put the tolls at the end of your driveway

[Jennicut]

16. I am so glad that Connecticut got rid of the tolls back in the 80's.

We get money through other ways and taxes. We had a lot of bad accidents at tolls. I suppose this would ensure less accidents and less slowing down of traffic.

[zorahopkins]

17. Delaware's Tolls Are Terrible

I hate driving I-95 through Delaware.

Delaware makes you pay its outrageous tolls going BOTH north AND south along I-95.

Maryland makes you pay a much more reasonable toll -- but only when you travel north-bound. (Going south-bound along I-95 in Maryland is FREE!)

And the line-ups at the Delaware Toll Plazas are ALWAYS backed-up.

I hate driving I-95 through Delaware.

[LynneSin]

18. Then don't

I live in Delaware and paid a toll once in the last 5 years.

Delaware tolls are for out-of-staters who can't be bothered to find the other ways to travel thru our state.

And makes up for the fact that most of our malls and stores are overrun by out-of-staters looking to come to our state for Tax Free Shopping.

[RebelOne]

20. In Georgia, we have the PeachPass for toll roads.

When I lived in South Florida and had to travel up here to Georgia (where I now live), I always took I-95 to avoid the tolls on the Florida Turnpike, which were outrageously expensive.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

22. That's a cute name...perhaps the "PorkPass" for North Carolina would be fitting.

$19.20 to travel 182 miles from Virginia to South Carolina.

N.C. businesses along I-95 tally impact of tolls
http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/03/10/1921361/nc-businesses-along-i-95-tally.html

[tammywammy]

21. That's how it is in the DFW area.

Toll tag or get billed a higher amount by mail. I have a toll tag with $20 on it for the occasions I have to take a tollway somewhere. The good thing is the DFW EZ Pass is also good on the Houston toll roads.

[Morning Dew]

23. Toll booths are dangerous

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Seriously, I hate toll roads - they should be done away with. Here in MN they let people buy their way out of traffic congestion - that's just wrong. Carpool, ride the bus, you don't need to take your car every day.