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Aug 29, 2015

TOLLS DEBATE * USA: Thruway tolls

* New York - Appeals Court revives Modena trucking company's challenge

-- A federal appeals court revived this month a previously dismissed class-action lawsuit in which an Ulster County trucking company and a hauler with operations in Orange County joined with two other plaintiffs to challenge the constitutionality of the Thruway Authority’s toll system for commercial trucks... The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a District Court decision dismissing a suit filed by American Trucking Associations Inc., Phelps-based Wadhams Enterprises Inc., Modena-based Lightning Express Delivery Service and Ward Transport and Logistics Corp., of Rock Tavern... In its Aug. 4 decision, the 2nd Circuit ruled that the U.S.A. District Court for the Southern District of New York abused its discretion when it dismissed the case because the plaintiffs did not name the state of New York as a party... The District Court must again hear a case whose plaintiffs argue that the Authority overcharges trucks for tolls in order to fund New York’s canal system, once a major transportation system for commercial shippers but now largely recreational...
(Photo by Friscocali, CC - NY Thruway Toll Plaza) -- NY, USA - The Times Herald-Record, by Leonard Sparks - Aug 14, 2015

Labels: tolls roads debate

Jun 3, 2015

Trucking industry fights back against state tolls * USA

* Rhode Island - Truckers speak out against toll proposal

WPRI - May 28, 2015 -- Gov. Gina Raimondo unveiled a plan to toll large commercial trucks to help fund a nearly $5 billion infrastructure plan...

-- The Rhode Island Trucking Association is fighting back after Gov. Gina Raimondo announced last week her plan to have large commercial trucks pay tolls when passing through the state... But Bill Fischer, the spokesperson for the Rhode Island Trucking Association, said it will be bad for small businesses in the Ocean State... Fischer believes local companies that travel on Rhode Island roads all day and will be hit with several tolls, are going to have to raise their prices. “Those tolling charges are going to be passed onto the consumer” ... Fischer is calling on the governor to be more transparent about where the tolls will be located, how much they'll cost and what will be the plan if truckers drive around Rhode Island...
Providence, R.I., USA - NBC 10 News, by Matt Reed - Jun 02, 2015

* Rhode Island - Gov. Raimondo softens proposal for R.I. tolls on truckers

-- Responding to outraged Rhode Island truckers, Governor Raimondo tried on Tuesday to soften her proposal to raise $1.1 billion over the next decade by charging commercial trucks for using the state's bridges... Hours before state lawmakers began vetting Raimondo's toll plan at the State House and just after the Rhode Island Trucking Association denounced it as unjust in a news conference, Raimondo announced two major changes to her RhodeWorks transportation funding package... The first would exempt some smaller commercial trucks — those in classes 6 and 7 of the federal rating system — from the tolls that would be placed on Routes 95, 195, 295, 146, 6 and 10. Vehicles commonly referred to as tractor trailers — those in classes 8 through 13 — would be tolled. Passenger vehicles are not included in the plan... The second change provides that trucks will be charged only once per location per day in each direction. The state plans to add the tolls at between 17 and 22 bridges with a median toll of $6. Crossing the state in one direction would cost between $40 and $50... The RhodeWorks plan is supposed to provide a 30-percent increase in funding for repairs of structurally deficient bridges. The plan is based on a $700-million state revenue bond that the state would repay with the proceeds from the tolls... Despite the concessions, Raimondo's toll proposal was unlikely to draw anything but hostility from the trucking industry, whose leaders on Tuesday told reporters at a news conference at the Rhode Island Trucking Association headquarters in Pawtucket that they would not support tolls under any circumstances...
-- Providence, R.I., USA - The Providence Journal, by Jennifer Bogdan and Patrick Anderson - 2 June 2015

Labels: tolls roads debate, truck tolls

Mar 13, 2012

TOLLS * South Africa

* South Africans protest against introduction of highway tolls

Pretoria,SA -The Citizen, by Benon Herbert Oluka -12 March 2012: -- Since the South African government announced plans to introduce road tolls on its highways, opposition to the scheme has grown so much that it is one of the two major reasons, along with the call to scrap labour brokerage firms. People are protesting... The controversial road tolls, which President Jacob Zuma’s government says it will introduce on April 30, starting in the Gauteng region that includes South Africa’s administrative capital Pretoria and commercial capital Johannesburg, are seen as “a form of privatisation of the country’s roads” by South Africans opposed to them... The road toll is also expected to later be introduced in Durban and Cape Town... In a country where 35 per cent of the population is either unemployed or under-employed, the majority of the people manage to get by on meagre wages... However, according to individuals and organisations who are opposed to the road toll, its introduction will further eat into the meagre incomes of people who are already paying what they consider to high taxes, and many of who already live from hand-to-mouth...

Labels: tolls roads debate

Feb 16, 2012

HIGHWAY TOLLS * USA

* DC - GAO study looks at impact of highway tolls

Washington,DC,USA -The Washington Post, by Robert Thomson -February 10. 2012: -- A new study by the Government Accountability Office finds that variable tolling can help reduce congestion on U.S. highways, while also focusing attention on the fairness of such transportation systems... Variable tolling takes several forms. Each is a response to congestion, and to the fact that limited space and limited revenue reduce the likelihood that new lanes will be built without toll financing. The new forms of tolling are used not only to pay for construction and to reward investors, but also to manage traffic through a technique known as congestion pricing... Congestion pricing in the United States comes in one or two forms, the GAO report said. High-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes vary the toll according to current demand. The varying toll moderates the number of drivers entering the lanes so speeds can stay at 45 to 55 mph. The 495 Express Lanes on the Beltway and the other HOT lanes planned for Interstate 95 will be examples of that. HOT lanes offer a free ride to those meeting the HOV requirements, but charge other drivers... The other format bases the toll on time of day, charging a pre-set premium price for travel during peak periods. The Intercounty Connector and Dulles Greenway follow that model. The traffic management goal is similar: The changing toll encourages drivers to use the highway when it’s likely to be less congested... Tolling does mean that those who benefit most directly from using new lanes will pick up a greater share of the expense. But the report urged continued scrutiny of that burden, particularly when tolling is used not only to manage congestion but also to meet revenue targets...

Labels: tolls roads debate

Sep 16, 2010

TOLLS * USA - DC area studies 1,650 miles of toll lanes

Washington,DC,USA -Land Line Magazine -September 14, 2010: -- A task force in Washington, DC, is recommending a massive shift in the way people use highways and land in the region. One recommendation is to develop a 1,650-mile toll network on new and existing lanes. The task force has scheduled a public meeting for Wednesday, Sept. 15, about the proposal... Members of the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board developed a handful of “what if?” scenarios as part of a study commissioned in 2006... That study, which will be presented to the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments on Wednesday, includes recommendations for 650 miles of new toll lanes; the conversion of 500 lane miles from general purpose lanes to toll lanes; the conversion of 350 lane miles of high-occupancy vehicle, or HOV lanes, to toll lanes; and 150 additional toll lanes... Under one scenario, toll rates for cars would range from 20 cents per mile to more than $2 per mile depending on traffic flow and time of day. This is known as congestion pricing or variable pricing. Toll information for trucks was not provided in the 70-page report...

Labels: tolls roads debate

Jan 14, 2010

TOLLS * USA - Highway groups charge ahead against I-80 tolls

OOIDA and the coalition members oppose the diversion of highway funds for other uses

Washington,DC,USA -Land Line Magazine, by David Tanner -Jan. 12, 2010: -- OOIDA and other highway groups making up the Americans for a Strong National Highway Network are urging U.S. Transportation Secretary, Ray LaHood, to deny Pennsylvania the right to convert Interstate 80 into a toll road... The coalition sent a letter to LaHood, and takes Pennsylvania to task on statements made about the condition of I-80 and the state’s reasons for applying for tolling authority under a federal pilot program... Quoting directly from PennDOT’s own study in 2005, the coalition points out that I-80 is in good condition and does not need to be rebuilt using tolls... PennDOT and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission are hoping to toll I-80 to make the highway self-sustaining and free up federal funds to pay for other transportation programs including mass transit... The Americans for a Strong National Highway Network include OOIDA, the American Highway Users Alliance, American Trucking Associations and Natso – the national association of truck stop and travel plaza owners...

Labels: tolls roads debate

Dec 16, 2009

Automatic Tolling... * India ... A non-starter

New Delhi,India -Press Trust Of India/Business Standard -December 14, 2009: -- The ambitious plan to install high-tech automatic toll collection systems on the highways to check massive revenue leakage has been delayed as the private developers are not keen to import these machines... The three pilot projects for the electronic toll collection (ETC) system, sources said, could not take off as scheduled in October, and had been deferred by about six months... Another reason for the delay is the lack of expertise on the part of the concessionaires about the ETC system, the official said, adding they were undecided about the technology to be used and also the place to source the equipment from... The Panipat-Jalandhar, Surat-Dahisar and Gurgaon-Kathputli stretches are the three identified sectors for installing the machines on a pilot basis... Once implemented, the pilot project will be evaluated by an expert committee over a period of six months and then the system would be gradually rolled out nationwide. Under the ETC system, the toll amount is automatically debited from a chip attached to a vehicle once it crosses toll plazas... The three pilot projects will adopt different technologies —microwaves, infra red and radio frequency — of which the most adaptable for a nationwide rollout will be selected by the committee... (Photo from irdinc: Toll Site Layout)

Labels: tolls roads debate

May 23, 2009

TOLLS * USA - Legislation Would Ban Federal Highway Tolls

Hutchison bill challenges public-private partnership for roads

Washington,DC,USA -The Journal of Commerce Online, by R.G. Edmonson -May 22, 2009: ... The public-private partnership concept could be dealt a blow if Congress approves a bill filed Thursday that would prohibit states, private ventures, or public-private combinations from imposing tolls on users of existing federal highways... The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, said that collecting tolls was “fundamentally unfair,” because taxpayers paid twice for the same asset... Hutchison said tolling was a “band-aid solution” to the problem of highway funding that would ultimately lead to congestion and the diversion of traffic onto residential streets... Hutchison said her bill leaves open the option that taxpayers could vote to use tolls to pay for highway improvement or the addition of lanes... The bills could represent a major challenge to the concept of public-private partnerships and toll road leasing as practiced in recent years... (Photo: youthnoise.com: Pictures of Trestles Beach)

Labels: tolls roads debate

Mar 15, 2009

TOLLS * USA - Lawmakers seek limits on toll road projects

Plan is for private entities to add lanes, charge fees

Carson City,NV,USA -Las Vegas Sun, by Cy Ryan -Mar 14, 2009: -- With the Nevada Transportation Department seeking to test toll lanes in Clark County, lawmakers want the state to set standards for such public-private partnerships... The Transportation Department will submit a bill to the Legislature for a toll lane pilot project on 19 miles of Las Vegas Valley freeways. Under the plan, a private company would widen the freeways and charge a fee for use of the new lanes... The tolls would vary based on the level of traffic congestion at the time... (Photo: A Rocky mountain road, Nevada)

Labels: tolls roads debate

Oct 9, 2008

TOLL PROPOSAL * USA - In New Jersey, still hurts truckers

NJ,USA -Land Line Magazine -October 8, 2008: -- Even though transportation officials in New Jersey revised their toll increase proposal, trucking officials are still concerned that the increases will hurt the industry while transportation officials divert millions of dollars to a mass-transit tunnel project... Based on percentage calculations, the current average truck toll of $5.05 on the turnpike would become $7.10 in 2009 and $11.05 in 2012... Further calculations show that the current truck toll of $26.55 for the full length of the turnpike would become $37.33 after the nearly 41 percent increase in 2009. The toll would increase by $19.78 and become $57.11 in 2012... Truckers appreciate the attempt at lessening the initial increase, but say the increase in 2012 will still hurt truckers...

Labels: tolls roads debate

Aug 8, 2008

Interstate 80 tolls * USA - Truckers size up road maps

Non-toll road use could backfire for trucks due to increased fuel use, delivery delays, say firms

Wilkes Barre,PA,USA -The Wilkes Barre Times-Leader, by ANDREW M. SEDER -August 8, 2008: -- A proposal to toll Interstate 80 throughout Pennsylvania could lead to increased traffic congestion along roadways that could be used as alternates to the east-west thoroughfare. In this corner of the state, that would include state Routes 115, 118, 940 and 611 and U.S. Route 11... While cash-strapped commuters might get creative with their daily routes to avoid paying tolls, trucking company officials said it’s more costly in most situations for big rigs to bypass interstates... Paula Evans, spokeswoman for Richmond, Va.-based Estes Express, said the company with eight terminals in Pennsylvania including one in Scranton relies heavily on I-80. It likely will continue to, even with tolls... Tom Williams, business development manager at Calex Logistics in Yatesville, said that adding tolls to I-80 would cost Calex $500,000 to $600,000 annually. Those costs would be passed along to the consumer of whatever products are being transported along I-80... “That’s a big number,” Williams said. “We can not absorb a cost like that”...

Labels: tolls roads debate

Mar 5, 2008

TOLLS * Canada - Think tank recommends tolls on Quebec highways, bridges

Montreal,QUE,CAN -Today's Trucking -3 Marc 2008: -- Electronic tolls on all of Quebec's main highways would bring in up to $1.6 billion per year, according to an economic note published by the Montreal Economic Institute... The report, authored by economist Mathieu Laberge, examines four scenarios for instituting charges of this type...

Labels: tolls roads debate

Jan 13, 2008

TOLL ROADS DEBATE * USA - Truckers are hit by rising costs, stagnant freight rates

Let’s talk about the never-ending cost of rising tolls for trucks and cars on our interstate systems

New Castle,OH,USA -The Youngstown Vindicator (Youngstown,OH), by DAVID P. GAIBIS -January 13, 2008: -- ... As an example: A truck loaded, grossing 80,000 pounds, leaves Chicago on a delivery to Long Island, N.Y. The cheapest and fastest way to travel would be across Interstate 80. The tolls would be approximately $150. This would include the Illinois, Indiana and Ohio Turnpikes, Interstate 80 through Pennsylvania, which is free, and the three New York bridges which are a toll. Pennsylvania is again discussing the possibility of making I-80 a toll road, from the Ohio line to New Jersey. My state government claims the tolls for one truck will be $100. This would increase the example above to $250. And... this is getting out of hand... As I see it, owner-operators and trucking companies have two options:
1. Run all rural routes through cities and towns. This will add many hours of driving time and drivers not making their destinations on time.
2. Immediately establish and implement a toll surcharge, paid only to the driver whose pocket this money is coming out of.
As freight weights remain stagnant and diesel fuel continues to rise, we owner operators cannot afford to take any more hits to our pockets. We are the ones with the big investment and we do all the work. As the cost of operating and living continues to rise, there seems to be no relief in sight... And no one is listening !!!

Labels: tolls roads debate

TOLL ROADS DEBATE * USA - Truckers begin mapping out cheaper alternate routes

"Right now, my tolls cost me $130 round-trip... I can't take any more than that"

Newark,NJ,USA -The Star-Ledger, by JOE MALINCONICO &TOM FEENEY -January 13, 2008: -- Stephen DeFern would haul his produce to California instead of New Jersey. Horace Evans would take his frozen chickens to the Midwest. Melvin Celestine would still bring his foam insulation here, but he might use Route 295 instead of the Turnpike. Jeffrey Campbell, who hauls steel from Queens, will have to use the Turnpike no matter how much it costs... "Right now, my tolls cost me $130 round-trip," said Evans, who has been hauling frozen chickens to New Jersey from North Carolina for more than three decades. "I can't take any more than that"... At lunch hour last Wednesday, the day after Gov. Jon Corzine announced he hopes to cure the state's money troubles by asking drivers to swallow an unprecedented series of toll hikes, the Thomas Edison service area on the Turnpike in Woodbridge was full of trucks whose drivers had already started to consider how they might avoid paying them... The Corzine administration expects the toll hikes to chase some trucks and passenger cars onto other roads, Transportation Commissioner Kris Kolluri said. During a briefing about the governor's plan they expected a "diversion" rate of more than 10 percent... New Jersey's last big toll hike on the Turnpike came in 1991. Rates for trucks doubled that year, and for cars, they increased by 70 percent. Vehicles left the highway in droves...

Labels: tolls roads debate

Jan 2, 2008

Toll hike * USA - Will hurt economy

TEANECK,NJ,USA -The North Jersey.com, by TOM DAVIS -December 19, 2007: -- The Port Authority's plans to raise tolls on Hudson River crossings during peak hours would severely hurt the trucking industry and cause the local economy to suffer, a leading truck industry group said Tuesday... The plan, which would raise PATH fares 50 cents to $2, would force the average tractor-trailer driver to pay an additional $13 for each trip over the George Washington Bridge, said Herbert Klein, legislative representative for the New Jersey Motor Truck Association... Klein, appearing at the Port Authority's public hearing on the fare hikes at the Marriott Teaneck at Glenpointe, said the fare hikes would ultimately burden the average consumer who pays for products shipped by trucks...

Labels: tolls roads debate

Nov 17, 2007

TOLLS' DEBATE * USA

* New Hampshire lawmakers push for private toll bridge
NH,USA -Land Line Magazine, by Keith Goble -November 15, 2007: -- Some state lawmakers in New Hampshire are hopeful of seeing a privately operated toll bridge erected in the state to help ease traffic congestion in the southern part of the state... Rep. David Campbell, D-Nashua, is the lead sponsor of an effort touted by several House and Senate members that would allow a private group to contract to build a bridge across the Merrimack River in Nashua. The cost of the bridge has been estimated between $75 million and $100 million, the Union Leader newspaper reported... Currently, the state has two bridges over the Merrimack River between Nashua and Manchester. A third bridge now under construction will connect the F.E. Everett Turnpike to the Manchester-Boston Regional Airport...

* Two public meetings left in Pennsylvania regarding I-80 tolls
PENN,USA -Land Line Magazine -November 15, 2007: -- Two public meetings remain in the current round of meetings aimed at informing the public about the tolling of Interstate 80 in Pennsylvania... The meetings are scheduled to be from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at each location, conducted in an open-house format. The public can view informational materials and discuss the proposal one-on-one with project staff. Formal presentations by transportation officials are scheduled at 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. at each meeting... Remaining dates and locations are as follows:
* Monday, Nov. 19, Notre Dame High School, 60 Spagenburg Ave., East Stroudsburg, PA
* Monday, Nov. 19, Grove City College, 100 Campus Drive, Grove City, PA

* Trucking Companies on tolls
Buffalo,NY,USA -WKBW-TV, by Julie Fine -Nov 15, 2007: -- There are about 35 trucks in Serafini's fleet, and some of them go through 6 tolls a day, delivering road construction materials. Drivers will pay 10 percent more in January, and now 5 percent increases are proposed for both 2009 and 2010... The drivers are feeling the heat too... The New York Thruway Authority says the number of people on the roads are down. They projected a 2.5 increase for 2007, and say it is less than one percent. That is one reason they point too for a need for higher tolls, plus the cost of keeping the roads safe. But Congressman Brian Higgins, concerned about how the Authority spends its money, requested an audit earlier in the week, and has since spoke to the state Comptroller... Attorney Michael Powers, who sued the New York Thruway Authority to get rid of the 190 tolls, is now sending a letter asking for their report describing the need for higher tolls. Those who use them frequently continue to hope the hike does not happen...

Labels: tolls roads debate

Oct 16, 2007

TOLL ROADS DEBATE * USA - Bill would force states to pay if they want to toll interstates

A U.S. representative from Iowa has filed legislation designed to disrupt plans by some states to toll interstate highways

Washington,DC,USA -Land Line Magazine, by David Tanner -15 Oct 2007: -- ... Rep. Leonard Boswell, D-IA, filed the Toll Road Prohibition Act of 2007 on Wednesday, Oct. 10... The legislation would force states to repay the Highway Trust Fund for costs associated with building and maintaining interstates if state officials decide to add tolls to interstates... Boswell’s bill states that “... no toll may be collected for the use of a highway, bridge, or tunnel constructed ... in whole or in part using federal funds unless the total amount of such federal funds, including reasonable interest thereon, is repaid to the United States from non-Federal sources"... Co-sponsors for the bill include Rep. John Peterson, R-PA, Rep. Phil English, R-PA, Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, R-NE, and Rep. Lee Terry, R-NE... Peterson has stood with OOIDA against proposals by officials in Pennsylvania and other states to toll interstates... (Photo from: Jupiter Images #23359477)

* Wyoming lawmakers consider truck tolls for I-80
WYO,USA -Land Line Magazine, by Keith Goble -October 15, 2007: -- A Wyoming legislative panel is looking into the possibility of imposing tolls on Interstate 80 truck traffic to help foot the bill for rising road repair costs... If they get positive feedback, the committee will pursue an in-depth study on tolling once the next regular session begins in February... Another option drawing consideration by lawmakers is to increase the state’s fuel tax rate by 10 cents and charge higher fees for driver’s licenses... Supporters say the revenue is needed because road construction costs have jumped 40 percent. They also point out that only Alaska has a lower fuel tax rate than Wyoming...

Labels: tolls roads debate

Sep 7, 2007

TOLL ROADS DEBATE * USA - Should trucks on I-75 and I-575 in Cobb and Cherokee counties be restricted to toll lanes?

The massive toll lane project proposed for trucks that use I-75 and I-575 in Cobb and Cherokee counties is under attack from truckers and interest groups. They have notified the state Department of Transportation that they think the current plan is illegal and otherwise ill-advised

Atlanta,GA, USA -The Atlanta Journal Constitution -6 Sept 2007: -- ... A DOT spokeswoman called the comments "significant" but not unexpected in the development of such a big and groundbreaking project. Still, the quarrel may threaten the state's $4 billion, three-pronged project to combat congestion on interstates in Cobb and Cherokee counties with truck-only lanes, HOV lanes where solo drivers could drive for a fee and bus rapid transit. The opposition also presents potential trouble for DOT's larger plan to build a statewide system of truck lanes in congested freight corridors... Another critic of the Cobb/Cherokee plan — the Atlanta Regional Commission, metro Atlanta's planning agency — questioned why the report doesn't consider alternatives without truck lanes or without HOV lanes. The ARC said the report does not mention potential problems on surface streets from trucks avoiding the toll road. The trucking groups produced a traffic analysis claiming that a toll would drive truckers off I-75 onto Cobb Parkway... (Photo by Frank Niemeir/AJC - Rush hour traffic on I-85 and I-75 looking north at the Grady curve on Thursday afternoon January 25, 2007. The morning rush commute with a motivational seminar at Philips Arena combined with a major convention at the adjacent Georgia World Congress Center and normal morning rush hour hassles created an extraordinary bottleneck for drivers)

Labels: tolls roads debate

TOLLS ROAD DEBATE * USA - Senator files bill to prohibit interstate tolling

U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) introduced legislation Wednesday, Sept. 5, to prohibit tolling on existing interstate highways

Washington,DC,USA -Land Line Magazine -September 6, 2007: -- Hutchison filed the bill – S2019 – to “prohibit the imposition and collection of tolls on certain highways constructed using federal funds.”... A staff member for Hutchison told Land Line the bill specifically targets three of the Federal Highway Administration’s six interstate tolling programs... The bill calls for the value pricing program, express lanes program and the reconstruction and rehabilitation program to be done away with, the staff member said... Hutchison said she believes tolls on existing interstates are a form of double taxation...

Labels: tolls roads debate

Sep 5, 2007

TOLLS * USA -

* Texas DOT report calls for tolling interstates
TX,USA -Land Line Magazine -September 4, 2007: -- A report left out of the public spotlight for more than six months reveals that officials at the Texas Department of Transportation want to toll interstate highways and shelter private investors from paying income taxes on toll revenue... TxDOT proposes that the federal government do the following:
* Reduce federal restrictions on tolling by removing pilot-program status;
* Authorize states to toll interstates and allow toll revenue to be used for a variety of funding needs;
* Allow states to “buy back” interstates or segments of interstates;
* Allow equity capital such as pension funds to be utilized as a transportation investment source; and
* Exempt corporate dividends related to ownership of a toll road from income taxation.

Labels: tolls roads debate