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Editorial: Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission needs a light to be shined on it [View all]
(link) https://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/editorials/2022/03/03/Shine-a-light-on-Turnpike-Commission/stories/202202260033
THE EDITORIAL BOARD
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
March 3, 2022
It’s time for the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission to stop operating in the dark.
In June 2020, the commission voted to lay off nearly 500 toll collectors with no public debate, angering the state legislature. Last year, also without public discussion, commissioners approved more than $430 million in credit and spending agreements in a meeting that lasted less than 15 minutes and increased tolls for the 14th year straight. Pennsylvania’s Turnpike Commission operates in virtual secrecy while leading the nation in costs for drivers.
State Rep. Anthony M. DeLuca has announced plans to introduce much-needed legislation requiring it to submit annual reports to the General Assembly, detailing money collected, as well as the amount of uncollected tolls. The plan follows news of a staggering $104 million in uncollected funds from June 2020 to May 2021.
DeLuca’s bill would take an overdue step toward better oversight; legislators should pass it quickly, ideally with bipartisan support.
In response, the Turnpike Commission argues, weakly, that the lost revenue represents only 7% of the revenue it should have collected — $1.2 billion — which falls well within industry standards. The commission also notes it already is seeking remedies and ways to crack down on drivers who refuse to pay tolls, mostly Toll-By-Plate drivers who ignore the bills they receive in the mail.
In June 2020, the commission voted to lay off nearly 500 toll collectors with no public debate, angering the state legislature. Last year, also without public discussion, commissioners approved more than $430 million in credit and spending agreements in a meeting that lasted less than 15 minutes and increased tolls for the 14th year straight. Pennsylvania’s Turnpike Commission operates in virtual secrecy while leading the nation in costs for drivers.
State Rep. Anthony M. DeLuca has announced plans to introduce much-needed legislation requiring it to submit annual reports to the General Assembly, detailing money collected, as well as the amount of uncollected tolls. The plan follows news of a staggering $104 million in uncollected funds from June 2020 to May 2021.
DeLuca’s bill would take an overdue step toward better oversight; legislators should pass it quickly, ideally with bipartisan support.
In response, the Turnpike Commission argues, weakly, that the lost revenue represents only 7% of the revenue it should have collected — $1.2 billion — which falls well within industry standards. The commission also notes it already is seeking remedies and ways to crack down on drivers who refuse to pay tolls, mostly Toll-By-Plate drivers who ignore the bills they receive in the mail.
- more at link -
PA drivers get taken to the cleaners, while many out-of-state drivers pay nothing on our toll roads.
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