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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2019 - 2020
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | August 6, 2020 10:28 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Ed Neilson |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Fixing the PA Turnpike Commission’s Unfair Tolling Practices |
| On July 21, 2020, the PA Turnpike Commission announced a six percent toll increase in addition to a 45% toll increase on TOLL BY PLATE rates at most tolling facilities to take effect on January 3, 2021. This massive tolling increase unfairly targets Pennsylvania motorists who travel the Turnpike without an E-ZPass, as the Turnpike has replaced cash tolls with TOLL BY PLATE. As a result, this tolling increase effectively forces my constituents to get an E-ZPass or pay significantly higher rates, even if they only travel our toll roads a few times per year to visit family. Furthermore, the PA Turnpike Commission failed to notify the General Assembly of the plans to implement this surcharge, despite having recently testified before both the PA House and Senate Transportation Committees on the deployment of all-electronic tolling system wide. It is also apparent that numerous states throughout the northeast have instituted higher toll rates on out-of-state E-ZPass holders, adding an additional cost to motorists just passing through. For example, according to the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission, when traveling across the Scudder Falls Bridge in Bucks County into Trenton, New Jersey, a motorist with a PA E-ZPass is charged 40 percent more than a motorist with a NJ E-ZPass. To address these issues, I will be introducing legislation to prohibit the PA Turnpike Commission from implementing a surcharge on Pennsylvania registered vehicles and charge the same tolling rate as they do for E-ZPass. My legislation will also ensure that the Commonwealth follows the same out-of-state tolling policies as the other states around us, by requiring the PA Turnpike Commission to charge and collect a higher toll rate from motorists with an out-of-state E-ZPass. Please join me in protecting the Commonwealth’s motorists and fixing these unfair practices before they continue to spiral out of control. |
Introduced as HB2863