Tuesday, April 2, 2013
The new system would replace all of the tolls in the state, but could put about 400 state employees out of work.
Want less waiting in line and sifting for loose change on the Mass Pike? According to state transportation officials, you’ll soon get your wish. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation will install electronic tolling system that replaces the current E-ZPass and toll-taker set up with overhead censors that read E-ZPasses on cars traveling at high speeds and would generate a monthly bills to drivers who do not have an E-ZPass, according to WBUR. The system would cost $100 million to build, but if the toll takers are eliminated, the system will pay for itself in about two to three years, the story says. The new system could put about 400 toll collectors out of work, but some could be retained and placed in other state position, …
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Gov. Deval Patrick says the state’s toll system will be fully automated by 2015.
Though users of the EZPass service never have to stop for a toll collector on the Mass Pike now, in just over two years, no one will have to. Gov. Deval Patrick said this week that all toll collectors will be phased out by 2015 to make way for a fully automated toll taking system on the Mass Pike, according to Boston.com. Patrick the state will provide a “dignified and soft landing” for the 410 toll workers who would be laid off, according to the news site. Do you think the state should move to the new automated system or should Massachusetts stick with the system in place now? Tell us in the comments.
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Gov. Deval Patrick plans to ask lawmakers to raises taxes to make up for the shortfall in Massachusetts' transportation system. What options should they consider and what's off the table?
Would you be willing to pay more at the pump, have a tracking system on your car that taxes you by the mile, or see tolls on state highways? Those are just some of the possibilities looming as Massachusetts looks to erase the state's transportation system's deficit. The Boston Globe reported that Gov. Deval Patrick will ask lawmakers to raise taxes in order to pay for a transportation system—from the MBTA to roads and bridges—that continues to operate in the red. The administration will present a specific proposal by Jan. 7. One option is raising the gas tax, a route Patrick sought in 2009 only to be rebuffed by the legislature. Patrick sought a 19 cent increase while business groups endorsed a 25 cent increase. Ultimately, the state …
Friday, September 28, 2012
Asked about toll fairness during a Patch live chat, Governor Deval Patrick asked a reader whether he'd support high-speed tolls. Are these a good way to share the transportation funding pain, or another money grab?
Are high-speed tolls along Interstate 93 and other highways a smart way to help fund transportation in the state? Governor Deval Patrick mentioned such a system during a Patch live chat on Thursday. If you've gone up Interstate 95 into New Hampshire, you've seen high-speed tolling in action. The system is designed to read your EZ-Pass (new Fast Lane) transponder while you breeze by at 65 miles per hour. There's no need to slow down or squeeze though a booth, as EZ-Pass users currently do on the Mass Pike, Tobin Bridge and harbor tunnels. The chat moved on to other topics, so no details about implementation were offered. What do you think? Would tolls along I-93 offer some fairness to riders in Boston, MetroWest and North Shore, who all pay…
Southender
3:43 pm on Saturday, December 1, 2012
Increase Gas Tax. Eliminate reduced T fares for College Students. more ›