In the Netherlands, there were various toll propositions in the past, called "rekeningrijden" (bank account driving). Early plans were deemed too expensive.

However, they now want to introduce "kilometerheffing" (kilometer charging), with a toll charge for every motorway (possible every road!) depending on time of the day (rushhours are more expensive).

However, as an already extremely high taxed country when it comes to (auto)mobility, there is a lot of opposition to this plan. They have now planned to drop the registration fee, so new cars become cheaper (our registration fee is 142% of the catalogue price, so a 10.000 € car is € 14.200 at the counter).

Another problem in the Netherlands, is the lack of alternatives. They want people to think about their mobility, and make "smart" choices, like combining their drive with public transport, or take public transport altogether.

Though this looks like a good move that people should think about their mobility, the problem is public transport, besides being very unprofitable, has a lack of capacity during rushhours. It's not realistic to even demand 10% of the travelled car miles to be transferred to PT since that would effectively mean a doubling of Public transportation while 5% increases already causes problems during rushhours.

So despite what some say on micro-level, there isn't a good alternative than drive on macro-scale. Everybody knows colleague Bob that comes with his car while he could also take a bicycle or the bus. But this doesn't work at a macro-level. For the majority of the people, there isn't a serious alternative than drive.

The problem of tolls are that they require electronic tolling since tollbooths would create tremendous congestion. This system is expected to be very expensive to operate and implement. Another problem is that the expected decrease in traffic will probably be undone within a couple of years. In my opinion, the initial decrease in traffic does not justify the costs. This is also a problem with congestion charge, initially traffic levels drop a bit, but within a few years, we're back from where we started, but now we pay tolls to be stuck in traffic jams.

Another problem in the Netherlands is that there is no reasonable alternative to the motorways. Many provincial roads are narrow and go through a lot of villages and towns. You don't want all that toll-avoiding traffic on the already undercapacity provincial roads. Try to drive from Utrecht, Almere or Amersfoort to Amsterdam without hitting to motorway. It's virtually impossible, and certainly not an alternative like the Bundesstraßen or Route Nationales are in Germany and France.

They need to invent a bike on which you can drive three times as fast as on a normal bike. In 15 minutes to school, it's a dream...... :D

(our registration fee is 142% of the catalogue price, so a 10.000 € car is € 14.200 at the counter).

this is not 142%, its "only" 42%, isnt it? :)

The problem of tolls are that they require electronic tolling since tollbooths would create tremendous congestion.
This system is expected to be very expensive to operate and implement.

oh, thats NO problem.
to rip-off more the drivers NOTHING is too expensive...

(we are delaying roundabout constructions for years (no money) but we are planning a 500M euro electronic tolling system... :bash:)

Another problem is that the expected decrease in traffic will probably be undone within a couple of years.

what kind of decrease?
do you mean toll-avoiding on provincial roads, or car usage (travelled kms) decrease?

Catalogue price is 100% and the fee makes that 142%. :)

They need to invent a bike on which you can drive three times as fast as on a normal bike. In 15 minutes to school, it's a dream...... :D

That has already been invented. It's called a moped. ;)

Unmotorized, of course. And no, not a race bike, just an all-day bike ;)

Catalogue price is 100% and the fee makes that 142%. :)

ok, this is clear, but in this case the (registration) tax/fee ratio is 42%

142% tax/fee means that a 10.000 euro catalogue prices goes to 24.200 euro...


and what about the last question?

Unmotorized, of course. And no, not a race bike, just an all-day bike ;)

it is invented also. (it is called muscle :lol:)

Stop kidding. You know what I mean :D

what kind of decrease?
do you mean toll-avoiding on provincial roads, or car usage (travelled kms) decrease?

Sorry, didn't see the edit.

They've forecasted that there will be a decrease in car usage. However, I don't know what this is based on. Models give an output that depends on your input. I'm afraid this whole declining-because-of-kilometer-charge won't be noticeable at all within a few years after implementation. So paying the price for being in the same old traffic jam.

Stop kidding. You know what I mean :D

yes, i know. :)

btw: have you heard about the new car-powered perpetum mobile (http://sugiero.blogspot.com/2007/04/generating-energy-with-electro-kinetic.html)?

its amazing how stupid some people is... :lol:

So paying the price for being in the same old traffic jam.

we have a saying about this situation:

unvolition (or nonvolition?) ends up in groaning... :ohno:

Public promised say in WVa turnpike tolls
8 December 2008

PRINCETON, W.Va. (AP) - A member of the West Virginia Turnpike's governing board says there won't be any "back door" deals to raise tolls.

Princeton businessman Bill Seaver says everything will be done in full view of the public this time. Seaver is a member of the Parkways, Economic Development and Tourism Authority.

The authority tried nearly three years ago to increase tolls on the 88-mile highway, but was met with fierce opposition. The toll hike was overturned by a Kanawha County judge who said the public didn't receive sufficient notice when the increase was proposed.

Seaver says a toll increase is needed to maintain the turnpike, which runs from Charleston to Princeton.

MIG takes axe to value of toll roads
17 December 2008
The Sydney Morning Herald

INFRASTRUCTURE

"Dislocation" in the world economy is the reason Macquarie Infrastructure Group has given for slashing its toll road portfolio by a further $2.1 billion.

Barely four months since the group cut the value of its portfolio from $10.2 billion to $8.6 billion, while presenting its full-year accounts, MIG warned yesterday it expected its valuation to be about $6.5 billion at December 31.

"This outcome has been affected by changes to asset discount rates reflecting the current market environment, lower forecast traffic volumes driven by the recessionary environment in the northern hemisphere, higher assumed financing costs across the portfolio, and the impact of macro-economic factors such as long-term inflationary expectations and foreign exchange rates," the group said in a statement to the market.

It is the starkest admission to date by any Australian-listed toll road operator that the sector is not as safe as once assumed.

The revaluation will take MIG's net asset backing per security to $3.02, down 34 per cent from $4.59 at the start of the year.

MIG declined to specify new valuations for each of its roads, the top three in value being the 407 ETR in Canada, the M6 in Britain and APRR in France.

If not for the recent slump in the dollar, the write-down could have been far more savage, given that 90 per cent of MIG's portfolio is in the US and Europe.

The revaluation includes MIG's stakes in the Westlink M7, Sydney, and the Lusopontetoll road in Portugal, both of which it hopes to sell by early next year.

It is believed the valuation of the M7 is unchanged - MIG wants to sell its 50 per cent stake for $805 million. The M7 is the only MIG asset to have increased in book value this year.

MIG shares fell 7.5c to $1.63 yesterday. The main support for the security price was the fact that MIG is still trading well below its net asset backing.

Also helpful was the group's reiteration that it intended to pay a 10c distribution for the six months to December 31.

Even though infrastructure funds are scrapping old policies of funding distributions through debt, MIG has not shown any sign of funding its payouts from cash flow generated solely by its toll roads. About 35 to 45 per cent of its distributions are still financed by debt.

The company said it expected to hold $1 billion in cash on its books after the distribution. It is debt-free at a corporate level, but has about $10 billion of debt tied to its toll roads at an asset level.

"The adjustments themselves are not a surprise," said Andrew Chambers, an Austock analyst. "What was a surprise was the timing and the quantum."

Commerce Dept. rejects SoCal toll road appeal
18 December 2008

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. (AP) - A federal agency on Thursday rejected an appeal to build a toll road that would cut through one of California's most popular state parks and pass near a world-class surf break.

The U.S. Department of Commerce rejected the appeal because there is at least one reasonable alternate route for the road.

The agency also discounted arguments that building the road was vital to national security, something that had been advanced by the highway's proponents.

The decision upholds a ruling by the California Coastal Commission that objected to the 16-mile road after opponents argued it would harm endangered species at San Onofre State Park and block sediment flows that create famous surf breaks at a beach called Trestles.

"Hooray, hooray, hooray! I'm so delighted," said state Treasurer Bill Lockyer, who sued to stop the toll road twice in his former post as state attorney general. "It's a great victory for California."

The Transportation Corridor Agencies, which proposes to build and finance the $1.3 billion road in Orange and San Diego counties, appealed the decision to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a branch of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

TCA chairman Jerry Amante said he was shocked and disappointed. He said the agency would not decide whether to sue the Commerce Department before a Jan. 8 board meeting.

"This is a terrible decision today for millions of Southern California commuters," Amante said.

"This decision is another blow to the Southern California economy. We are now destined for gridlock and increased greenhouse emissions," he said.

The toll authority had argued the road would play a key role in national security by providing an alternative to Interstate 5 in the event of a wildfire or accident at the nearby San Onofre nuclear power plant.

Toll road opponents advocate widening I-5 to deal with increased congestion.

Toll near of Puebla City, Mexico.

http://img392.imageshack.us/img392/3307/dscf3962copyyk2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://www.adm.co.ma/admin_files/IMG_0001.jpg

Report on highway tolls pending
1 January 2009

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (AP) - A government panel is expected to receive a report later this month on whether tolls should return to Connecticut's highways.

Cambridge Systematics, a transportation research group, is scheduled to present its results to the state Transportation Strategy Board on Jan. 15. Jill Kelly, a board member, told the Connecticut Post in Thursday's edition that the report will lay out many options.

The strategy board, an independent group created by state officials to help guide Connecticut's transportation policy, suggested in 2003 that the state study the idea of toll roads to help ease traffic congestion.

Prices would be raised during rush hour and lowered when there's less volume.

It's uncertain whether the strategy board will support the idea of tolls after receiving the report. While the board has shown interest in tolls over the years, it has not specifically recommended tolling lanes in its reports. Instead, the group has said the subject merits more attention and study.

Kelly said tolls might work better in some parts of Connecticut than others. Also, different types of tolls are being researched, such as high-occupancy tolls or HOT lanes.

Such lanes allow solo drivers to pay a fee to use lanes normally reserved for carpoolers and buses, now known as HOV or high-occupancy vehicle lanes. Vehicles carrying multiple passengers would still drive in HOV lanes for free.

While Gov. M. Jodi Rell and other state politicians have opposed tolls, the HOT lanes concept has gained in popularity in other parts of the U.S.

Connecticut removed toll booths from I-95 in 1985, two years after seven people died in a crash at the Stratford toll booths. Tolls were later removed from the Merritt and Wilbur Cross parkways in 1987.

Hey SoCal, how about expanding Metrolink commuter rail instead of building a massive new tollroad through a pristine natural area? Build more roads to REDUCE CO2 emissions? What a crock of shit.

^^ Two free flowing roads are better for CO2 emissions than one constantly congested one.

^^ Two free flowing roads are better for CO2 emissions than one constantly congested one.

But what about the loss of vegetation and the disruption of ecosystems?

How about adding track and trains to Metrolink which serves the I-5 corridor?

LA shouldn't have growed so massive that there isn't room for additional infrastructure to cope with the tremendous population growth. Population growth -> more traffic -> requires more road capacity. Simple as that.

Toll express lanes ease traffic on urban highways
30 December 2008

MIAMI (AP) - Attorney David Kubiliun is a typical South Floridian: He lives in a suburb, works in downtown Miami and spends several hours a week sitting in maddening traffic on Interstate 95.

Earlier this year, his 14-mile slog home took 50 minutes out of his day, if there weren't any accidents. "It was murder," he said.

But his evening commute recently got a whole lot better -- for a price. Drivers like him can pay anywhere from 25 cents to $6.20 to drive in a new express lane for six miles at or above 45 to 50 mph, guaranteed.

Now Kubiliun gets home in 20 minutes.

"That thing's a godsend," he said. "I can even make it to my kid's baseball practice."

These High Occupancy Toll lanes -- or HOT lanes -- are praised by urban planners, environmentalists and many drivers. From I-10 in Houston to I-15 in Salt Lake City, drivers can pay extra to zip past traffic stuck in the slower "local" lanes. HOT lanes also are being added in northern Virginia.

They've been criticized by some as "Lexus Lanes" because of the cost, but in Miami and other cities, it's not just the drivers with fat wallets who can use them: Carpoolers, motorcyclists, buses and hybrid owners drive for free.

"It's one of several huge trends in urban highway transportation," said Tyler Duvall, acting undersecretary of policy for the U.S. Department of Transportation. "You're seeing at least 10 major metro areas with HOT lanes or HOT lane projects. If you're a major city and you've experienced congestion, you either have a HOT lane or you're going to have one in five years."

But do they reduce congestion? Toll lanes haven't been around long enough for researchers to say. Some speculate they could add to congestion by encouraging drivers who can afford to pay the tolls to live in far-flung suburbs.

But many experts say the option of paying for a quicker commute should be available and the proceeds can go toward improving public transportation or roads.

"In the future, congestion pricing is going to be the way we get around in this country," said Gabriel Bernal-Lopez of Miami, a transportation engineering student at the University of Florida and the founder of transitmiami.com, a widely read blog in South Florida. "It's about time that motorists pay their fair share, and HOT lanes are a step in the right direction."

These toll lanes began -- like many traffic trends do -- in congested Southern California in the mid-1990s. By 2006, they were in place in Texas, Minnesota and Colorado, and the planning of South Florida's $122 million I-95 project was under way.

Federal and state officials are big proponents of HOT lanes, largely because they cost less and require neither new asphalt nor the lengthy approval process for building or expanding new highways.

But groups like the AAA are a bit skeptical.

"AAA believes that all roads should be toll-free. Where toll roads are utilized, reasonable alternative toll-free routes should always be available," said Gregg Laskoski, spokesman for AAA South. HOT lanes are only appropriate if an existing car pool lane is underutilized and the change won't contribute to congestion, he said.

That's exactly the situation in Miami. The six-mile HOT lane was already in place as an underused high-occupancy vehicle lane for cars with two or more passengers.

I-95 in South Florida is notoriously congested, with 230,000-plus motorists using the highway on a typical weekday. Because of dense urban development and little available cash, expansion was not an option.

So the state began narrowing its lanes and launched a public-awareness campaign for the HOT lane, including how to get a remote transponder that automatically pays the toll as cars pass toll gates.

The project hit a snag in June, when engineers first placed flexible sticks to divide the toll lane from the regular highway; people were caught off guard and a few motorists darted in between the dividing sticks, causing extensive backups and headaches for commuters. At least one rollover injury crash was reported.

But six months later, when drivers began to pay, there were no crashes, no road rage incidents, no problems. The tolls ranged from 25 cents to $1.75 on that first day, varying by the amount of congestion.

Not everyone's been paying the toll. The Florida Department of Transportation says 173,218 motorists used the tolls between Dec. 5 (when the lanes officially opened) and Dec. 14 (the most recent day the statistics were collected). Of those motorists, 12.8 percent, or 22,215, didn't pay.

Motorists who blow through the toll lanes without paying via SunPass transponder (a device that automatically deducts money from a prepaid account) will be sent a toll violation notice. If the toll isn't paid within 21 days, the notice can lead to a $100 fine.

Officials expect to break ground on another HOT lane in the southbound stretch of I-95 in Miami soon.

Still, just because the lanes will get a motorist to his destination faster, it doesn't mean people will actually use them.

Kyle Cobia, 26, of Miami drives on I-95 to visit his parents in Fort Lauderdale several times a week. He wouldn't pay more than a quarter to use the lanes.

"I would rather wait an extra 15 minutes and sit in traffic than pay," he said.

For attorney Kubiliun, who has never paid more than $2 to go northbound, the southbound lane will allow him to reclaim another half-hour from the maw of traffic.

"I would pay if it was $6. I would even pay up to $10," he said. "When you do a cost-benefit analysis, with gas and the amount of time sitting in traffic, it's worth it."

Americans are little cheapskate's when it comes to tolls. They avoid it whenever they can. Even if tolls are much much lower than in Europe.

Hey SoCal, how about expanding Metrolink commuter rail instead of building a massive new tollroad through a pristine natural area? Build more roads to REDUCE CO2 emissions? What a crock of shit.

How about adding track and trains to Metrolink which serves the I-5 corridor?

Not everyone works in Santa Ana, Anaheim or Downtown LA though.

Texas kills 50-year road building plan after outcry

SAN ANTONIO, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Texas road officials on Tuesday scrapped a $180 billion plan to build a giant system of toll roads and commuter rails criss-crossing the state in favor of a smaller slate of infrastructure projects.

The state Department of Transportation abandoned the Trans Texas Corridor, the centerpiece of Gov. Rick Perry's long-range transportation plan, after objections from communities and farm groups along the planned route, which would have involved seizing large swaths of private property.

In 2002, Perry unveiled an ambitious plan to build 4,000 miles (6,437 km) of transport corridors a quarter mile wide, which would include room for high-voltage power lines, commuter and freight rail lines, and five road lanes in each direction.

In an "updated vision" for the plan, Texas officials want to build several smaller, narrower segments stretching from San Antonio to the Oklahoma border and from the Rio Grande Valley to Texarkana.

"Texans have spoken, and we've been listening," said Amadeo Saenz, executive director of the Department of Transportation. The new plan "goes a long way toward addressing the concerns we've heard."

A spokeswoman for Perry said the new plan was welcomed.

"The Trans Texas Corridor was merely a concept," the spokeswoman, Allison Castle, said. "Transitioning to an updated vision for infrastructure in the state is a positive move."

President-elect Barack Obama has made rebuilding the nation's infrastructure a crucial part of his economic stimulus plan, and many governors, from California to New York, are already vying for dollars.

Investment banks have raised hundreds of millions of dollars to invest in infrastructure projects, and developers, long accustomed to doing deals overseas, are eager to launch projects in the United States.

The Texas Farm Bureau, as well as landowners along the proposed corridor, had heavily opposed the original plan because large swaths of private property would have been seized by the state through eminent domain proceedings.

"This would have been the largest taking of private property in the state's history," Farm Bureau spokesman Gene Hall said, noting that Over 500,000 acres (202,343 hectares) of land could have been transferred to state control from private hands.

Citizens groups like Corridor Watch have opposed the project for years, warning that Perry's push to raise funds by selling operating rights to private companies in exchange for highway building funds would raise costs for consumers.

"This was the Tony Soprano version of highway construction," David Stall of Corridor Watch said, referring to the HBO television series about a fictitious New Jersey mobster. "They give away the farm in exchange for a road project."

Such groups also warned that Perry's plan would have put Texas roads in the hands of foreign owners.

Spain's Cintra Concesiones de Infraestructuras de Transporte S.A. had been tapped to finance a portion of the megaroad project in exchange for leasing and operating rights for 50 years.

A Cintra spokesman was not immediately available to comment.

Legislators feared that private developers would benefit at the expense of taxpayers and they had already barred Perry from signing more deals in some areas.

That two-year moratorium on new deals expires in the second half of this year and citizens groups are calling on lawmakers to extend it.

The whole plan was a bit exaggerated. I mean, a 10 lane freeway in rural areas? If they widen the I-35 to 6 lanes that ought to be enough as long as they don't construct new cities along the freeway on a pace Houston and Dallas do.

Not everyone works in Santa Ana, Anaheim or Downtown LA though.

For each and every street,avenue and higway in California reserve 2 tracks for a conversion to tram/metro/comuter railway ... simple "economics". :lol:

Maine Turnpike replaces exact-change lanes with dedicated E-ZPass lanes
7 January 2009

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - The Maine Turnpike's exact-change lanes are on the road to extinction.

The Maine Turnpike Authority announced Wednesday that it is in the midst of converting its automatic coin lanes to dedicated E-ZPass lanes.

Officials say more than 50 percent of turnpike users pay their tolls electronically and less than 10 percent now use automatic coin lanes to pay their cash tolls.

Spokesman Dan Paradee said the Feb. 1 toll adjustment will make the automatic coin lanes nearly obsolete. He said the new toll structure provides greater savings to E-ZPass users and raising the entry cash toll from 60 cents to $1 at all interchanges is sure to reduce the use of the untended coin baskets.

Not everyone works in Santa Ana, Anaheim or Downtown LA though.

But the toll road was pitched as a reliever for I-5. Well, Metrolink is a reliever for that route and expanding it doesn;t require tearing up wilderness areas.

The whole plan was a bit exaggerated. I mean, a 10 lane freeway in rural areas? If they widen the I-35 to 6 lanes that ought to be enough as long as they don't construct new cities along the freeway on a pace Houston and Dallas do.

You can herd cats easier than you can corral land developers.

You can herd cats easier than you can corral land developers.

Yeah that's true. And local governments are always interested in those land developers because of extra property tax income.

How not, when you have to pay for driving on Bulgarian roads?

I see that no one replied since... The Bulgarian system is pretty much like the Slovene one except for the validity period of vignettes and respectively their price. When you enter the country, you have to buy a vignette at the border if you don't have a valid one. There are 3 types of vignettes for each of the 3 categories of vehicles: weekly, monthly and for the whole year.

^^ And it's obligatory for all roads in Bulgaria, right? In Slovenia you only need it for motorways and expressways.

For all roads out of cities, towns or village. However there are several exceptions, for example the Varna - Zlatni Pjasâci 2x2 road, because, de facto, the city of Varna goes beyond Zlatni Pjasâci, the whole area being densely populated. I think Sofia's ring road is another exception of the vignette system.

Brisbane to lose toll booths from July 1

BRISBANE, Jan 18 AAP - Brisbane's toll roads will go cash-free two years earlier than planned, promising to save drivers 10 minutes on their journey.

The electronic system, dubbed "free flow tolling", was to be introduced in 2011 but will now start on July 1.

Transponders will be provided for free, and will work at the Gateway Motorway and Logan Motorway tolls, and future toll roads planned for the city.

They will also be compatible with electronic toll systems interstate.

Treasurer Andrew Fraser said where other states required a deposit on the transponder, charged a minimum annual usage fee or a rental fee, the Queensland government would not.

"The transponders will be free and we'll introduce a 25 cent rise to the toll on the Gateway bridge in 2011 when the full benefits of free flow tolling are in place," he told reporters in Brisbane.

"That means Queenslanders will only ever pay for what they use."

Drivers who pass the tolls without a transponder will have their licence plates recorded, and will have to contact Queensland Motorways to pay the toll, plus a 40 cent fee.

The change could put up to 130 toll collectors out of work, but some are expected to remain with the company.

Meanwhile, savings in the Gateway Motorway upgrade project will pay for the government to add extra lanes on the stretch between Wynnum Road and Old Cleveland Road.

The area, which caters for 90,000 vehicles each day, was to be widened to six lanes, but will now be eight lanes.

The expansion was forecast to be needed by 2017, but would be cheaper in the long run to deliver now, Mr Fraser said.

"What that means also is about another 100 days of employment for the people working on this project, which is important in the current (economic) environment," he said.

When the upgrade is complete in July 2011, it is expected to save commuters up to 25 minutes a day in conjunction with free flow tolling.

With the 25 cent toll rise and allowing for CPI, the toll will be between $3.55 and $3.60.

Report: Connecticut drivers likely to fight any proposal to reinstate tolls on state highways
19 January 2009

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - Consultants studying the possibility of reinstating tolls on some Connecticut highways are warning that officials could face a tough battle from the public.

The state Transportation Strategy Board is reviewing a report by Cambridge Systematics, a Massachusetts consultant expected to unveil the results of its $1 million analysis next month.

The consultants were asked to review ways to ease gridlock on Connecticut roads, including whether adding tolls on some highways would be feasible.

The report outlines options such as creating toll lanes parallel to highways that would let drivers travel faster; charging drivers statewide based on miles they travel; and limiting tolls to highways that need work.

"Public acceptance will be more of a challenge," the report said of an idea to charge only trucks. "Diversion to local roads may be significant."

Fairfield County drivers also could be charged higher "congestion pricing" fees to use Interstate 95 and the Merritt Parkway during rush hour and varying fees at other times, the report said.

"Tolling existing toll-free corridors would be a challenge," the report said.

The Transportation Strategy Board expects to review the report and make its recommendations this spring to the General Assembly and Gov. M. Jodi Rell. Rell has said she opposes reinstating tolls.

Tolls were removed from Connecticut highways and bridges in the 1980s, and repeated suggestions to reinstate them have been greeted with mixed emotions by lawmakers and drivers.

Karen Burnaska, a member of the Transportation Strategy Board, said a small state like Connecticut faces complex issues with tolls.

"We have a lot to consider," Burnaska said. "Connecticut has some very unique features and you can't assume that what works on the Massachusetts Turnpike will work on I-95."

Some other options being examined in the report are:

-- Imposing tolls on all limited-access highways in the state, including the Merritt Parkway, I-95, I-91, I-84 and Route 8.

-- Tolling all traffic on I-95 north of New Haven and I-84 near Danbury, or tolling specially created express lanes to fund expansion of those corridors.

-- Placing tolls at state borders, ensuring out-of-state travelers pay a share of maintaining highways.

-- Tolling only truck traffic.

-- Converting highway shoulders into so-called HOT lanes, allowing drivers pay to use lanes reserved for carpoolers or buses.

State Sen. Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, vice chairman of the legislature's transportation committee, said it is likely tolls will face strong opposition.

Congestion pricing in Fairfield County and elsewhere punishes residents unless the state gives them the option of better rail service and mass transit, Duff said.

"We don't have our mass transit house in order yet, so people don't have a realistic option besides using their cars," Duff said. "On our railways we don't have enough parking or seats right now."

State Rep. Lile Gibbons, R-Greenwich, another member of the transportation committee, said she supports electronic tolls to raise money to maintain heavily traveled highways.

"The technology of the EZ-Pass system is so advanced that there is no resemblance to the toll booths of yesterday," Gibbons said.

"We have too many people who use Connecticut as a pass-through to get from the southern part of the country into New England, who add to the wear and tear of our highways and contribute nothing to the upkeep," Gibbons said.

I guess Brisbane must be the last city to get rid of toll booths and go cash-free, I can't think of any others that actually use booths any more (maybe Sydney has a few, though I think they're currently being zoned out)

Oslo still uses toll booths for their congestion charging. Stockholm has a similar system to Brisbane but the downside is that only Swedish registered cars can be tolled as cameras take shots of the license plate as grounds for tolling.

I guess Brisbane must be the last city to get rid of toll booths and go cash-free, I can't think of any others that actually use booths any more (maybe Sydney has a few, though I think they're currently being zoned out)

Yeah, in Sydney the Eastern Distributor, M2, M4 and M5 motorways still have cash booths, I think. They want to make the M2 cashless, in the same way that they've recently removed the cash booths from the Sydney Harbour Tunnel and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which would leave only one or two cash booths (depending on direction of travel) on the orbital. I don't know of any plans to make the Eastern Distributor, M4 or M5 cashless, although it will probably happen eventually. All new toll roads in Sydney are being made cashless.

While we're on the subject of Sydney's toll roads, the Sydney Harbour Bridge should not have a toll on it any longer. When it opened in 1932, the government said it would only toll the bridge until it had paid off the loans that it had to take out to build the structure. These loans were finally paid off in the early 1990s, but the toll was retained in order to help fund the construction of the Sydney Harbour Tunnel. The tunnel has been open, and generating its own income through tolls, since 1994, but there is still a toll for southbound traffic on the Harbour Bridge. :ohno:

An oddity about Sydney's roads is that the government started building the M4 and M5 motorways (which were then called the F4 and F5 freeways) many years ago, with the promise that they would not be tolled. In the 1980s, private companies were contracted to fill in the missing links that had not yet been built (except the innermost sections, which were permanently cancelled in the 1970s), and allowed them to put tolls on the roads. Because of the government's promise not to toll the roads, however, it is possible to claim back the toll paid on these roads from the government - but not the sales tax paid on the toll! :nuts:

An oddity about Sydney's roads is that the government started building the M4 and M5 motorways (which were then called the F4 and F5 freeways) many years ago, with the promise that they would not be tolled. In the 1980s, private companies were contracted to fill in the missing links that had not yet been built (except the innermost sections, which were permanently cancelled in the 1970s), and allowed them to put tolls on the roads. Because of the government's promise not to toll the roads, however, it is possible to claim back the toll paid on these roads from the government - but not the sales tax paid on the toll! :nuts:

You mean you can hold politicians accountable for their promises?? This is unheard of! :okay:

Strange thing about the sales tax though. How can you tax a transaction that hasn't really occurred? :weird:

Massachusetts Turnpike Authority schedules toll-hike discussion, not expected vote
21 January 2009

BOSTON (AP) - The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority apparently has decided to delay a planned toll increase.

A vote scheduled for Thursday on whether to double some polls has been converted into a discussion only at a meeting of the authority's board.

Board spokesman Mac Daniel refused to elaborate, but board member Mary Connaughton said it's clear the Patrick administration wants to delay the hike until it and the Legislature can discuss a comprehensive transportation overhaul.

The board had voted Nov. 14 on a plan to raise tolls within Route 128, including from $1.25 to $2 at the Weston and Allston booths and from $3.50 to $7 at the Sumner and Ted Williams tunnels near Logan International Airport. It scheduled a second vote for mid-January, following four public hearings.

"I think it marks a re-evaluation of the $100 million toll hike," Connaughton said. "Clearly the people were outraged by this amount."

Connaughton also said the need for the hike has been curtailed after the Pike was able to eliminate a $35 million debt from a so-called debt swaption by making a $3 million payment.

"That financial Sword of Damocles was removed and gives the Turnpike more room to work with the commonwealth," she said.

The Massachusetts Turnpike costs about 1.8 eurocents per kilometer. Compare that to the 8.5 cents a French tollroad costs... tolls in the U.S. are still very low compared to Europe.

correction...

Tolls in Europe are still very high compared to the U.S. ;)

And the quality of the roads shows the difference in the amount of money being collected.

Oslo still uses toll booths for their congestion charging.
Not correct, Oslo's toll booths dissappeared last year. Cars without Autopass transponders are recorded on video. The registration number is detetected using advanced image processing, and the cars are billed later. The system works for cars from many foreign countries as well. Other cities in Norway have been using a similar systems for years. In fact, one of the leading automatic toll system providers is Norwegian (www.q-free.com). Q-free for instance delivered the system to Stockholm, and also at least some of the systems of Sydney.

BTW: Neither Oslo nor any other city in Norway has congestion charging, the money is collected to fund infrastructure, not to reduce traffic.
Yeah, in Sydney the Eastern Distributor, M2, M4 and M5 motorways still have cash booths, I think. They want to make the M2 cashless, in the same way that they've recently removed the cash booths from the Sydney Harbour Tunnel and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which would leave only one or two cash booths (depending on direction of travel) on the orbital. I don't know of any plans to make the Eastern Distributor, M4 or M5 cashless, although it will probably happen eventually. All new toll roads in Sydney are being made cashless.

While we're on the subject of Sydney's toll roads, the Sydney Harbour Bridge should not have a toll on it any longer. When it opened in 1932, the government said it would only toll the bridge until it had paid off the loans that it had to take out to build the structure. These loans were finally paid off in the early 1990s, but the toll was retained in order to help fund the construction of the Sydney Harbour Tunnel. The tunnel has been open, and generating its own income through tolls, since 1994, but there is still a toll for southbound traffic on the Harbour Bridge. :ohno:

An oddity about Sydney's roads is that the government started building the M4 and M5 motorways (which were then called the F4 and F5 freeways) many years ago, with the promise that they would not be tolled. In the 1980s, private companies were contracted to fill in the missing links that had not yet been built (except the innermost sections, which were permanently cancelled in the 1970s), and allowed them to put tolls on the roads. Because of the government's promise not to toll the roads, however, it is possible to claim back the toll paid on these roads from the government - but not the sales tax paid on the toll! :nuts:

Regardless of how it is funded, it is clear that Sydney needs a better infrastructure. It does have a very limited PT compared with other cities of it's size, and I found the city quite difficult to navigate by bike. In other words, Sydney is car-dependent like any US city, but does not have the road network to make it work. To make matter worse, many of it's main arteries are running straight through residential areas, with parked cars, drive ways and what have we not....

And the quality of the roads shows the difference in the amount of money being collected.

Yeah, but tolls are only one kind of income. Other auto mobility related taxes are also much higher in Europe than most other countries. A car is basically seen as an endless source of income here. In my opinion, all those taxes are getting out of hand and are becoming increasingly disproportional.

The income vs spending ratio is already about 9:1 in NL for roads.

Regardless of how it is funded, it is clear that Sydney needs a better infrastructure. It does have a very limited PT compared with other cities of it's size, and I found the city quite difficult to navigate by bike. In other words, Sydney is car-dependent like any US city, but does not have the road network to make it work. To make matter worse, many of it's main arteries are running straight through residential areas, with parked cars, drive ways and what have we not....

I agree, but better infrastructure for Sydney doesn't seem to be a priority for the government. The Spit Bridge widening was recently cancelled, simply because the government thinks it would cost too much money, meanwhile the entirety of the Northern Beaches area is forced to commute via either the Spit Bridge - a four-lane, single carriageway, 60 km/h opening bridge - or the Roseville Bridge - a 2x3, 80 km/h high level bridge that proceeds to dump traffic onto one of two four lane single carriageways with parked cars in the outside lanes.

They want to connect the F3 to Sydney's orbital with a tunnel, too, but because their priority is a Sydney bypass and not improving travel within Sydney, they aren't going to be allowing access between the tunnel and the orbital facing east, meaning that traffic between the F3 and Sydney's CBD will still need to exit the motorway where it currently ends and fight its way down the 60 km/h Pacific Highway, which is often terribly congested and has very narrow lanes for such an important stretch of road.

Finally, a couple of years ago the government scrapped plans for an M4 East tunnel, which would finally complete the F4 Freeway that had its innermost section permanently cancelled in the 1970s, albeit underground. The logic behind this move eludes me, as traffic along Parramatta Road east of where the M4 ends during rush hour is so terrible that rat-running is a common occurrence, putting strain not only on the designated main artery but also on many 50 km/h streets in the area.

And yet, while some areas of Sydney have such poor radial connections, the government recently widened the outbound carriageway of the M2 from two to three lanes - which wouldn't necessarily have been a bad idea, if they didn't reduce the speed limit from 100 km/h to 80 (and 70 through the tunnel) to cope with the fact that there is now inadequate shoulder space. :bash:

It will probably never happen because widening is impossible in Connecticut (except in rural areas, land costs are too high), but the idea of HOT lanes could be very feasible down more congested corridors like I-95 and many highways in Greater Hartford.

On I-91 and I-84 in the Hartford area, there are already sections with HOV lanes.

... the government recently widened the outbound carriageway of the M2 from two to three lanes - which wouldn't necessarily have been a bad idea, if they didn't reduce the speed limit from 100 km/h to 80 (and 70 through the tunnel) to cope with the fact that there is now inadequate shoulder space. :bash:

Is the 80km/h speed limit permanent? And for what length does it apply?

Is the 80km/h speed limit permanent? And for what length does it apply?

I read somewhere that the reduced speed limit is only in place while they investigate options for widening the motorway; when they added the extra lane all they did was used up the shoulder space. What confuses me is why they didn't just widen the motorway itself to begin with, and also why they only added a third lane in one direction - at the moment you can travel 80 km/h westbound, but 100 km/h eastbound. I would have thought it would only make things worse, since you have to merge back into two lanes halfway along the motorway anyway. And knowing the way our government goes about these things, it's going to be a long time before we actually see any additional widening works, so even if it isn't permanent it's going to be around for quite some time (and already has been for more than a year now).

As for the length that it applies for, the 80 km/h and 70 km/h sections put together go for about 6 km. Here (http://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=-33.781515,151.132801&daddr=M2+Mwy&hl=en&geocode=%3BFYvP_P0d-0wBCQ&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=0&sz=18&sll=-33.782121,151.133165&sspn=0.002644,0.005938&ie=UTF8&ll=-33.770301,151.112652&spn=0.04231,0.095015&z=14) is the motorway on Google Maps with the 3+2 section highlighted; most of it has an 80 km/h speed limit westbound, but the westernmost part through the tunnel is 70. Eastbound, there are two lanes with a 100 speed limit (except at the toll point, where it reduces to 80 I think). East of here there is the 2x2 Lane Cove Tunnel with a limit of 80 in both directions, and west of here there is a 2x2 motorway with a limit of 100 both ways.

Thanks for the info... sounds like a bit of a shambles really.

It reminds me of the Centenary Hwy / Ipswich Mwy interchange in Brisbane. They took an inordinate amount of time to install traffic lights on the roundabout. For some reason, they applied roadworks speed limits for a much longer distance than necessary. Barely after that was complete, work began on the duplication of the formerly 2x1 Cent Hwy for about 1km south of the roundabout. This took most of a year, and while they constructed the actual road quickly, for months a 1km section of motorway-standard dual-carriageway sat there with no actual roadworks taking place, just a couple of unobtrusive cones etc on the side, limited to between 40 and 60km/h.

When the upgrade finally finished, there were no roadworks for much of 2008, but late in the year, they resumed. Now, it's the construction of the partial-stack interchange and duplication of the Cent Hwy (now M5) further south. Of course, a little foresight when building the original Cent Hwy extension south of the Ipswich Mwy would have been invaluable, but even considering that, I just don't understand the inefficiency.

Thanks for the info... sounds like a bit of a shambles really.

It reminds me of the Centenary Hwy / Ipswich Mwy interchange in Brisbane. They took an inordinate amount of time to install traffic lights on the roundabout. For some reason, they applied roadworks speed limits for a much longer distance than necessary. Barely after that was complete, work began on the duplication of the formerly 2x1 Cent Hwy for about 1km south of the roundabout. This took most of a year, and while they constructed the actual road quickly, for months a 1km section of motorway-standard dual-carriageway sat there with no actual roadworks taking place, just a couple of unobtrusive cones etc on the side, limited to between 40 and 60km/h.

When the upgrade finally finished, there were no roadworks for much of 2008, but late in the year, they resumed. Now, it's the construction of the partial-stack interchange and duplication of the Cent Hwy (now M5) further south. Of course, a little foresight when building the original Cent Hwy extension south of the Ipswich Mwy would have been invaluable, but even considering that, I just don't understand the inefficiency.

Yes, that's one road that I've often thought seemed to be quite inadequate, as it left the Western Freeway unconnected to the rest of the motorways in Brisbane. I was glad to hear they're turning it into a motorway. From what I've read, Brisbane is spending its road infrastructure funding much better than Sydney is, considering the Centenary Highway upgrade, the Gateway Bridge duplication and those tunnels they want to build near the CBD. Also, the recently completed Tugun Bypass and the proposed Toowoomba Bypass will help connect Brisbane to its surrounding areas much better.

Sydney's idea of improving its connections to surrounding areas includes upgrading the Great Western Highway from 60 km/h single carriageway to 60 km/h dual carriageway, choosing not to build the Southern Freeway which was identified as necessary to handle traffic needs in 1952 and taking a ridiculously long time to decide whether or not to connect the F3 to the orbital. The only time anything good ever seems to get done anymore with the regional road network in NSW is when the Federal government steps in, such as with the M7 to improve peripheral traffic movement around Sydney and the upgrading of the Pacific and Hume Highways to form a motorway from Brisbane to Melbourne by 2017 - if the missing link in Sydney is ever built, that is.

I agree - Brisbane is at least trying to make up for lost time. The Gateway Mwy and Pacific through Tugun are projects that were long overdue. I still think the M7 should have been six lanes, and I'm not convinced of the viability of the Hale St Bridge.

I couldn't believe the F3-M2 link plans when I first heard of them :wallbash:
Still, it's hard to believe the freeway network of Sydney just 10 years ago - no M7, no M5 East, no Eastern Dbr, no LCT, no CCT...

It's the short-sightedness and piecemeal work that grates with me. If you undertake a project, you'll regret it if you choose not to do it properly the first time.

I agree - Brisbane is at least trying to make up for lost time. The Gateway Mwy and Pacific through Tugun are projects that were long overdue. I still think the M7 should have been six lanes, and I'm not convinced of the viability of the Hale St Bridge.

I couldn't believe the F3-M2 link plans when I first heard of them :wallbash:
It's hard to believe the freeway network of Sydney just 10 years ago - no M7, no M5 East, no Eastern Dbr, no LCT, no CCT...

It's the short-sightnedness and piecemeal work that grates with me. If you undertake a project, you'll regret it if you choose not to do it properly the first time.

Sydney had good radial freeway plans in the 1950s, they were just never built to completion, which is why you have oddities like Burns Bay Road (http://maps.google.com.au/?ie=UTF8&ll=-33.836594,151.146662&spn=0.010569,0.023754&t=k&z=16), a 2x2 secondary road with grade separated junctions - it was originally planned to connect to the F3 in the north, and what is now the Western Distributor to the south. But it seems like the current government would rather just act as though there's nothing wrong with our infrastructure than bother to put in the funding to fix it.

I've read the arguments for and against the Hale Street Bridge, and I think that while it may not be a bad idea, it shouldn't be a priority. The system of tunnels connecting the Pacific Motorway, Gympie Road and the Western Freeway seem to me like the best way of reducing strain on central Brisbane.

With regard to the F3 to M2 connection, I think that if they want to build it as a tunnel under Pennant Hills Road, they should at least extend it to connect directly onto Silverwater Road, so that traffic bound for Metroad 6 doesn't need to travel via Marsden Road and Stewart Street, which is a horrible route for such an important arterial route to take, in my opinion.

By the way, are you familiar with Ozroads (http://www.ozroads.com.au/)? Its writer doesn't have a very pleasant writing style, but it can be a great source of information.

Yeah I've spent a fair bit of time on Ozroads - that site is excellent. BTW, what do you find unpleasant about the writing style of Ozroads?

Yeah I've spent a fair bit of time on Ozroads - that site is excellent. BTW, what do you find unpleasant about the writing style of Ozroads?

I don't know, I just find that something about it requires the reader to do more work than should be necessary to absorb the information; it doesn't have much natural flow to it. I also find it irritating that it spells Gwynneville as "Gwynnieville", for some reason.

Serbia cuts road tolls for foreign vehicles: report
5 February 2009
Agence France Presse

Serbia's government decided Thursday to reduce road tolls for foreign vehicles and make them equal with domestic ones, Deputy Prime Minister Mladjan Dinkic said.

"We expect that the amount of traffic of foreign lorries through Serbia will increase," Dinkic said as quoted by Beta news agency.

Previously, operators of foreign bus and lorry services paid twice as much as Serbian counterparts for travel between Belgrade and the southern city of Nis, a route used mainly by Greek and Bulgarian companies.

Serbia has for years come under international pressure to standardise the fees for all vehicles.

The move came after some 150 Serbian trucks were stranded in Greece, whose authorities refused to let them cross its borders until the issue was resolved.

That was stupid anyway. I don't immediatly want to put up the word "discrimination", but it's senseless that foreigners should pay more tolls, just because they're foreigners.

Well, Serbians aren't rich, so the only way to get them on toll highways is with low prices, so they have to bring money in with foreigners, who are usually richer (or else they wouldn't be driving hundreds of kms through foreign countries). I don't feel discriminated, it's not like we have to pay more b/c we're "bad, ugly foreigners", but b/c we're richer.

^^ What's next, different tolls for every nationality?

Heh, not so far.

Imposing different tolls on foreigners is good as it show citizens: Look - you pay taxes on roads, so road tolls are lower for you.

However, if we make it like that foreigners pay more(and not Serbians less), it won't work.

^^ What's next, different tolls for every nationality?

You don't pay much more, the point is that Serbians pay less, and I'm willing to pay a fair price (or a bit higher), so that Serbia can finally build some more motorways. If everyone payed as much as Serbians pay now, we'd never see any new motorways in Serbia.

Looking at current toll prices in Serbia (http://www.nacionalnaklasa.com/content/view/1957/100/) even domestic truckers and bus drivers pay hefty tolls: truck with trailer pays 25 euro cents per km, foreign trucker even 38 cents per km (almost as in Austria) - 175 € per one way trip north-south.
Personal cars pay 4,5 cents per km (as in Slovenia before vignettes), foreign cars 6,6 cents per km.

So I wouldn't say, that Serbians pay less, no, just foreigners pay much more.

Here in America many states will offer discounts to motorists who use the local electronic tolling device- is there any way Serbia could do something like that? Or is it too late now?

Is the UK the only country where you cant get a green card for Serbia?

Bangkok Expressway sees 2009 profits up, plans bonds

BANGKOK, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Bangkok Expressway PCL , a Thai tollway operator, expects a recent toll increase and lower interest costs to boost 2009 revenue by 5.4 percent and push net profit up from last year, its managing director said.

The company planned to issue bonds worth about 3.5 billion baht ($100 million) this year and next to refinance debt and benefit from low interest rates, Payao Marittanaporn told reporters late on Thursday.

"The growth forecast for revenue stems from higher toll rates. Interest expenses have fallen as well; falling interest rates help reduce our burden," Payao said.

BECL, which operates a network in Bangkok under a 30-year government contract, raised toll rates by 12.5 percent in September to 45 baht per vehicle from 40 baht.

However, the toll increase could hit traffic volume, Payao said. He expected volume to be similar to last year's 924,000 vehicles per day, despite lower fuel prices.

The company, due to release yearly results later this month, is forecast to report a 4 percent fall in 2008 revenue to 6.96 billion baht and a 3.5 percent fall in net profit to 1.36 billion, according to 11 analysts polled by Reuters Estimates.

Revenue in 2009 is estimated to rise 5.5 percent, with a 21 percent rise in net profit.

Lower funding costs will help. Payao said every one-point cut in banks' lending rates would help reduce interest expenses by 130 million baht.

The company, majority owned by Thailand's second-largest construction firm, Ch Karnchang , has total debt of 25 billion baht, with 13 billion baht in loans and the rest in bonds, Payao said.

Last October the company sold bonds worth 7.5 billion baht in two tranches, with 3-year bonds carrying a coupon of 5.20 percent and 5-year bonds having 5.20-6.00 percent coupons.

At 0351 GMT BECL shares were up 2.5 percent at 16.50 baht, while the main Thai stock index <.SETI> was up 0.9 percent. ($1=35.15 Baht)

How other states manage toll roads
15 February 2009
Associated Press Newswires

A look at toll road operations in other states:

--East Coast: Interstate 95 from Washington, D.C., to Maine is a patchwork of free highways and toll roads crossing six states, including Delaware and Maryland.

--Florida: Regional authorities operate toll routes near Miami, Orlando, Tampa and Jacksonville.

--Illinois: Illinois Tollways operates Chicago's expressway system.

--Indiana: State has one toll road.

--Pennsylvania: Major toll road expansions have been extensions of its main east-west turnpike.

--New York: A variety of transportation agencies oversee toll roads and bridges in metropolitan New York and crossing rivers upstate.

--New Jersey: State turnpike authority operates two toll routes. A regional authority operates a third, and separate officials handle Delaware River bridges.

------

SOURCE: The Blade

No wonder they expect a fall in volume, the tolls are getting expensive and are not worthwhile for short trips because you spend just as much time getting on and off the expressway as driving underneath it.

I would give them credit, they have an excellent english language website: http://www.becl.co.th/2006/EN/main.asp

Mark.


Bangkok Expressway sees 2009 profits up, plans bonds
...

BECL, which operates a network in Bangkok under a 30-year government contract, raised toll rates by 12.5 percent in September to 45 baht per vehicle from 40 baht.

However, the toll increase could hit traffic volume, Payao said. He expected volume to be similar to last year's 924,000 vehicles per day, despite lower fuel prices.

The company, due to release yearly results later this month, is forecast to report a 4 percent fall in 2008 revenue to 6.96 billion baht and a 3.5 percent fall in net profit to 1.36 billion, according to 11 analysts polled by Reuters Estimates.
...

User-pay the way for many
14 February 2009
The Toronto Star

Governments everywhere are running out of money to build and maintain roads, with fuel taxes having only one-third the purchasing power they did 40 years ago.

Increasingly, new road-toll laws are winning support, particularly in Europe, for their ability to force motorists using the roads to pay for the infrastructure. New tolling technology - and GPS looks to be the front-runner - can do this by replacing general road taxes with targeted per-use billing.

Beyond the revenue source, governments have a new tool for controlling urban congestion.

Drivers in Stockholm are charged depending on the time of the day they enter the downtown "congestion tax area." Traffic was reduced by 22 per cent and carbon dioxide emissions were cut by 14 per cent during the initial trial period. The project earned widespread support and residents voted to keep it in place permanently.

The best-known urban toll is the "Kengestion tax" introduced by former London mayor Ken Livingston in 2003. A complex array of cameras is used to photograph vehicles as they enter central London, and they are charged about $15 daily for the privilege.

The benefits of the London toll have been contested. While vehicular traffic was 16 per cent lower in 2006 than pre-charge levels in 2002, media reports pegged rush-hour traffic speeds and delays virtually back to their original levels by 2007.

Germany has been charging tolls on heavy trucks using the Autobahn since 2005. Trucks are required to have an on-board GPS unit that tracks the vehicle's road use, generating a bill that goes directly to the trucking firm.

Increasingly, new road-toll laws are winning support, particularly in Europe

Yeah, by those recieving the money, not by those who pay it.

with fuel taxes having only one-third the purchasing power they did 40 years ago.


If they really would spend the entire budget brought in by motorists they could construct all guardrails out of gold. The line should read "the part of fuel taxes used for infrastructure having only one-third the purchasing power they did 40 years ago."

MA Pike issues 75 percent more toll transponders
7 April 2009

BOSTON (AP) - Giving away Fast Lane transponders has proven to be a boon to the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, which used to charge nearly $30 for them.

Figures released Tuesday showed the authority issued 19,400 of them since Feb. 15. That's 75 percent more than were issued between mid-February and early April of 2008.

The devices deduct toll payments electronically rather than at a booth, and the authority believes making it easier to obtain them will hasten its ability to get rid of costly tolltakers.

That's not to say drivers get a free ride. In exchange for eliminating the $29.95 transponder upfront cost, the Pike instituted a 50-cent monthly usage fee.

W.Va. turnpike authority poised to increase tolls
13 April 2009

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - Drivers on the West Virginia Turnpike can expect to pay higher tolls starting this summer after a Monday decision by the toll authority, though how much more won't be known until June.

The West Virginia Parkways Economic Development and Tourism Authority agreed Monday to schedule a series of public hearings preceding a June vote on the amount of the increase.

The favored option recommended by engineers WilburSmith Associates would raise tolls from $1.25 to $2 per barrier for cars and from $4.25 to $6.75 for five-axle trucks.

Motorists with E-ZPasses would pay $1.50 per barrier for a car and $5.06 for a truck.

Tolls have not increased on the 88-mile turnpike in 28 years.

The authority is facing declining revenues, increased maintenance costs and is in jeopardy of defaulting on its bonds.

It tried in 2006 to raise tolls from $1.25 to $2 per barrier for cars and from $4.25 to $7 for five-axle trucks, but a court ordered the rates rolled back after businesses alleged the authority gave the public insufficient notice of its action.

WilburSmith Associates developed 10 revenue scenarios over the next 10 years, manager Greg Barr said. Its recommendation offers the lowest increase plus the biggest discount for E-ZPass users.

While acknowledging that toll increases are unpopular, especially in the southern counties the turnpike runs through, authority members said they have no choice.

"This is an issue that has not been addressed since 1981 and we are paying a price for it," said authority member Bill Seaver.

"This isn't something we do with great fanfare," said authority member Cameron Lewis. "It's something that has to be done."

When asked about the potential toll hike, Gov. Joe Manchin told reporters Monday that "I'm OK with taking a responsible approach," and touted the discount available to state residents and regular Turnpike travelers.

"I think there's going to be basically a positive move to keep it from going defunct and into default," the governor said. "If we're ever going to take the tolls off in 2019, we've got to be able to maintain and keep, basically, the covenants of the bond."

------

Associated Press Writer Lawrence Messina contributed to this report from the statehouse.

It seems like a lot but;

Tolls have not increased on the 88-mile turnpike in 28 years.

I believe that happens a lot in the U.S. No seasonal inflation corrections, but one big correction every dozen years.

407-ETR highway is back in the black
17 April 2009
The Toronto Star

407 International Inc., the operator of the Greater Toronto Area toll highway, has reported a net profit of $8 million for the quarter ended March 31.

The profit, reported late yesterday, reverses an $11.9 million loss for the same period last year.

Revenue fell marginally to $119.7 million from $120 million, while total trips on the 108-kilometre toll highway fell slightly year over year, likely because of the impact of the recession on truck traffic.

The company owns and operates the 407 ETR highway through Halton, Peel, York and Durham.

The consortium is owned by Spanish construction firm Cintra Concesiones de Infraestructuras de Transporte, Australia's Macquarie Infrastructure Group and Montreal-based SNC-Lavalin Inc., Canada's largest engineering and construction company.

Madrid-based Cintra is the highway-operating unit of Spanish builder Grupo Ferrovial SA.

Transportation advisory board says more study needed on whether to recommend reviving tolls
21 May 2009

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - Drivers won't see tolls revived on Connecticut highways anytime soon, but officials say the issue is far from dead.

Members of the state Transportation Strategy Board on Thursday decided to postpone making a recommendation to the General Assembly, saying too many questions remain unanswered about the complicated topic and they need more time to study the options. They did not set a timeframe.

Tolls were removed from Connecticut highways and bridges in the 1980s, and the old toll booths, including those along Interstate 95, were demolished.

In recent years, though, some government officials have said electronic tolls -- collected without the need to stop at booths -- could ease congestion and potentially raise billions of dollars for the cash-strapped state.

But the idea is unpopular with many drivers. Gov. M. Jodi Rell also opposes it. Connecticut drivers already pay annual property taxes on their vehicles, and gas taxes of 25 cents per gallon on regular fuel and 43.4 cents on diesel.

Strategy board members say their recent public hearings made one thing very clear: Many drivers think the toll income will disappear into a black hole of state spending, and don't trust that it would finance highway work, commuter rail service or other promised benefits.

"Really the view seems to be, 'This is just another way to extract money from me,'" said Fred Wilms, a strategy board member from Norwalk.

Dozens of states already charge drivers to use highways, bridges, ferries or tunnels, including all of Connecticut's border states and most along the nation's Northeast corridor.

New York and Massachusetts have collected billions over the years from their lengthy turnpikes. And in Rhode Island -- which has a toll bridge over its Narragansett Bay connecting to Newport and Jamestown -- some officials have suggested adding tolls elsewhere to help that state deal with a budget crisis.

I don't like the idea of toll roads simply because I think the cost of roads should be evenly distributed across the population. Whether you live in a tiny town or a big city, those big highways and bridges do benefit you. The food you buy in the grocery store probably crossed that bridge or traveled that toll road.

I am warming to the idea of HOT lanes if they are used sparingly in only the busiest places... that way if you really are in a hurry you can pay a small price and drive more safely to get to your destination in a timely manner.

At the same time, though we have no toll roads here in Minnesota, we're the shining example of what happens when you don't adequately fund your roads. Congestion in the Twin Cities has grown faster than any city America outside of Atlanta in the past 20 years and the roads are falling apart, literally. Governors Arne Carlson and Jesse Ventura largely ignored our roads, focusing on other areas while Tim Pawlenty has been a very mixed bag: He has spent a lot of money on expanding roads, yet he appointed a lady whose main goal seemed to be to dismantle the highway system in the state and starve it of funding wherever she deemed fit.

I think a high quality, efficient means of getting you around and getting products to the market is essential in a healthy free-market economy. That means high investment by the taxpayers in roads and transit. Complaining about high taxes and starving infrastructure of maintenance and expansion is both short sighted and a knee jerk reaction and does more harm than good in the long run.

Sorry to politicize this, but it seems infrastructure funding has become a very politicized issue in recent years.

I don't see anything wrong with the toll system in Serbia. Serbian citizens pay taxes and other fees for the upkeep of roads and infrastructure that non citizens do not. Therefore, they shouldn't be paying for this twice.
Something very similar is going to be used here. You can buy a transponder to cross a new bridge if you are a resident of the province. If you are not, or choose not to buy it, you will pay almost double to use it.
Essentially, its the "same shit different package" in the end. Except that one is "discriminatory" while the other is not.

^ Just as foreigners use Serbian motorways, Serbians use foreign motorways, so what's the difference in the end?

THE NEW AIRPORT INTERCHANGE IS NOW OPEN...it is linked to Manila Skyway (toll roads)



http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2066/2129610963_b7b85d4b02_o.jpg



http://img38.imageshack.us/img38/1980/met22.jpg

President Arroyo, flanked by Pasay City Rep. Antonio Roxas (left) and Public Works and Highways Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr., leads a ceremonial drive through a newly constructed interchange connecting the South Luzon Expressway and the Skyway to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport terminals. Others who accompanied Mrs. Arroyo in the event were Parañaque Mayor Florencio Bernabe Jr., Reps. Roman Romulo of Pasig and Eduardo Zialcita of Parañaque, and NAIA assistant general manager Angel Atutubo.

GMA inaugurates airport interchange (http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=472973)
Updated May 31, 2009 12:00 AM
– Marvin Sy


MANILA, Philippines - Just before leaving for South Korea yesterday, President Arroyo inaugurated a newly constructed interchange connecting the Skyway and South Luzon Expressway to the airport district in Pasay and Parañaque cities.

Before proceeding to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) terminal, the President rode the back of a pick-up truck for the ceremonial drive through the two-kilometer interchange. The construction of the interchange started in 2003 and cost P1 billion.

According to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the delay in the construction of the interchange was due to problems related to the relocation of residents where the road passed through.

DPWH undersecretary Romeo Momo said travel time from the South Luzon Expressway or Skyway to the NAIA Terminal 3 would take only 30 minutes. The toll at the new interchange is P85 for cars, jeeps and pickups and P117 for buses and bigger vehicles.

Vehicles coming from the north passing through Tramo can access the new interchange through Sales street.

Momo said the President was happy to see the completion of Package 1, 2, 3 and 4-A of the interchange. The only part left to be completed is Package 4-B.

from aeroeyeasia.com (http://www.aeroeyeasia.com/lowres/naia-expressway1.jpg)

http://www.aeroeyeasia.com/lowres/naia-expressway1.jpg

The nearest toll road to me (Southwest Virginia, USA) is way on the other side of the state, about 300 miles away. Since we have no toll roads, the prospect of PAYING MONEY just to use a road seems quite absurd to us, as gasoline is expensive enough at $2.35 a gallon.

However, at that toll both the toll is only $2 for a passenger car or pickup truck, $1 for a motorcycle, or $1 per axle for trucks. I expect that for those who live in areas with many toll roads it's no big deal at all - just a necessary evil, either you pay to drive on a highway, or you pay for more gas as you use secondary roads with stoplights.

Thread resurrection time. :banana:

Typical South African toll plaza - this one is the Tongaat Toll Plaza, on the N2 around 40km north of Durban.

http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l116/ron2k-za/N2-KSIA-June09/06062009028.jpg

Russia to build 1,900 km of toll roads by 2015

ST. PETERSBURG, June 13 (Itar-Tass) —— Russia will build about 1,900 kilometres of paid and high-speed roads by 2015 at the first stage of the development of a network of roads in the country.

A toll road between Moscow and St. Petersburg will become operational in 2012-2013.

First Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov confirmed that most federal highways will be toll roads.

“World experience proves that this way the most effective solution,” he said, adding, “We will have to build new roads and convert the existing highways into toll ones.”

According to the Transport Ministry, about 16,000 kilometres of roads were built and modernised in Russia in 2002-2007, including 2,000 kilometres of federal roads.

Twenty-two thousand federal and 72,000 regional roads were repaired.

Mass. Turnpike delays meeting as toll hike looms
24 June 2009

BOSTON (AP) - With toll hikes looming, the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority has abruptly postponed a planned meeting.

Transportation Secretary James Aloisi, who chairs the Turnpike board, said Wednesday he wants to give Gov. Deval Patrick time to weigh both a transportation reform bill and a state budget now on his desk.

The budget approved by the Legislature includes a 25 percent sales tax increase that lawmakers say could help avoid the toll hike set to go into effect July 1.

Patrick has threatened to veto the sales tax hike unless lawmakers deliver three reform bills to his desk. The final bill, an ethics reform package, could be approved by lawmakers on Thursday.

Aloisi said it was "prudent" to postpone the Turnpike's Thursday meeting until Monday.

Since we have no toll roads, the prospect of PAYING MONEY just to use a road seems quite absurd to us, as gasoline is expensive enough at $2.35 a gallon.

I don't find it absurd, and I also live in a area with no toll roads. You pay for all the "free" highways through taxes already. The highways with tolls are the ones that don't have taxpayer money (although not always, because of federal funding), so you end up paying money regardless.

Personally, I actually would like tolls to come back here (would love them to put them literally near the state lines) because every time you leave Connecticut, you end up paying tolls almost in all directions, while out of staters drive and ruin our roads for free...

Mass. toll hike to be eliminated as Gov. Patrick signs state budget that boosts sales tax
29 June 2009

BOSTON (AP) - The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority is expected to eliminate a planned toll hike hours before Gov. Deval Patrick signs a state budget that includes a 25 percent hike in the state sales tax.

The Turnpike board is expected to meet Monday morning and vote to eliminate the toll hike set to take effect July 1.

Patrick is scheduled to sign the $27.4 billion spending plan Monday afternoon in his Statehouse office.

The budget makes steep cuts to service and slashes aid to cities and towns.

It also includes the biggest broad-based tax increase in two decades -- a measure that would increase the state sales tax from 5 percent to 6.25 percent.

The tax hike will also help the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority close a $160 million budget gap.

Mass. Turnpike workers cruise toll free
2 July 2009

BOSTON (AP) - Hundreds of current and retired Massachusetts Turnpike Authority workers pass through the toll road without paying even as the agency struggles under growing debt.

The Boston Herald reported Thursday that 849 of 1,300 Turnpike employees and 232 retired workers have been given special Fast Lane transponders as a perk.

Board member Mary Connaughton says it's unfair for people to ride toll free as taxpayers brace for a 25 percent sales tax hike to help the agency pay off its debt.

Spokesman Adam Hurtubise says the Turnpike is reviewing the practice as it prepares for integration into a new Massachusetts Department of Transportation on Nov. 1.

Last month, Gov. Deval Patrick signed a bill to eliminate the Turnpike authority and consolidate nearly all other state transportation functions under the department.

I don't find it absurd, and I also live in a area with no toll roads. You pay for all the "free" highways through taxes already. The highways with tolls are the ones that don't have taxpayer money (although not always, because of federal funding), so you end up paying money regardless.

Personally, I actually would like tolls to come back here (would love them to put them literally near the state lines) because every time you leave Connecticut, you end up paying tolls almost in all directions, while out of staters drive and ruin our roads for free...

exactly. gas costs so much more in ct because we pay the extra tax for supporting the infrastructures, where other states found these funds from toll.

i agree to have toll back in connecticut as well, since CT is so small and cross state drivers don't even have to stop for gas. it ends up only the CT residents to pay entirely for the infrastructures that everyone uses. unfortunately, the state legislators just recently turned down the proposal to further look into re-tolling the interstates, and even just charging cross-state traffic, but free travelling within the state. the recent study shows if CT only charges cross-state traffic, the gas tax can be significantly reduced. people were still afraid of the old i-95 stratford toll plaza tragedy to happen again.

but technology these days don't even need to have vehicles physically slow down to charge. with electronic toll pricing, drivers can travel at 75 mph through the sensor and still be charged. just look at the jersey turnpike.
on the other hands, people say it would require everyone to have a ezpass.
but the toronto 407 toll road can charge people from taking a picture of the license, and then send the drivers the bill with additional administrative cost.

people complaint too much about the high gas tax, but then they are too reluctant to accept solution. but to be fair, even without any toll on the highway, ConnDOT is doing a fairly good job to keeping them up and the state roads are in better shape than other states.

W.Va. Turnpike board votes to increase tolls despite protests of residents living along route
1 July 2009

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - Travel on the West Virginia Turnpike will become more expensive next month because the highway's governing board voted Wednesday to increase tolls for passenger cars and large trucks for the first time in decades.

The Parkways, Economic Development and Tourism Authority voted unanimously to raise tolls along the 88-mile highway for passenger vehicles from $1.25 to $2 and for large trucks from $4.25 to $6.75. Tolls have not increased since 1981, turnpike officials said.

The cost of a trip from Princeton to Charleston and back will be $12 for a passenger car starting Aug. 1, instead of the current cost of $7.50.

However, the authority also approved steep discounts for people who buy West Virginia E-Z Pass commuter passes. By paying a $5 annual fee for the E-Z Pass, passenger cars will pay $1.30 per toll, and large trucks will pay $5.40. Trucks with electronic commuter passes from other states will pay $5.87.

The authority's vote came after months of public hearings and even legislative debate. Residents and lawmakers from the counties along the highway say the toll is discriminatory.

Board members said they had no choice but to raise toll prices.

"I don't think there's a member of this board who wants to increase this, but we have a responsibility," authority member Cam Lewis said.

That's because the turnpike is facing about $350 million in deferred maintenance costs and it needs about $20 million in additional revenue each year to begin meeting those costs, said general manager Greg Barr.

Tolls are the only way to generate the money, Barr said.

Gov. Joe Manchin called the new toll plan "a responsible decision that gives the Authority the tools they need to bring the road up to standards without overburdening the most frequent users of the highway."

Opponents of the toll increase are now weighing their options. Senate Minority Leader Don Caruth said he expects residents to keep the pressure on the authority, and Delegate Clif Moore, D-McDowell, has vowed to block the Ghent toll plaza with his car the day the increase goes into effect.

"The battle is not over at this point," Caruth said.

At the meeting, Caruth said the toll puts the counties along the road at a competitive disadvantage with other West Virginia counties.

"We're being treated as second-class citizens," the Mercer County Republican said. "We have been for a long time, but it's adding insult to injury to vote for a toll increase."

The authority was able to offer the discounts to drivers who buy E-Z Passes by changing the way it pays off the remaining bond debt on Tamarack. Essentially, the turnpike will set aside about $6.8 million, which represents the remainder of the debt on the Tamarack bonds.

By doing so, it frees up about $1.4 million a year in money that had gone to pay down the debt and interest. The board voted to apply the $1.4 million to the needed maintenance costs, enabling a more significant discount than originally planned.

Before the rate increases, West Virginia had fairly low tolls compared to other states, "though not the lowest," said Peter Samuel, Maryland-based editor of Toll Roads News, an online trade publication.

"For drivers driving the length of the turnpike and paying cash, the tolls will be about average for U.S. toll roads at 7 cents a mile," he said in an e-mail Wednesday.

Among the cheaper places to take a toll road are Oklahoma, Massachusetts, New York, Maine and New Jersey's Garden State Parkway, at about 4.3 cents per mile. West Virginia, he said, is now in the middle of the pack.

------

Associated Press Writer Vicki Smith contributed to this report.

Highway tolls are usually always more expensive on a per-mile base than gas tax and other taxes.

I drive 25.000 km per year, in fuel tax + monthly road tax, that comes down to about € 1620 per year or € 0,06 (6 cents) per kilometer. Most highway tolls in Europe are about € 0,10 per km. However, you usually do not have to pay for every highway.

In the Netherlands they want to implement a GPS based road tax, that taxes every single kilometer driven. They say it won't cost the average motorist more than now, but I do not believe that, since they're only gonna abolish the monthly road tax + registration fee, but the fuel tax, which makes up most of my expense, is gonna stay the same.

By the way, I drive on diesel. The figures are significant higher for those who drive on gasoline. (about € 2400 or € 0,096 (9.6 cents) per km).

Japan to extend discounts to weekday drivers in Aug

TOKYO, June 30 (Reuters) - Japan's government will extend highway toll discounts to several weekdays during the country's peak driving season in August in a move that is likely to boost summer gasoline sales in the world's No.3 oil consumer.

In late March, Japan introduced a 50 percent discount on highway tolls for passenger cars and motorcycles equipped with electronic toll collection (ETC) systems on weekends and national holidays, with a ceiling cost of 1,000 yen ($10) irrespective of the distance travelled.

On Tuesday, Japan's transportation ministry said it would extend the discount to the first two Thursdays and Fridays in August, which includes the nation's "obon" holidays in the middle of the month, when gasoline sales typically peak.

The government also said it plans to cut highway tolls by half for business vehicles such as buses and trucks on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays between Aug. 3 and Aug. 18, which could also increase sales of gas oil or diesel.

Japan is the world third oil consumer? Didn't expect that with all the rail they have... well looks can be deceptive...

NHAI To Invite Bids For Highway Projs Worth INR605B In Next 6 Mos-Exec
10 July 2009

MUMBAI (Dow Jones)--India's federal government expects to invest INR1 trillion to build 12,000 kilometers of highway this fiscal year through March 2010, Minister of Road Transport and Highways Kamal Nath said Friday.

He said the government will focus on the toll model to build roads and highways.

He added that 60% "of the total road projects will be on toll basis, and the first preference for all road project will be for ones with toll models."

Cash payments ending on east Denver toll road
3 July 2009

AURORA, Colo. (AP) - Friday is the last day to use cash or change on E-470, the toll road that arcs around Denver's east side.

Starting Saturday, the only payment options on the 47-mile road will be the EXpressToll system and license plate tolls.

EXpressToll uses a transponder inside the vehicle to bill the vehicle owner's account. The license plate toll uses a camera to capture a vehicle's tag, and it sends the vehicle owner a bill.

Highway officials say the cash lanes and automatic coin machines will no longer work.

EXpressToll customers will save 10 percent off the tolls, which vary by location along the highway.

Okla. turnpikes' revenue down, higher tolls eyed
12 July 2009

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - With revenue down, the state's toll-road agency will consider raising the cost of traveling on Oklahoma's 10 turnpikes when it meets this week.

If tolls aren't raised, "the maintenance of our system is going to really take a hit," said Jack Damrill, spokesman for the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority.

"We still think we have the best roads in the state, and in order to maintain them, it looks like a toll increase is what needs to happen," Damrill said.

The increase would be the first since 2001. Damrill said the higher tolls are necessary to make up for declining revenue, mostly caused by a continuing slide of commercial truck traffic during the national recession.

The authority will take up the issue when it meets Wednesday.

A decline in truck traffic makes a big dent in turnpike revenue because tractor-trailers and commercial trucks pay a higher rate than passenger vehicles.

Damrill said traffic is up on turnpikes in urban areas -- the John Kilpatrick in Oklahoma City and the Creek in Tulsa -- but increases in revenue from those roads can't compensate for the trucking decline because they are for shorter distances. The Turner, Will Rogers and H.E. Bailey turnpikes are part of Interstate 44, a key trucking corridor.

Revenues are down about 3 percent compared with last year, he said.

If no action is taken, Damrill said, the turnpike agency would face a shortfall of $21 million for this year. The authority budgeted on the basis of a projected $212 million in toll revenue, but it's now estimated that tolls will bring in just under $191 million, he said.

Life in LA's fast lane to cost between 25 cents and $1.40 per mile, depending on traffic
23 July 2009

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Solo commuters looking for a faster drive through Los Angeles during rush hour will have the option of using toll lanes late next year for a fee.

Members of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board approved rates, ranging from 25 cents to $1.40 per mile, on Thursday for portions of Interstate 10 and state Highway 110.

The MTA and the California Department of Transportation will convert existing carpool lanes on those two freeways to toll lanes.

Carpoolers won't be charged. Solo drivers will be allowed to use the lanes if they pay the toll, with rates varying depending on traffic levels. When congestion is heavy, the rate will be higher; when demand is low, they'll pay less.

The MTA says the lanes will open December 2010.

$ 1.40 per mile, are they nuts?

If you drive 20 miles on I-10 or I-110, and you want to do this every day, you're out $ 14,000 per year! Who's gonna do that? They can just call these HOV lanes "CEO lanes"...

They can just call these HOV lanes "CEO lanes"...
:lol:

Can't agree more.

I wonder if the $1.40 is for trucks and large vehicles. Anyone from the area can confirm?

San Miguel offers to take over Philippines toll road project
30 July 2009
Agence France Presse

Food and beverage group San Miguel Corp. said Thursday it had bid for a controlling stake in a 312.5 million-dollar toll road project in the northern Philippines.

Listed San Miguel, one of the country's largest firms, said it offered to acquire "initially a 35 percent stake in Private Infrastructure Development Corp., with an option to increase such stake to 51 percent."

It told the Philippine Stock Exchange in a disclosure that it was in talks about terms and conditions with the consortium of construction firms that won the franchise to build the 88-kilometre (55-mile) expressway project.

San Miguel said earlier this month that it sees the north of the main island of Luzon as a "potentially dynamic industrial corridor" and said the project would complement its country-wide distribution network.

In the past year the company has also taken a significant stake in top power retailer Manila Electric Co., oil refiner Petron Corp. and is undertaking a joint venture with Qatar Telecom.

3 state legislators protest toll increases on West Virginia Turnpike
1 August 2009

GHENT, W.Va. (AP) - Three West Virginia legislators picketed the West Virginia Turnpike to protest an increase in tolls.

Delegates Cliff Moore, Mike Porter and John Shott held signs at the Ghent Toll Plaza on Saturday, the first day of the higher tolls. Moore is a Democrat from McDowell County, and Porter and Shott are Republicans from Mercer County.

The lawmakers have led the outcry over the increase, arguing that it's unfair and unnecessary.

The turnpike's parent agency voted to increase the tolls to raise more money for bond payments, repairs and maintenance. The rates went up on passenger cars from $1.25 to $2 and on large trucks from $4.25 to $6.75.

W.Va. Turnpike repair work to begin soon
6 August 2009

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - With toll increases in place, the West Virginia Turnpike's governing board is turning its attention to the highway's maintenance and repair.

The West Virginia Parkways, Economic Development and Tourism Authority said Thursday that work will begin soon and through the fall on a variety of projects.

Projects include repairs to the highway's concrete and asphalt pavements, bridges, median barriers and retaining walls.

Parkways Director of Maintenance Ron Hamilton says it will take nearly 10 years to address a backlog of maintenance needs. He says the authority will use revenue from the toll hikes as quickly as possible to improve the 88-mile highway.

State audit finds faults with Mass. Pike electronic toll inspection system
11 August 2009

BOSTON (AP) - A state audit has determined that tens of thousands of Massachusetts drivers who use electronic transponders to pay tolls have been hit with additional charges because the company that provided the system violated its contract by failing to inspect it.

State Auditor Joseph DeNucci found that Fast Lane provider TransCore failed to inspect transponder equipment over the past two years as mandated in its $11 million-a-year contract.

DeNucci says inspections might have alerted Massachusetts Turnpike Authority officials of problems.

His office found that defective equipment caused 113,940 Fast Lane overcharges last year, totaling $190,441.

Pike Executive Director Jeff Mullan told the Boston Herald the overcharges are a minuscule percentage of the 119 million transactions on the Pike every year. He promised refunds.

------

Information from: Boston Herald

Toll lanes planned for I-395/95 put on hold; weak credit market, community concerns cited
18 August 2009

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) - A project to build high-occupancy/toll lanes on interstates 395 and 95 in northern Virginia is being put off because of funding obstacles and community concerns.

The delay doesn't affect the HOT lanes under construction on the Capital Beltway in Virginia.

Officials are blaming the weak credit market for forcing them to postpone the public-private venture. Virginia Transportation Secretary Pierce Homer says concerns about traffic in the Shirlington area of Arlington County and on Seminary Road in Alexandria also played a role in the decision.

HOT lanes would be free to buses and cars with at least three people. Other vehicles are required to pay a toll that varies depending on traffic. Drivers who don't want to pay can use free lanes, which typically would be more congested.

Philippines' San Miguel in toll road, power plant deals
27 August 2009
Agence France Presse

Diversification efforts by Philippines brewer San Miguel Corp. gathered pace as it acquired a large stake in a toll road project and won a state auction for a power plant, the company said Thursday.

San Miguel unit Rapid Thoroughfares Inc. will take a 35 percent stake in construction consortium Private Infra Dev Corp. which is building a 312.5 million-dollar toll road to the northern Philippines, it said in a statement.

"The agreement is the most recent step in (San Miguel's) strategic transformation to diversify from its core food, beverage and packaging portfolio, and marks its entry into infrastructure and tollways," it added.

San Miguel and the government separately announced that a wholly-owned subsidiary, San Miguel Energy Corp., won the auction for a 620-megawatt combined-cycle power plant located in Limay town near the mouth of Manila Bay.

In a statement the government said it would accept the San Miguel offer of 13.5 million dollars for the power plant.

In the past year the San Miguel group has also taken a significant stake in top power retailer Manila Electric Co., oil refiner Petron Corp. and is undertaking a joint venture with Qatar Telecom.

WVa Turnpike toll hike boosts discount pass sales
4 September 2009

BECKLEY, W.Va. (AP) - Sales of a discount pass have soared since the West Virginia Turnpike's governing board increased tolls on the 88-mile highway.

General Manager Greg Barr says the Parkways, Economic Development and Tourism Authority has sold 2,500 E-ZPass transponders since the toll increases went into effect Aug. 1.

Barr told the authority's board Thursday that about 10 transponders were sold daily before the toll hikes.

The tolls increased on passenger cars from $1.25 to $2 and on large trucks from $4.25 to $6.75. The E-ZPass cuts the tolls to $1.30 for passenger cars and $5.40 for large trucks.

Barr says the jump in E-ZPass sales won't affect turnpike revenue because 76 percent of the highway's traffic is from out of state.

$ 1.30 for 88 miles.

Or to put it in European terms:

€ 0.90 for 142 km.

That can't be right...

here you can get 23 km of A3 from Popovača to Kutina for that amount :lol:

$ 1.30 for 88 miles.

Or to put it in European terms:

€ 0.90 for 142 km.

That can't be right...

I do recall some tolls I've paid were in the range of 25-50 US cents. Bridges would cost a bit more.

$ 1.30 for 88 miles.

Or to put it in European terms:

€ 0.90 for 142 km.

That can't be right...

I also want to have prices like that. :lol:

Prices (all in PLN) for different kind of vehicles. This is 50 km long part of this motorway (A4).
http://autostrada-a4.pl/index.php?gid=49

1 USD = 2,8606001 PLN now.

1st toll class' cars must pay 13 PLN for 50 km.

Texas governor's failed toll roads plan provides ammo to GOP rival seeking his office
8 September 2009

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Texas Gov. Rick Perry ditched his plan to build a $175 billion network of toll roads that would crisscross the state after it ran into strong opposition, but he hasn't been able to shake the issue altogether.

Perry cast his Trans-Texas Corridor project as a way to relieve Texas' traffic congestion by building highways in a state growing by 1,000 people per day.

But he had to scale down the project considerably after it ran into opposition from farmers and ranchers, who said it threatened their land, and open government advocates, who derided its secret contract with a Spanish company.

Now a fellow Republican, U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson, has seized on the road project as she seeks to take his job, saying the project and Perry's transportation policies smack of arrogance.

"It's part of the overall argument -- he's been there too long and look at the things he's failed at," Jim Henson, director of the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas at Austin, said in describing Hutchison's strategy.

Toll roads and transportation alone may not be enough to turn an election, but Hutchison seems to be using them as a way to raise questions about Perry's competence, Henson said.

Perry, the state's longest-serving leader who is seeking a third full term, faces Hutchison and party activist Debra Medina in the GOP primary in March. Though recent polls have shown Perry with a lead over Hutchison, they also show large numbers of undecided voters, indicating the public isn't fully paying attention yet. The Republican primary winner is expected to be the favorite heading into the fall 2010 general election.

Perry proposed the sweeping toll road and high-speed rail corridor in 2002. The name "Trans-Texas Corridor" is now gone, but two key roads in the project -- one parallel to Interstate 35 and another that is to be Interstate 69 running from northeast Texas to the Rio Grande Valley -- remain in the planning stages.

"We have to continue to move people and the products of companies that call Texas home," said Perry campaign spokesman Mark Miner.

Hutchinson has yet to present her own plan but she says she wants to reform and expand a state transportation commission. Her campaign says she opposes toll roads unless local officials and voters agree to them, and they say she worked in the Senate to halt federally funded toll roads.

"It is time to return to our tradition of free, quality highways and roads," Hutchison said in kicking off her campaign last month. She calls the Trans-Texas Corridor "the biggest land grab in the history of Texas."

An interest group that opposes toll roads, Texans Uniting for Reform and Freedom, is looking closely at candidates from both parties, said its founder and direct, Terri Hall.

"Most of our supporters are well aware that we're in the anybody-but-Perry mode," Hall said. The group has not endorsed anyone in the governor's race, but a Democratic candidate, Hank Gilbert, is active in the group.

In arguing against state-orchestrated toll roads and for private property rights, Hutchison plays up her close ties to the Texas Farm Bureau, which opposes the toll road corridor. She sides with its stance on eminent domain, and pointed that out following Perry's veto of a property rights bill the bureau backed in 2007.

Perry, too, is trying to show he cares deeply about property rights, and earlier this year voiced support for a state constitutional amendment banning the government from taking private property and giving it to a developer to boost the local tax base.

This isn't the first time Perry has defended himself on toll roads in an election. Independent candidate Carole Keeton Strayhorn unsuccessfully ran against Perry in 2006 by attacking his toll road project.

Strayhorn's campaign privately acknowledged at the time the strategy might help win over rural voters, but not the urban voters who are key to victory. And those are voters Hutchison will need in March.

Perry's spokesman equates Hutchison's toll roads complaints with Strayhorn's.

"It's almost identical," Miner said, "and it shows that criticism is not a solution."

ANALYSIS-Traffic uptick to buoy European toll road operators

AMSTERDAM, Sept 9 (Reuters) - An improvement in traffic on European toll roads accompanying a recovery in the economy is set to give shares in operators a badly needed boost after a horrific year and relieve pressure on refinancing.

Analysts say traffic has bottomed out and only the pace of the rebound is in question, adding that an emerging correlation between light traffic and economic growth is proving to be a big positive for toll companies.

Operators like Abertis, Cintra, Brisa and APRR depend on tolls from commercial vehicles and travelers, making their income sensitive to the economy, as well as a leading indicator of economic health.

Operators saw traffic drop by 1.O-4.5 percent in 2008, but now expect a rise in light vehicle traffic, and a stabilisation in heavy vehicle traffic for the rest of 2009.

"I would expect 2010 to be a better year for toll roads because the sector expects to have reached the low point for traffic in 2009 and companies will also be able to increase their tariffs according to their concession agreements," said Standard & Poor's analyst Alexandre de Lestrange.

"Although these increases are linked to inflation, which has been low recently, I still expect toll increases to have a positive effect, particularly if companies are able to keep a tight grip on their operating expenses."

After a tough first quarter, many companies delivered bullish updates in the second quarter as the euro zone's economy contracted by just 0.1 percent.

Portugal's Brisa said it saw a "sharp recovery" in Q2 traffic of 5.6 percent and Italy's Atlantia saw a 0.9 percent increase for the months of July and August. French APRR and Vinci spoke of an upturn in light vehicle traffic while Spain's Abertis said the pace of traffic decline was slowing.

"In the case of Atlantia, we expect that a 1 percent increase in traffic in 2010 would result in a 2.5 percent increase in its EPS," said Barclays Capital analyst Susanna Invernizzi.

LIGHT VEHICLE BOOST

The upside to shares could be signficant: even an apparently small decline in traffic took shares in most European toll road operators down some 50 percent from their early 2008 levels.

That's because investors worry that these highly leveraged companies will not be able to counter the traffic downturn for long and sustain their cash flows just by pushing up tolls.

With heavy vehicle (cargo) traffic correlated to GDP growth, the economic recovery is seen as key for the revival of many toll roads that rely on trucks and containers, such as Germany's A-model roads.

But traffic analysts say evidence is growing that GDP growth is now becoming a key factor in determining light-vehicle (consumer) traffic as well, which has traditionally been tied to oil prices.

Indeed light vehicle traffic in Europe's toll roads deteriorated through the summer a year ago as economies slowed down despite a drop in oil prices.

"Paying tolls is a discretionary purchase, and when consumer confidence is low and cash is tight, as it has been in the last 18 months, toll roads have suffered larger falls in traffic than other roads," said AECOM director Martin Bright.

Official euro zone unemployment rose to 9.5 percent in July, its highest level in ten years, and this has translated into lower traffic, particularly for Spain and Ireland, the two top Western European countries in the unemployment table.

While analysts note a correlation between light traffic volume and unemployment rates, they also point to the fact that much of the existing traffic is supported by service sector professionals largely untouched by the economic downturn. Most drivers who use toll roads do so because they need to get to work quickly or because their company covers their costs, and will continue to pay tolls as long as they can afford them and have a job.

FINANCING IMPERATIVES

Road operators have tried to cut costs by delaying capital expenditure, such as putting back maintenance if the weather has been better than expected, although this can prove a risky strategy. They have also accelerated the automation of their toll collection systems.

An improvement in traffic would relieve pressure on refinancing by boosting cashflows. Companies are due to refinance debt in the next couple of years on more expensive terms than before.

"When traffic scenarios are not met, toll roads can struggle with their debt repayments, and there have been examples of restructurings in Spain as a result of the downturn," said a Spanish-based banker.

Toll roads that are not overleveraged and have proven themselves through the so-called "ramp-up" period -- usually the first five years of the concession -- are still attractive for investors.

"Toll roads are still a good investment, particularly over the medium to long-term," said Anita Mauchan, who co-leads the private infrastructure advisory team at Steer Davies Gleave.

$ 1.30 for 88 miles.

Or to put it in European terms:

€ 0.90 for 142 km.

That can't be right...

It's a $1.30 per booth... except for the north beckley interchange ($.40 w/o WV EZpass or $.26 w/), which connects the turnpike to US 19 and isn't on the main route.

There are 3 main toll plazas. So it's $2.00 each w/o WV EZpass for a total of $6.00 oneway. With a WV EZpass it is $1.30 each for a total of $3.90 oneway.

http://www.wvturnpike.com/PDFfiles/NewTollSchedule.pdf

http://www.wvturnpike.com/turnpikemap.html

It's a $1.30 per booth... except for the north beckley interchange ($.40 w/o WV EZpass or $.26 w/), which connects the turnpike to US 19 and isn't on the main route.

There are 3 main toll plazas. So it's $2.00 each w/o WV EZpass for a total of $6.00 oneway. With a WV EZpass it is $1.30 each for a total of $3.90 oneway.

http://www.wvturnpike.com/PDFfiles/NewTollSchedule.pdf

http://www.wvturnpike.com/turnpikemap.html
$9.90 (like almost 6 euros) for a what distance? Because its really chip...

No, 6 dollars 88 miles without E-ZPass and 3.90 with E-ZPass.

The discount is only for WV EZpass, out of state EZpassers pay full rate.

Many locals in the area are upset because it costs them $7.80 (with EZpass) to drive to the state capitol and back, while others in the state can drive there for free. Another complaint is that everytime they come close to paying the thing off, they re-finance and extend the bonds, thus extending the tolls. It is actually a very complicated and complex local political situation that has been going on for years.

I presented few days ago toll rates on A4. Today I will present the rest of toll highways in Poland: parts of A2 (open toll system) and A1 (closed toll system).

A2:
http://autostrada-a2.pl/en/oplaty/stawki/

Attention: Driving westbound the first toll plaza is called Lądek, not Nagradowice. Nagradowice is next toll plaza. In Polish version all is correct. At every toll plaza (3) you must pay 11 PLN for the 1st class car (motorcycle and two-ahle vehicles)

A1:
http://www.autostradaa1.pl/en/tolling/toll-rates.html

The rest of Polish highways (A1 near Łódź, A2 southern Poznań beltway and Konin - Stryków section, A4 PL/D border - Mysłowice and the whole Kraków beltway, A6 and A18) are free.

TRANSFER OF POWER / Bumpy road ahead for toll-free plan?
14 September 2009
Daily Yomiuri

The Democratic Party of Japan's main preelection pledge to make expressways toll-free is attracting considerable attention ahead of the launch of the new DPJ-led administration.

Though the party insists the measure will revitalize regional economies by lowering distribution costs, train and bus service companies are opposing the move, saying their ridership will sharply decrease.

If the DPJ is to implement this step, it will have to address several important issues, such as how to finance the measure while protecting the environment from the expected increase in vehicle emissions.

Nishi-Nippon Railroad Co. President Kazuyuki Takeshima, who also serves as chairman of Kyushu Bus Kyokai, an association of bus operators in Kyushu, visited the Construction and Transport Ministry on Thursday to ask for the toll-free expressway plan to be postponed.

"Many bus passengers are elderly or in a weak position in terms of road use," Takeshima said. "If more bus routes disappear, regional communities will be damaged. The DPJ doesn't understand the effect [this would have]."

If expressways become toll-free, more people will use their cars and passenger numbers on express buses will fall dramatically.

Bus industry fears of lean times ahead were exacerbated when the current government cut expressway tolls to 1,000 yen.

Since March, when flat-fee 1,000 yen expressway tolls were introduced, users of express buses plummeted. During the Bon summer holidays in August, when the discount tolls were adopted, daily average ridership on express buses fell 12 percent from a year earlier.

For bus companies, which rely on routes including expressways for a large portion of their income, the measures to make all expressways toll-free could adversely affect the maintenance of local bus routes.

Ferry companies also are anxious. An official of Chugoku Ryokyakusen Kyokai Rengokai, a passenger boat association in the Chugoku region, said, "If [expressways become] toll-free, it'll be impossible for many boat companies to continue."

Also in the region, the up-to 1,000 yen expressway toll prices caused ferry companies' transport volume to fall by 10 percent to 30 percent, especially at companies with routes that rival the road routes that run via the three bridges that connect Honshu and Shikoku.

As a result, three ferry companies in the Chugoku region were forced to suspend their businesses.

The traffic service companies' discontent stems from fears that toll-free expressways will destroy order within various transport networks.

At a press conference Thursday, West Japan Railway Co. President Takayuki Sasaki said the toll-free measure could break the market share balance among transportation service firms.

"Each type of public transportation system will suffer due to surplus facilities," he said.

The DPJ has said the purpose of making expressways toll-free is to lower distribution costs and prices of goods, while revitalizing local communities and regional economies.

But some business owners say if expressways start being used every day, traffic among local communities will increase, truck delivery costs will fall, and it will be easier for local products to get to larger consumption areas.

A marine products wholesalers' association in Tokyo said, "More and more fish will be brought to Tokyo markets from distant parts of the nation."

A fruits and vegetable wholesaler said, "In many cases, big markets are located near expressway interchanges. The markets will be revitalized by an increase in shoppers."

According to an estimate by Merrill Lynch Japan Securities Co., toll-free expressways would cut costs by 7 billion yen in Yamato Holdings Co., between 4 billion yen and 5 billion yen in Nippon Express Co., and would push up their respective operating profits by at least 10 percent.

It is not yet known whether households would be affected positively or negatively.

According to the government's household census, each household spent an average of 8,923 yen on toll roads in 2008.

The DPJ estimates it would take 1.3 trillion yen to make all expressways toll-free. This is equivalent to a more than 10,000 yen per capita burden on taxpayers.

The pros and cons of the toll-free expressway issue also are being discussed from the viewpoint of the environment.

A research institute of the Coalition of Local Governments for Environmental Initiative, a nonprofit organization, said if expressways are made toll-free and the higher provisional tax rate on gasoline is abolished, carbon dioxide emissions could increase by at least 9.8 million tons per year.

The institute's chief researcher, Naomi Kamioka, said: "More and more people would use expressways to make relatively short journeys, meaning train and bus numbers would decrease due to lower profitability. Also, considering that car-use also would rise, these negative effects could be doubled or tripled."

DPJ President Yukio Hatoyama has presented a goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2020 from the 1990 level as the nation's midterm goal.

All eyes will be focused on the new government to see if it can balance its toll-free expressway measure and ambitions for tackling global warming.

The tolls on Japanese expressways are very steep. But so are the construction costs of those expressways. I think they should maintain some level of tolls to fund construction of new expressways.

Premier steps in to referee toll operators' tug-of-war
25 January 2010
The Courier-Mail

http://www.rivercitymotorway.com.au/templates/MotorwayGroup/images/logo-rivercity-motorways.gif

http://www.rivercitymotorway.com.au/images_albums/2009/08/20/37_1250745740_cb6-t.jpg http://www.rivercitymotorway.com.au/images_albums/2009/08/20/37_1250745735_eZc-t.jpg http://www.rivercitymotorway.com.au/images_albums/2009/08/20/37_1250745726_ebl-t.jpg

PREMIER Anna Bligh has urged toll operators to ensure motorists are properly prepared for the new tollways set to open in Brisbane.

It follows concerns that motorists may believe they need an electronic tag and account with each individual operator to properly use the toll roads and tunnels.

The State Government-owned Queensland Motorways and the Brisbane City Council-linked RiverCity Motorway are both heavily marketing their own e-tags - Go Via and Flow - which rake in millions in account fees and interest on top of the tolls.

RiverCity Motorway recently sent a notice with council rates bills promoting the use of Flow for the Clem7 tunnel. But the material failed to mention owning a Go Via tag would be sufficient for using the underground route linking Bowen Hills and Woolloongabba when it opened in coming months.

Ms Bligh said it was important for operators to make it clear that a single electronic tag and account could be used for all toll roads and tunnels, regardless which company it was sourced from.

``As our capital city moves to open a number of new tunnels and tollways, it is important for motorists to be able to move between those different tollways and across the road network with ease and understand what their obligations are,'' she said.

``I want to make it clear to all motorists in the area that all of this equipment is interchangeable and you don't need to worry about that as you go from one tollway to a tunnel, for example.''

Scrapping the M4 toll will make roads worse
PATRICIA FORSYTHE
January 18, 2010
http://images.smh.com.au/2010/01/18/1046621/M4main-420x0.jpg
At midnight on February 15 the privately operated M4 motorway will be handed back to the State Government. It has pledged to scrap the $2.75 toll and provide commuters with a toll-free motorway that stretches from Strathfield to the Blue Mountains.

Superficially, this would appear to be good for residents and business operators in Sydney's west.

The NSW Auditor-General has reported that the M4 is near capacity and that an additional 2000 vehicles an hour will use it, 500 of those as a result of the toll being removed and the rest through natural growth.

It may seem that Sydneysiders are the winners and keep the $2.75 toll in their wallets, but the cost of congestion, of wear and tear on their cars and of stress and more time spent away from families will outweigh that saved money.

Two big challenges face us with transport in Sydney: how we manage congestion in peak hour and how we improve our transport links. Scrapping the M4 toll helps us with neither. In fact it makes things worse.

Sydney is a city that is being slowly strangled by its congested road network. The federal Bureau of Transport and Regional Economies has estimated the cost of congestion in Sydney is $3.5 billion a year, and that is expected to rise to $7.8 billion in 2020.

The daily commute on the M4 has become a slow grind, the average speed in the morning peak being a painful 29km/h (19mph). It is a little better in the afternoon, 39km/h (24mph).

This has not been helped by the fact that the Government has been subsidising private vehicles using the M4 through the cashback scheme, which has cost taxpayers nearly AUD$1 billion (US$901 million/GBP559 million/EUR 637million).

So with a major arterial motorway on the verge of transport chaos, why is the Government embracing a policy that will encourage more motorists to use the M4 and turn it into a car park?

I respect a government that wants to keep its promises, but not if it is going to increase the cost of operating a business and drive those businesses to other cities, those that embrace an integrated transport system that manages its road use effectively.

Tolling roads is no longer merely a method of funding infrastructure that reduces the cost burden of building roads on the taxpayer. It is now also about sending behavioural signals to commuters about how we want to travel around our city.

Scrapping the M4 toll now would leave a gaping hole in any future congestion management strategy for the city. Retaining it would provide the Government with a tool to effectively manage the use of the road. For example, the traffic volume on the Sydney Harbour Bridge dropped 4.5 per cent when the Government introduced variable tolling depending on the time of day.

With the state budget under increasing pressure, how do we fund the expansion of public transport and fill in the missing road links we increasingly need to support our growing population?

The Sydney Business Chamber conducted a survey of Sydneysiders late last year that revealed 70 per cent of commuters supported retaining the M4 toll if it was invested in new transport projects. When it came to the projects they wanted to see delivered, the M4 East, north-west rail link and a western metro were top of the list - all projects that would benefit residents and business operators in Sydney's west.

Simply put, scrapping the M4 toll is bad policy. If we are serious about building a city that we can move around quickly and efficiently, following the same old failed transport policies is not the solution.

Tough decisions are needed on transport in Sydney. Keeping the M4 toll will be the first big test if we are prepared to put long-term improvements over short-term gains.

Patricia Forsythe is the executive director of the Sydney Business Chamber.
I added conversions for the international readership.
The article says that the traffic will increase by 1500 anyway. I think that there should be a test for 6-12 months on how the traffic increases, then depending on the result, open the toll booths again or tear them down.
Also, the woman is saying that the toll may fund new transport projects. The State Government has had a history of brain farts with transport money.
Train lines covering an area that was promised transport for 20 years were dumped for a metro that covers the CBD, which would run empty 87% of the time....during peak hour.

Toll road inquiries hit a dead end
Toronto Star
24 December 2009

Getting answers to important questions from the 407 toll road is impossible, now that its officials refuse to communicate with us.

We're pursuing many lines of inquiry in our coverage of the 407's hardball billing practices and outrageous interest charges, but the toll road has stymied recent attempts to get answers.

It appears to be the 407's way of dealing with us for challenging them on their requests for corrections on two errors they say we made in an earlier column.

On Dec. 12 we said drivers must pay the 407 whatever it demands, even if it cannot provide proof of the charges. The 407 says we got it wrong because "any customer can request Bill Reprints that provide exact details of each and every trip."

What we should have said is that it almost always chooses not to provide photo images of vehicles entering or exiting the road, based on the many readers who say they requested such proof but were not provided with photo evidence.

The 407 also took exception to our statement that some people can't dispute bills they disagree with. They say customers can contact its call centre and customer advocacy department, its ombudsman and, for those who have had their licence plate renewal denied over an unpaid bill, independent arbitrators.

Our statement that people can't dispute charges is based on the many readers (700-plus complaints poured in) who told us they tried to dispute a bill through those same channels, but got nowhere.

We'd be surprised if many readers disagree with the statements which riled the 407, yet we tried to clarify them - to no avail.