The Turnpike Commission is laughing itself all the way to the bank!
The diversion of E-ZPass and Toll by Plate has allowed the commission to drastically increase tolls while keeping the public ignorant of those increases. Turnpike usage is geared toward the commuter and not the occasional user who must pay much more. The impact on seniors and fixed- income folks is significant. Consider:
Tolls are based on about $10 per hour of driving, which is not fair to poor people.
The cost of the E-ZPass program itself is extremely expensive and prohibitive for people who do not regularly use the turnpike.
Toll by Plate is essentially E-ZPass but costs significantly more.
We no longer know what the tolls are since we don’t get tickets.
They talk of the savings of E-ZPass over ticket prices, but since tickets are no longer used, any mention of savings has no basis.
So why not get something for your money:
• Offer senior and low-income discounts
• Increase speed limit to 80 mph (70 mph was the limit in 1940s when the turnpike was opened)
• Make tickets half price and half the points.
• Provide good food. (Ohio did this decades ago — it was impressive.)
Thomas Hoosac
Jeannette