Toll expert: Increase is steep but overdue
A leading expert of toll facilities said the proposed increase outlined by the staff of the Maryland Transportation Authority Thursday are steep because they are making up for years in which the state's tolls lagged behind national trends.
Peter Samuel, editor of Frederick-based Toll Road News, said the Bay Bridge and commuter tolls are particularly "cheap." Samuel said the rates being proposed would take them to levels consistent with national trends. He noted that Maryland has gone almost a decade since increasing its base-rate tolls for passenger vehicles.
"I think it's been a long time coming. I don't think it's necessarily excessive," he said. "I personally think they should have bitten the bullet 2-3--4 years ago."
But Samuel said there's a cost to playing catch-up after years of shying away from increases.
"They're probably going to stir up quite a political hornet's nest with increases as big as this," he said. "Normally (toll agencies) spread things out over s longer period than this. This is pretty sudden."
Samuel said it's entirely plausible that Maryland would need significant toll increases to keep up with its bond obligations for construction of the Intercounty Connector and other projects. The authority is currently bumping up against its statutory limit of carrying $3 billion in debt.
"It's just a matter of arithmetic," he said. "They have been taking on a lot of debt. The ICC is a very expensive road."
Samuel said a political "hue and cry" could prompt the authority to modify the staff proposal to some extent but he warned that an overt intervention by elected officials to block the increase could have serious consequences.
"They might have a financial crisis. They might have trouble with the bonds they've issued and they might have to suspend some of their capital programs," he said. "Some thing's got to give, and this is what's going."
Categories: Maryland toll facilities
Comments
Why not just raise the rates on the ICC. It was a bondoggle from the get-go with promises of being self supporting. Guess not. So now all users have to support the Montgomery and Prince Georges county commuters. It makes sense now to by- pass the tunnels or bridge and go through Baltimore as my income has continued to decrease over the past few years.
Posted by: Nick Suszczyk | May 12, 2011 9:05 PM
So let's say we do need such a steep increase to play "catch up" for years of not increasing them. Once we get caught up should I expect we lower tolls back to national averages? I think not. It's never enough in MD. When will legislators start realizing they need to adjust spending to what they get in taxes not increase taxes for the things they "need".
Posted by: scott | May 13, 2011 7:34 AM
As a resident of Balto. Co., I frequently tow my small boat over the Bay Bridge to the Eastern Shore. Two years ago, the toll for a passenger vehicle with boat and trailer was raised from $5 to $9, withoutn fanfare or warning. I can only wonder what this next round will bring.
Posted by: Greg Volpitta | May 13, 2011 7:45 AM
I'd love to know whatever happened to the original statement made in 1952 that once the Harbor Tunnel is paid off, there won't be ANY tolls. No one seems to be able to answer that. I guess that was either the longest construction loan in the history of man kind or all the persons other than me that would remember it are deceased or in nursing homes. The new toll being instituted on the Bay Bridge will do nothing but force people to take alternate routes of travel. Costs keep rising, gas is rediculous and salaries get reduced. Yep! Makes perfectly good sense to me. NOT!
Posted by: Keith Rock | May 13, 2011 9:01 AM
The proposed tolls at the harbor crossing tunnels would represent a 2.5x multiple over inflation over the past 20 years. The current toll is already 20% above the inflation-adjusted toll of 20 years ago.
How, exactly, is this "overdue"?
Please explain how national averages are the appropriate standard to compare to.
Tolls at tunnels and bridges are not the answer for general revenue collection, nor even for meeting transportation-related capital costs across the state. Such usage is an arbitrary concentration of taxation onto those who happen to live or work near one of these tunnels or bridges.
Posted by: harry | May 13, 2011 10:01 AM
What are they trying to do - convince more people to take the free route through the city to avoid the tunnel toll? That's not very smart!
All tolls should be eliminated and the roads should be paid for by the gas tax - which should be raised.
Posted by: Anonymous | May 13, 2011 10:04 AM
Dear Toll Expert, How do you justify charging all md commuters for ICC which will likely not be used by any commuters on the routes, tunnels and bridges that the increased fees are proposed for? You can't justify it. Don't even try.
Toll roads are for commuters who use them and MDOT should be able to fund appropriately without picking the pockets of all MD commuters. More politicians who can't manage funds...
Posted by: CSM | May 13, 2011 10:15 AM
One way the MDOT - or whoever - can help save money is simple: STOP PUTTING UP NEEDLESS ROAD SIGNS!! Specifically, I'm talking about stuff like "Welcome to the Francis Scott Key Bridge" or "Please Come Back, We Enjoyed Your Company" on interstates approaching the state line. AND we don't need these pieces of junk to remind us whom the governor is (regardless of whether it's a democratic like O'Malley or a republican like Ehrlich)!!
Can we PLEASE raise the profile on these kinds of wastes?!
COMMENT: There is perhaps some merit to the suggestion, but I trust the writer and all readers know that cutting back on excess signage would yield chump change and would not affect the need for added revenue by a nickel.
Posted by: Flagtown '71 | May 13, 2011 11:00 AM
To the MTA and Mr. Peter Samuel, editor of Frederick-based Toll Road News:
YOUR NUTS!!!
Mr. Samuel lives in Frederick.
How many tolls you got out there?
Citizens are you going to stand there and let these theives?
It is legalized extortion - make no mistake about it.
Think about it citizens.
Posted by: Concernd Citizen | May 13, 2011 2:58 PM
"The ICC is a very expensive road."" It's also expensive to give cradle-to-grave care for the MaryLand Gubmint Plantation slaves.
Posted by: HarlanR | May 13, 2011 8:23 PM
NO more tolls unless they re-map the WDC freeway system, reversing the idocy of the 1970s.
Posted by: Douglas Willinger | May 18, 2011 3:24 PM