San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond voices opposition in opposition to the California county’s plan to tax freeway drivers for each mile with a brand new tolling system.
New Jersey is paying a hefty worth for toll cheats, and it isn’t alone.
The state confronted $117 million in losses final yr due to drivers who defied tolls, in response to reviews. It is an issue that is solely getting worse.
Unpaid tolls on the New Jersey Turnpike alone totaled $47.2 million. In the meantime, unpaid tolls on the Backyard State Parkway reached $9 million, in response to the Turnpike Authority.
Officers stated that each these figures have elevated over the previous 5 years.
SAN DIEGO PAVES WAY FOR HIGHWAY MILEAGE TAX
Autos journey by means of a toll plaza on the New Jersey Turnpike because the solar units Might 11, 2021, in Newark, N.J. (Gary Hershorn/Getty Photographs / Getty Photographs)
On prime of that, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey confronted $36.58 million in losses final yr as a result of unpaid tolls, in response to reviews.
In the meantime, the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Fee reported a lack of $20 million in toll violations. The Atlantic Metropolis Expressway reported $1.88 million in losses final yr too.
Nonetheless, Lenis Valens, a spokesperson for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, stated the company has made upgrades to fight this difficulty.
Whereas the authority has “seen fluctuations within the uncollectible toll fee, general it has remained steady due to know-how enhancements, again workplace, and in-lane system upgrades with all-electronic tolling and elevated subject enforcement efforts,” Vlens stated in a press release to FOX Enterprise.
Throughout fiscal yr 2022, uncollectible tolls amounted to 2% of whole transactions, in response to Valens.
Automobiles go by means of a toll plaza on the New Jersey Turnpike Aug. 29, 2019, in Jersey Metropolis, N.J. (Gary Hershorn/Getty Photographs / Getty Photographs)
Nonetheless, it is an issue many states are going through.
In Might, New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli stated the state’s Thruway Authority has to do a greater job of figuring out, billing and gathering tolls and associated charges.
NEW YORK RECEIVES FEDERAL APPROVAL TO CHARGE MANHATTAN DRIVERS IN AN ATTEMPT TO REDUCE CONGESTION
His feedback got here after a current audit revealed there was $276.3 million in unpaid tolls and costs in assortment standing since March 2023. Out-of-state drivers, significantly from Connecticut and New Jersey, accounted for a “vital quantity” of the excellent tolls and associated charges, in response to the audit.
In November, in Pennsylvania, Tom Wolf, the governor on the time, signed laws geared toward serving to the Pennsylvania Turnpike get better extra unpaid tolls.
E-Z Cross lanes are marked at a toll plaza on the New Jersey Turnpike Aug. 29, 2019, in Newark, N.J. (Gary Hershorn/Getty Picture / Getty Photographs)
GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE
“The shopper is given a number of notices and alternatives to pay the tolls they owe earlier than their registration is suspended,” PennDOT spokeswoman Alexis Campbell stated.
The laws additionally reduces how a lot in collective unpaid tolls are wanted to set off registration suspension, from $500 to $250, and the variety of unpaid tolls required to begin the enforcement course of goes down from six violations to 4 invoices.
The turnpike may return 5 years after the violation in suspending registrations, a change from three years.
The Related Press contributed to this report.
