Maine Turnpike increasing tolls an average 25% Feb 1, 2009

Maine Turnpike Authority decided this week on toll increases intended to increase revenues by about $20m/year or 25%. It adopted one of three toll increase scenarios taken to public meetings and discussed by a citizens advisory committee. Cash and foreign transponder tolls (non-Maine IAG E-ZPass) will rise an average of 55% and Maine transponder tolls (Maine E-ZPass) 18%.

The present split of business is 52% transponder, 48% cash, but the increased transponder discounts are expected to drive the share further away from cash.

The toll increases are heavily skewed to raising money from visitors. Out-of-state drivers are about 33% of the total but they are expected to produce half the revenue in future. Commuter rates already heavily discounted are hardly being changed.

Thus a typical 15km (9 mile) commuter type trip Saco to Portland (Maine Mall) will be 30c commuter rate, 60c Maine E-ZPass and $1.00 cash and non-Maine transponders.

So far the courts have allowed toll authorities to give discounts to motorists who are enrolled in their own schemes so long as out-of-state residents are not excluded.

A Turnpike official is quoted: “Our E-ZPass program is open to anyone from anywhere. But ninety
percent the people enrolled in the Maine Turnpike’s E-ZPass program are Maine
residents."

17,000 Maine people are enrolled in the E-ZPass Commuter program which provides unlimited trips ebtween two designated exits over three months - a minimum 50% discount off the lowest rate for 5 round trips per week. The Turnpike says it is the largest discount program in the US.

The last toll increases in Maine were in 2005 and at that time the plan was to raise tolls again in 2010. The  increases that go into effect Feb 1 are about a year early to attempt to make up for revenue losses from lower traffic.

Traffic down 5 to 9%

Traffic was generally trending flat through 2007 and early this year. But from May on traffic and revenue has been consistently lower this year than in the same month of 2007.

Traffic has been down roughly 5% to 6% June through October. November was down 9%. (see table with ratio of this year to last year same month nearby).

Toll equity study

The Maine Turnpike is unusual in that its tollpoint layout was originally run as a ticket system with many side plazas where the ticket recording the entry point was used to estimate the trip length. Because of the growth of short trip commuter traffic this became cumbersome and was replaced with a point toll system, but the conversion was done on the cheap.

Without building the extra mainline tollpoints to do a proper point toll system the grafted scheme generates many anomalies.

Side plazas charge a flat rate regardless of entry point and distance traveled.

Various toll equity studies have been done but a solution isn't likely to come until the Turnpike moves to cashless tolling when iit will become economical to install the extra needed mainline toll points.

http://www.maineturnpike.com

TOLLROADSnews 2008-12-17