- FY 2025 Appropriations Fights Will Dominate Congress' Post-Recess Agenda
- PANYNJ Ramps Up Its Pursuit Of Toll Evaders And "Ghost Cars"
- Illinois Tollway Issues Warning About New Wave Of Smishing Texts
- These are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
This is a Subscribers-Only area. If you are a subscriber, please login. If not...
Become a Subscriber Today »
FY 2025 Appropriations Fights Will Dominate Congress' Post-Recess Agenda
Transport Topics reports, “When senators return to Washington from the August recess, passing fiscal 2025 legislation will headline the chamber’s agenda, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said. . . . Lawmakers anticipate a partisan clash this fall since House and Senate appropriations funding measures differ on spending levels as well as policy instructions.” Congress will have about three weeks to send funding legislation to the president if members want to avoid a government showdown. Schumer remarked that Senate legislation is the product of bipartisan negotiation, but the House “can’t pass anything bipartisan. They can’t even pass some of the bills with partisan majorities, and it’s filled with poison [policy] pills. So we’re going to have to work hard [to avoid a shutdown].”
US Department of Transportation (USDOT) US Gov't Transportation Funding US Infrastructure Funding And Financing InitiativesPANYNJ Ramps Up Its Pursuit Of Toll Evaders And "Ghost Cars"
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYJ) announced that the results of its efforts to combat toll evasion and license plate concealment between January and June of this year should convince offenders that cheating doesn’t pay in the long run. Over the six-month period, police issued 4,836 summonses (a 55 percent year-over-year increase) and made 63 theft of service and fictitious license plate arrests (a 54 percent increase). The drivers who received summonses — most of which were for having no plates or concealed or fictitious plates — collectively owed PANYNJ more than $4.2 million. PANYNJ Police Superintendent Edward Cetnar commented, “Any driver under the illusion that they can evade payment at our crossings should heed this warning: Detection is inevitable, and consequences are assured.”
In its coverage of the announcement, NJ.com advises readers to “[t]hink twice if you’re considering blowing off paying a toll at one of the Port Authority’s six bridges and tunnels.” New Jersey legislation approved in January is aiding the police. One new statute increased the penalty for selling or using fraudulent temporary license tags. The other authorized NJDOT to request the suspension of the vehicle registration of a driver with $500 or more in unpaid toll bills and establish reciprocal enforcement agreements with other states and tolling entities. The article notes that PANYNJ’s efforts are part of a New York City interagency task force crackdown organized in cooperation with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), which reported on July operations last Friday.
AET (All-Electronic Tolling) Crime Beat ETC Systems Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) New Jersey New York New York City PANYNJ ScofflawsIllinois Tollway Issues Warning About New Wave Of Smishing Texts
NBC News Chicago reports, the Illinois Tollway Authority has issued a public alert about a third wave of smishing texts that purport to originate with the authority. Earlier batches of the fraudulent texts were sent in the spring and around the July Fourth holiday. According to the article, at least some of the texts originate from a phone number with a Montreal, Canada, area code.
Crime Beat ETC Systems Illinois State Toll Highway Authority (IL Tollway) Public Outreach And CommunicationThese are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
If you’re not already a Daily News Briefs subscriber and you want a complete picture of today’s news, click here or call 717-991-2823 for subscription information. If you’re a newcomer to TollRoadsNews.com, click here.