- Oklahoma Turnpike Will Complete Its Four-Year AET Transition On November 20
- Australia-Based International Transport Firm Makes Major EV Investments
- Driver Fatigue Was Involved In NY Bus Rollover That Injured 28 People
- These are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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Oklahoma Turnpike Will Complete Its Four-Year AET Transition On November 20
KOSU reports, the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority (OTA) says its entire network’s tolling will be cashless by November 20, the target date for completing the conversion of the Will Rogers Turnpike, the last facility to accept cash payments.
OTA started its transition to all-electronic collection in 2021. “OTA spokeswoman Lisa Shearer-Salim said that cash toll booths have contributed to vehicle crashes, with 500 incidents over the past six years caused by drivers not slowing down quickly enough. . . . ‘It’s ultimately a change to help make travel more safe, efficient and reliable for those customers who choose to use turnpikes, and we want to give them the best toll rate possible,’ Shearer-Salim said. ‘[OTA’s PIKEPASS-PlatePay system] is the best way to do that.’”
Shearer-Salim noted that OTA will also cut administrative costs through tollbooth elimination. Currently, just ten percent of OTA customers use cash to pay tolls, and that represents less than two percent of total monthly revenue.
AET (All-Electronic Tolling) ETC Systems Oklahoma Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) Oklahoma Turnpike Authority (OTA) PIKEPASSAustralia-Based International Transport Firm Makes Major EV Investments
“EV Magazine” reports on Australia-based Toll Group’s decision to make a USD 67 million corporate investment in battery electric trucks and EV charging facilities. The company plans to operate 28 electric-powered heavy vehicles and install at least 30 charging points across ten corporate and customer facilities. The truck acquisitions alone will require a $20.3 million capital investment that the Australian Renewable Energy Agency is supplementing with $9 million in aid funneled through its Driving the Nation Program. The federal money will provide “a considerable portion of the cost difference between electric and diesel vehicles.”
Toll Group provides multimodal logistics, freight hauling, and supply chain services across 150 countries. It is a subsidiary of Japan Post Holdings.
Australia Economic & Social Considerations Affecting Transportation Electric and Hybrid Vehicles Environmental Protection Policies Procedures And InitiativesDriver Fatigue Was Involved In NY Bus Rollover That Injured 28 People
Syracuse.com (subscription required) reports, the driver of a bus that rolled over on I-490 near Rochester, New York, Thursday morning has been “ticketed for fatigued driving, speeding more than 70 mph, unsafe lane changes and not wearing a seatbelt,” according to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department.
The Democrat and Chronicle covered the crash before fatigue was officially cited as a contributing cause. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration records show that the bus company, Tribal Sun, has already been selected for “more frequent ‘intervention thresholds’ – inspections and investigations – partly because of past issues with drivers spending too much time behind the wheel.” One of the six crashes on the company’s record over the past two years involved fatal injury.
TRN notes, the New York State Thruway last week issued a news release about the problem of “drowsy driving.” The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration maintains an online information resource on the issue.
Highway-Tunnel-Bridge Safety (Includes COVID-19 Impacts) New York New York State Thruway Authority US Department of Transportation (USDOT) US National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationThese are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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