Daily News Briefs, August 10, 2022

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MTA's Crackdown On Toll Evasion And Unlawful Plates Gets Results

MTA announced that its “robust” crackdown on toll violators continued last month, when bridge and tunnel police “stopped and towed 166 persistent toll violator vehicles for [state DMV] registration suspension. . . . The scofflaws accounted for over $5 million in unpaid tolls and fees. Year-to-date, [police have] intercepted and towed more than 1,100 vehicles for persistent toll violations, owing approximately $16 million in tolls. Through these enforcement efforts, the agency has recovered more than $11 million in tolls and fees owed.” MTA notes that it has recovered nearly 90 percent of tolls owed by recidivist scofflaws whose vehicle registrations were suspended.

Silive.com got an opportunity on Monday to interview MTA Bridge and Tunnel police officers “about their work identifying and interdicting vehicles using fake, covered or obstructed license plates to avoid tolls.” One department veteran reports that he impounds three to five vehicles during a single shift, “in addition to issuing summonses and arresting motorists for counterfeit tags. ‘Toll evasion has become a big part of our job now with the rise of counterfeit tags, illegally registered cars, altered plates and covered plates,’” he says.

Crime Beat Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) New York New York City Scofflaws

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The Transit Fare Drought Forces MTA To Explore New Sources Of Operating Revenue

Bloomberg CityLab reports, “Riders aren’t returning to New York City’s subways in enough numbers to blunt a worsening cash crisis, forcing administrators to acknowledge they need to rethink how the agency finances itself. [MTA officials] plan to sit down with lawmakers and labor groups in the coming months to begin negotiations on new sources of funding and cost cutting. They say it’s too early to discuss specific options.” Before the onset of COVID-19, fare and toll revenues funded half the authority’s operating costs, but they now cover about 30 percent, according to MTA. Potential new funding sources, says CityLab, are additional sales taxes and a share of the anticipated congestion pricing revenue that was supposed to be dedicated entirely to capital projects.

Company and Agency Financial Issues And Reports Congestion Pricing Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) New York New York City

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AASHTO Advertises For Environment Program Director

AASHTO Journal notes that the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials is seeking applicants for the position of program director for environment, a full-time position. “The program director provides leadership and oversight for AASHTO’s environmental programs, including the Committee on Environment and Sustainability and its subcommittees. . . . In addition, the program director works to educate[] congressional staff, executive branch agencies, and other stakeholders while fostering collaborative relationships between state departments of transportation, federal and state agencies, and the broader environmental and transportation community to develop innovative approaches and identify common solutions.” More information can be found on AASHTO’s jobs board.

American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Environmental Protection Policies Procedures And Initiatives

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These are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.

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