- California Supreme Court Upholds 2018 Referendum Approving Bridge Toll Hikes
- Oregon DOT Has "Spicy Exchanges" With State Lawmakers Over Tolling
- These are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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California Supreme Court Upholds 2018 Referendum Approving Bridge Toll Hikes
San Francisco Chronicle reports, the California Supreme Court yesterday dismissed an appeal involving a taxpayer organization’s challenge to a voter referendum that approved a series of toll increases on Bay Area state-owned bridges. The ruling had the effect of affirming two lower court decisions that rejected the organization’s claim the referendum called for imposition of a tax rather than a fee, and therefore required approval by two-thirds of voters not a simple majority. The high court’s action all but ends “a yearslong legal dispute that prevented transit agencies from accessing [hundreds of millions of dollars] raised through Regional Measure 3, which Bay Area voters approved nearly five years ago with 55% of the vote.”
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the Bay Area Toll Authority, which operate the bridges’ tolling system, issued a statement in which Alfredo Pedroza, the chair of both agencies, stated, “We are extremely gratified by the Supreme Court’s ruling. While we await final procedural orders from the Court of Appeal, we look forward to moving quickly to unlock the toll funds approved by voters and to putting those dollars to work on long-needed projects to improve mobility and create new jobs across the Bay Area.”
The California Supreme Court case is docketed as Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, et al. v. Bay Area Toll Authority, et al., No. S263835 (San Francisco Division).
Bay Area Toll Authority (San Francisco) (BATA) California Issues of Law Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) San Francisco Bay Area (CA) Toll Rate Changes Transit and Toll RoadsOregon DOT Has "Spicy Exchanges" With State Lawmakers Over Tolling
BikePortland editor Jonathan Maus writes, “I used to think the I-5 freeway expansion projects at the Rose Quarter and the Interstate Bridge were the toughest things the Oregon Department of Transportation could ever try to pull off; but that was before I fully understood the massive headwinds they face on tolling. For ODOT, starting up a toll program will make trying to widen a freeway in Portland’s central city seem like a walk in the park.” Maus notes that ODOT is already contending with pushback from local officials and residents, especially those who object to its I-205 Toll Project. “With the start of the 2023 legislative session last week, ODOT leaders now have another powerful slate of skeptics and scrutinizers: Oregon lawmakers. ODOT is facing hard questions and skepticism about tolls from both sides of the political aisle.” Maus reports on the reception ODOT program representatives received at two recent legislative committee hearings.
ETC Systems Oregon Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) Portland OR Metro Region Public Outreach And Communication Toll Avoidance and DiversionThese are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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