- Bay City Bridge Partners Suspends Late Fee Assessments Through September
- Roadside Pollinator Programs Have Ecological Benefits And Help Agencies Trim Maintenance Costs
- Smishing Scam Aimed At Toll Agency Customers Is Active In Washington State
- Report On A Ride-Along With Illinois Tollway Hot Weather Patrol
- These are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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Bay City Bridge Partners Suspends Late Fee Assessments Through September
Bay City Bridge Partners (BCBP) announced Monday it has suspended account escalation and the imposition of late fees for unpaid Liberty Bridge tolls through September 30 in order to give the company more time to address a range of billing concerns, Midland Daily News reports. The announcement was made by BCBP representative Melinda Shriner during a Bay City, Michigan, Commission meeting where prior public complaints about toll collection were heard. Ms. Shriner responded to two specific complaints, one of which she said was unfounded. She added that the United Bridge Partners subsidiary is working one-on-one with customers to resolve outstanding issues. Ms. Shriner asked for the commission’s help in encouraging residents to apply for the lowest available rate plan and to learn to use their transponders correctly. BCBP plans to start tolling a second Bay City span in January 2025.
AET (All-Electronic Tolling) Bay City Bridge Partners (UBP Subsidiary) ETC Systems Michigan P3 & Privatization United Bridge PartnersRoadside Pollinator Programs Have Ecological Benefits And Help Agencies Trim Maintenance Costs
A Virginia DOT news release highlights the department’s plan to expand its Pollinator Habitat Program by 135 acres “as part of its ongoing commitment to protect the valuable ecosystem provided by pollinators such as bees, birds, butterflies, bats, beetles, flies, and more.” This year, VDOT and partners will plant native vegetation along roads and state-owned properties in Hampton Roads, the Greater Richmond region and Southern Virginia. “Last year, VDOT planted 82 new acres across the Commonwealth.” The program, started in 2014, is marking five years of participation in a voluntary Monarch Butterfly conservation program administered by the University of Illinois-Chicago. “VDOT’s initial five-year goal was to proactively implement conservation measures on roughly 3,100 acres of interstate roadsides to support the monarch butterfly. Five years into the program, VDOT estimates contributing around 8,000 acres of pollinator habitats. . . .” VDOT notes that in addition to its ecological benefits, the program “reduces erosion and stormwater runoff while providing sediment control. With more flowers and vegetation, VDOT beautifies the roadsides and saves time and money by reducing how often it needs to mow areas along the roadways. Additionally, roadsides with healthy plant communities can better resist invasive plants that can require the use of herbicides.”
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) started its own pollinator habitat initiative in 2022, WGAL reports. The commission’s goals are to “create more ecological roadsides for the commonwealth,” raise public awareness and reduce maintenance costs. It expects to recoup its upfront investment of $50,000 to create six habitats by saving roadside maintenance expense.
Environmental Protection Policies Procedures And Initiatives Highway-Tunnel-Bridge Maintenance Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC) Public Outreach And Communication Virginia Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT)Smishing Scam Aimed At Toll Agency Customers Is Active In Washington State
The Seattle Times’ transportation reporter, Mike Lindblom, yesterday warned readers about the ongoing smishing scam perpetrated by persons who purport to be collecting overdue toll payments. The fraudsters’ principal aim is to harvest personal information for identity theft. Washington State DOT has received more than 400 calls about the bogus text messages in just the past month and has taken steps to warn customers. The messages and the website to which they link can be visually convincing — they “contain images copied from real [WSDOT] websites” and the Good To Go! logo — but the scheme is also described as “sloppy” in its targeting of victims, some of whom don’t even drive. Lindblom notes, “The modern toll industry casts a wide net, which may explain its appeal to impostors. Washington state collected $4.3 million in bona fide late fees and civil penalties in fiscal year 2023, to go with $196 million in toll revenue, from 63 million transactions over five highways.”
AET (All-Electronic Tolling) Crime Beat ETC Systems Good To Go! Toll System Washington State Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT)Report On A Ride-Along With Illinois Tollway Hot Weather Patrol
A WFLD reporter gives readers and viewers an up-close look at the special Hot Weather Patrols the Illinois Tollway Authority is deploying during this week’s heat wave. Supplementing the regular Geico-sponsored roadway assistance service, the authority’s 12 employee-staffed units patrol its entire network 24-hours-a-day for motorists at risk of overheating when they have a breakdown. Among other things, crews are authorized to transport stranded drivers and passengers to a Tollway oasis or other place where they can stay cool. “In the first 24 hours after the patrol began Monday morning, the Tollway reported stopping to check on or assist 153 motorists, about half of them on I-294 [the Tri-State Tollway].”
Chicago Metro Area Highway-Tunnel-Bridge Safety (Includes COVID-19 Impacts) Illinois Illinois State Toll Highway Authority (IL Tollway) Service PlazasThese are just some of the toll industry developments TRN is following.
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