The Mass Pike Board, as expected, hiked tolls today to fund a $100 million dollar deficit faced as a consequence of the debt load of the Big Dig. From the Boston Globe:
The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority board voted 4-1 today in favor of an unprecedented toll increase, approving a 75 cent hike at the Weston and Allston-Brighton tollbooths and a $3.50 surge at the Sumner and Ted Williams tunnels.
The plan would increase the charge at Weston and Allston-Brighton to $2 from $1.25 and at the tunnels to $7 from $3.50. Fast Lane users would pay $1.50 at Weston and Allston-Brighton and $6 at the tunnels. The steepest spike would be felt by taxi riders coming from Logan International Airport, where the charge for cabs at the Sumner and Ted Williams tunnels will jump to $9 from $5.25.
The critics were on top of the issue of equity, with the western suburbs pointing to the unfairness of the existing system.
State Representative David P. Linsky, a Natick Democrat, leads a caucus of lawmakers from the western suburbs that argue that the tolls unfairly punish their constituents and commuters coming from the North Shore. There are no tolls south of Boston.
“The reality is there is a free lunch,” Linsky said after the meeting. “The South Shore commuters eat that free lunch. And the toll payers from the North Shore and western suburbs pay for that free lunch.”
Ryan, over at Ryan’s Take, has put forward a powerful indictment of the new toll structure that seems to favor one area over another. I am a north-south commuter and hence pay no tolls when I do travel, but the equity issue cannot be ignored.
I had the opportunity to serve on a panel today with the Senate Chair of Transportation Steve Baddour, and when asked about the potential of a gas tax increase Senator Baddour all but slammed the door on that possibility. Without a gas tax increase or the imposition of new tolls on north -south commuters the Mass Pike Board was placed in a position of having no options but the one they took.
As we talk about the tolls it is worth remembering that the Big Dig debt is not all that we are dealing with in the transportation area. Our infrastructure needs are not being met with the current system, and any hope of expansion of mass transit is quite frankly far fetched with the M.B.T.A. choking on an $8 billion dollar debt load. If revenue enhancements are to be limited to increasing tolls then our transportation needs will go largely unmet. The mismanagement of the past, and the balkanized structure in place today have put us in an untenable position in transportation. Incremental steps may help, but this area cries out for comprehensive reform.
Bill Manzi.com 
Your Honor,
Now let’s see; the tolls are going up by multiples on a portion of the Mass Turnpike, a managerial screw up that allowed this agency to be alive today, to fund a managerial and technological screw up, the Big Dig, an American embarrassment.
These managers went on to bigger things after doing quite well financially. Kinda like the Bank Manager who brought down the economy.
Told you, as soon as prop #1 went down in flames the dogs were let out to feed on the folks.
The mayor’s solution, in his own words,”but this area cries out for comprehensive reform.
Now you know my definition of reform, in politico-speak; “make things worse”.
Can you give me an example of “comprehensive reform” that does not involve a tax increase?
By the way, I bet your good buddy, Senator Baddour, eventually supports a tax increase somewhere.
One last thing, how come we did see such a concise explanation of our transportation problems before the prop #1 vote as you provided above?
Jules
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Well Jules I think we have more similarities here than you might think. Reform, for me, means removing the duplicative administrative function performed by management at our redundant agencies. So my idea of reform is to slash unnecessary costs to zero. Now it is without doubt that the State mismanaged the Big Dig at our expense, and we are now paying for the malfeasance and incompetence of the big dig managers. The question is what do you do now? In the short term the Mass Pike needed $100 million to support the bond payments they are saddled with. Where should it come from? A tough question to answer. Since you cannot allow the bonds to default you must identify additional revenues or slash $100 million in costs. There is no doubt in my mind that additional expenses exist that can be cut. That is reform! Is there $100 million that can be cut? I do not know the answer to that.
As far as Prop 1 goes I write about things that are in the news, but I do not know how you can say that the dire fiscal situation at the Pike was not known and talked about. The prospect of toll increases and fiscal disaster have been in the news for six months, if not longer.
As far as Baddour goes one of his most important points at the breakfast I wrote of was that gas taxes were a non-starter without real reform of the transportation portfolio. Baddour also uses “reform” as a reference to cost cutting.
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Your Honor,
If you fired the whole gang associated in the most minor way it would not even come close to making a dent in the in the debt. If you fired all the hacks in the state you may have a chance at saving some bucks, but forget that.
You might also add to the savings by “reforming” the state retirement and health care fiasco. These people have better benefits than the folks who pay the bills.
Now I notice no one from the ever mentioned budget reductions. I mean cutting to the bone. The free ride is over.
I have an idea I could get behind. Raise fees and taxes to solve the problem, and then the entire legislative branch resigns, promising not run again. New elections are then held.
But none of these things will happen. So I guess we are going back to “Reform” (Raise fees and taxes) because that is all your class is capable of doing (Make things worse).
What do you think?
Jules
PS. Your buddy Steve Baddour votes on taxes, you don’t. I bet he will end up supporting tax increases. Any takers?
Jules
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In bad times come some opportunity. I believe that reform of the pension system and health care system can come from this mess, although it has not come yet. In this case, again, reform means cutting costs and stopping some of the outrageous management practices of state government. It does not mean raising taxes or fees. I do not believe Baddour will vote to raise the gas tax in the short term or long term.
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I agree with you Mr Mayor, but I am a bit confused.
I recall Sen Baddour announcing major reforms having been initiated by him and passed into law. I was very impressed and confident that the waste and duplicity was rung dry by Sen Baddour’s efforts.
Did he not conduct extensive oversight investigations of the Big Dig, the Turnpike Authority and Massport? I remember the picture in the Globe of his personal invesigation and outrage.
Certainly, those hearings revealed the waste and duplicity of which you speak, so that your impression certainly is one borne of outdated information.
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Your Honor,
Bottom line.
No reforms (your definition)
Lots of reforms (my definition)
Steve Baddour will write articles and achieve nothing.
If you are right and I am wrong I will bow to the makers of miracles.
What is Bob Leblanc smoking.
Jules
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My definition of “reform” comes a lot harder than yours does, so maybe you will be proven right. Ultimately the answer will come when the states reach the point of financial collapse, and much of this nonsense is swept away by disaster.
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Your Honor,
To answer your statement, “Ultimately the answer will come when the states reach the point of financial collapse, and much of this nonsense is swept away by disaster”.
We could have saved time by passing prop #1.
I guess we have no bet then.
Jules
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