Citing revenue loss, state senator seeks to bring back Pa. Turnpike toll workers
A senator from northeastern Pennsylvania is spearheading efforts to bring back turnpike toll workers.
Sen. Marty Flynn, D-Scranton, said his plan stems from the amount of tolls — $104 million – that went uncollected on the Pennsylvania Turnpike in the past year.
“Not coincidentally, that’s also when the PA Turnpike converted to all-electronic tolling,” Flynn said in a post to social media. “This number is entirely too high. It’s unacceptable.”
The millions of motorists who without an E-Z Pass have a nearly 1 in 2 chance of riding without paying under the toll-by-plate camera system.
An internal turnpike report issued in July showed nearly 11 million out of the total of about 170 million turnpike rides generated no revenue for the agency from June 2020 to May 2021, according to The Associated Press.
Flynn, who serves on the 14-member Senate Transportation Committee, intends to introduce detailed bills to require a limited number of staffed lanes, among other issues.
Flynn serves communities in Lackawanna, Luzerne and Monroe counties.
Tawnya Panizzi is a TribLive reporter. She joined the Trib in 1997. She can be reached at tpanizzi@triblive.com.
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