Porcari said the authority determined that "now that E-ZPass has broad market penetration and is a proven time-saver," its users should cover the costs of their participation. He said that includes the $1.50 "account maintenance" charge, which will be used to compensate the contractor who handles E-ZPass billing, and the roughly $21 cost to the state of issuing a standard transponder. The E-ZPass changes would take effect July 1.
The authority is also proposing to begin charging a $3 fee for sending out notices that a motorist owes a toll. It would also raise the toll violation charge - assessed when a motorist fails to respond to such a notice - from $15 to $25.
The heaviest burden of the proposed changes would fall on the trucking industry and other operators of heavy vehicles.
Trucks with more than three axles could face varying toll increases depending on which facility they use. For the Harbor Tunnel, Fort McHenry Tunnel and the Key Bridge, the increases would range from $2 to $5, depending on the size of the vehicle. The Bay Bridge toll would rise $4 to $5.50. Increases on the Kennedy Highway and the Hatem Bridge on U.S. 40 would range from $5 to $13. There would be a $3 increase on the U.S. 301 bridge between Southern Maryland and Virginia.
Maryland Motor Truck Association President Anne S. Ferro said she was not surprised that the authority would raise tolls but expressed dismay that the industry would bear the brunt of the increases.
"What's so shocking to us is the level of the hike and the fact that it seems to be entirely on the back of the trucking industry," she said.
Ferro said the industry, already struggling in a bad economy, would prefer to see a more broad-based increase under which passenger vehicles would bear a share of the cost. She said commercial trucking now represents about 10 percent of vehicle traffic but bears 30 percent to 35 percent of the cost of tolls.
"Investing in our transportation infrastructure is vital to our success, but everyone needs to make that investment - not just commercial traffic," she said.
Porcari said that commercial traffic accounts for 35 percent to 39 percent of highway system costs and that tolls from the industry provide about 32 percent of the authority's revenue. The proposed increases would raise that to about 38 percent, he said.
