Drivers from other states who don’t have EZpass will pay 1.5 times the regular rate for video toll.
Consider - Congress passed a law in 2012 requiring toll collection transponder interoperability nationwide meaning a driver with a Florida Sunpass toll transponder could be used for EZpass and a New Jersey resident with an EZpass could use it in Florida. The law required the different systems to be compatible and collect tolls for each other by October 2016. It is national transponder interoperability does not exist. Sunpass, for example has installed the technology to read EZpass but EZ pass has not adapted its system to be interoperable with other readers. If Maryland proceeds with its plan for cashless toll payments, by generating more revenue through video toll collection it has an incentive not to make its EZPass readers compatible with transponders from other systems.
The construction of the interstate highway system was funded 90% by the federal government and 10% by the states. To force out of state drivers without EZ passes to pay a toll 50% higher than Maryland residents with EZ passes seems grossly unfair for a highway constructed primarily with funds collected nationally by the federal government.
In the early days of the interstate highway system some states included their existing toll roads in the system with the agreement the tolls would be removed when the revenue bonds sold by the state to fund the road were paid off. This was done for example on the Petersburg Turnpike, I95 south of Richmond, where tolls were lifted in 1992 when the last bonds were paid off. Unfortunately the federal government has given exceptions to some states who like Maryland continue to collect tolls. Perhaps the answer is to simply mandate the tolls be lifted from all interstate highways.
I drive to or through NYC fairly often. All the bridges and tunnels now have EZ Pass only (no toll booths).
One thing this allows them to do is charge non-residents more. If your EZ Pass unit was not issued by Albany, all tolls are higher.
I’m sure that the next step, easily done, will be higher tolls at rush hour times.
I wonder if the legality of the higher tolls are somehow tied into the EZ Pass unit - if, for example, you are an out of state driver and you DON’T have an EZ Pass unit, are the photo tolls also higher?
I would think that’s unconstitutional, to have a border fee for a state.