Dinapoli is right to insist on better analysis before tolls rise
If New York’s Thruway tolls go up in 2024, it won’t be for lack of due diligence by State Comptroller Thomas P. Dinapoli.
Dinapoli is insisting — rightly — that New York’s Thruway Authority get its house in order before calling for higher tolls, which, he notes, “should always be the last option.”
The comptroller is responding to the Authority’s plan to raise tolls 5 percent for E-zpass holders in 2024 with a second hike of 5 percent in 2027. Out-of-staters and those who pay by mail would see even greater increases.
While many who use the Thruway probably consider their reluctance to pay higher tolls justification enough to keep rates the same, Dinapoli has compelling, fiscally grounded reasons why the Thruway should take a deeper dive into its cashless toll operations and financial outlook before deciding on a hike.
In fairness, as an independent authority that derives the majority of all its revenue from its highway and bridge users, the Thruway Authority does not qualify for additional government support from local, state or federal sources. Raising tolls is its main recourse when the books need balancing.
But Dinapoli is concerned about the bumpy rollout of cashless tolls (particularly for those who mail them in), the untapped possibilities of non-toll revenues and the bad timing of an increase when New Yorkers are already paying more for food, housing and fuel. And while the Thruway gives the Covid-related losses of 2020 as its strongest reason for increases, it’s also true that toll revenue immediately rebounded in 2021, exceeding the totals of 2019.
The comptroller’s audit of the cashless toll system is due to be released this year. Those findings should be taken into account before any increase.
The problems users have had with this system must also be fixed; the pay-bymail system has been particularly troublesome. Dinapoli urges the Thruway to address these implementation problems, asserting that it’s impossible to accurately predict revenues otherwise.
It would also be reasonable to assume that the full implementation of cashless tolls over the past five years would have produced some healthy savings for the Thruway, given there’s no longer any need for full- or part-time toll collectors. That hasn’t happened however, and maybe it’s too early to tell — given the costs of installing the system — but Dinapoli is correct to target this as another area that must be clarified.
Clearly, this is still a period of transition for the Authority. Too many questions are unanswered. That missing information is needed before a final decision on tolls.