MTA proposes toll rate hikes

An open letter to our elected officials in response to the recent proposed increase in tolls.

I saw in Cecil Whig the news story about a proposal for an increase in toll rates. This concerns me in two different ways. First, this proposal is just another tax increase disguised as a fee increase. Less than two years ago, Maryland enacted one of their largest tax increases in history. We were told by the Governor at that time that this would solve the future budget deficits that the state was looking at. Was this just another lie?



My second concern is that I live on Conowingo Road (Route 1) in Cecil County. Every time that there is a toll increase, the number of commercial vehicles increases on Rt. 1. This large increase in toll to commercial vehicles would shift many tractor trailers over to Rt 1 to avoid the toll. This will impact the amount of traffic on Rt. 1 in both Harford and Cecil County. As it is now, my house shakes as some of these tractor trailers pass by. We have had to take the extra precaution of using museum putty to keep some of valuables from vibrating off of shelves and to keep pictures and paintings level on the walls. Since the last increase in tolls, cracks have developed on the highway in front of my house. Route 1 is quickly becoming another interstate bypass and I do not think that structurally and safely that it can take on this continued increase in volume. So in the end, Harford and Cecil Counties will suffer through this proposed toll increase, to benefit the suburbs of Washington DC.



Regards

Examiner.com - MARC looking at Elkton line

BALTIMORE (Map, News) - Harford County transit riders could see MARC train service to Elkton by 2015, state transportation planners say, potentially opening more of Cecil County and parts of Delaware to workers commuting to Aberdeen Proving Ground.

Diane Ratcliff, Maryland Transit Administration planning director, told Elkton officials last week that extending MARC service to the community is among MARC’s goals for 2015. But several long-term projects rank higher on the priority list.