Tollway rate hike decision?

I tuned in late to the webcast from the Tollway's website, just as a speaker was asking that Tollway employees ought to pay tolls when commuting. 

Well, duh.... Of course, they should! Why should they get free tolls?

The speaker then asked for the toll hike not to be approved, if tollway employees will not be required to pay tolls.

Then the meeting adjourned at 11:47AM. Did they approve the hike? The Chicago Tribune reports it did; "The vote was 7-1, with Bill Morris of Grayslake the lone no vote. The increase will go into effect Jan. 1." Thanks, Mr. Morris!

Just imagine... only eight people to decide on spending $12,000,000,000. Welcome to Illinois!

I-Pass advice

An announcement email from the Illinois Tollway informed me that each year I-Pass customers are issued over 700,000 violations. Hard to believe; right?

How can you avoid a violation?

Check your account online at http://www.illinoistollway.com/

Be sure your license plate is correctly entered.
Be sure all your vehicles are registered.
Keep enough money in your account. You can add less than $40, if you manually replenish your account (rather than waiting for the Tollway to zing your credit card for $40.)
Update your credit card information.
Keep your name and address current.

I-90 Speed Limit

For the first time in four months, yesterday I drove on I-90 west from Elgin. I was surprised to find that the speed limit is now posted as 55MPH well past Randall Road and wondered why.

The speed limit used to be 55MPH until about 1/2-mile west of Randall Road, and then it changed to 65MPH. Now the 55MPH speed zone has been extended to about Milepost 29 1/4, which is really stupid.

Drivers pass under the Open Road Tolling,, very posh, worker overpass (what in the world did that creation cost???) and take off. Three lanes westbound crush into two lanes, with the right two lanes being for the Randall Road exit.

Speeds of 65-75MPH westbound from the Elgin cashbox are not uncommon. Lane-weaving is not uncommon, as drivers jockey for position to either continue west toward Rockford or exit at Randall Road.

What possible reason could there be for extending the 55MPH speed limit for another mile westbound from Randall Road? Did traffic engineers have any conceivable reason to believe that drivers would obey the lonely 55MPH sign?

If engineers and the Illinois State Police expect drivers to obey unreasonable speed limits, they should first post the speed limit adequately. That means enough signs and on both sides of the westbound roadway; i.e., not only on the outside shoulder, but on the inside shoulder.

Further, these speed limit signs should be "flagged" with orange flags installed atop the signs to draw a driver's attention to the speed limit signs.

And then the Illinois State Police should spend enough time there to attract attention and force drivers to slow down until the new habit is established.

PhotoRadar would be invaluable there, because it will work 24/7, rain-or-shine, and doesn't rely on an officer to run down a violator. Just mail the tickets!

Of course, a better solution would be to raise the speed limit back to 65MPH (and then enforce it with PhotoRadar).

Speeders Beware - $375 Fine!

The following press release of June 24, 2009, appears on the website of the Illinois State Police at isp.state.il.us

ISP, IDOT, and Tollway urge drivers to comply with posted speed limits

Photo Radar Vans Click to Capture Speeders in Work Zones

The Illinois State Police (ISP), alongside the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and Illinois Tollway want to remind motorists construction season is underway and warn that tough laws are in place to buckle down on speeders in work zones. Legislation that was signed into law back in 2004 targets drivers who flout work zone speed limits and endanger the lives of construction workers and other drivers. The enforcement of this legislation has been effective in reducing work zone fatalities by over 50 percent.

“Construction season is in full effect and we want to urge motorists to comply with the posted speed limits in all work zones. We want to send a message to motorists now to slow down in work zones,” IDOT Secretary Gary Hannig said. “If you are caught speeding in a work zone, at minimum you will be looking at a fine of $375, and while some may think that’s harsh, you cannot put a price on a life.”

The law states that first-time work zone speeders, including those caught on camera, will be hit with a fine of $375, with $125 of that sum going to pay off-duty State Troopers to provide added enforcement in construction or maintenance zones. Two-time offenders are subject to a $1,000 fine, including a $250 surcharge to hire Troopers, and the loss of their license for 90 days. Tickets received in a work zone require a mandatory court appearance.

This summer, 5 vans will be deployed across the state. The specially equipped vans are staffed
by specially trained ISP officers and can take photographs of drivers speeding in IDOT and Tollway construction and maintenance zones. Tickets are reviewed and approved by ISP and will be issued by mail to vehicle owners. The registered owner will not be liable if someone else is driving the vehicle. Businesses and rental companies are required to provide the driver information for any violations occurring with their vehicles. To date, over 8,000 citations have been issued across the state. In addition, drivers who hit a worker are subject for up to a $10,000 fine and 14 years in prison.

"As the work zone season is well underway, we want to remind motorists the importance of slowing down and staying alert when workers are present," said Illinois State Police Director Jonathan E. Monken. "In an effort to reduce fatalities and injuries, Troopers will be out in force strictly enforcing the 45 mile per hour work zone speed limit, both for the safety of construction workers and motorists. Drivers can expect to see aggressive enforcement with increased patrol cars, photo enforcement vans and motorcycle units to help save lives on our roadways during this construction season."

The work zone speeding crackdown is just one of the ways state transportation and law enforcement are working together to accomplish that goal. In 2003, there were 44 work zone traffic related fatalities with 5 workers killed; 2007 showed a consistent decrease resulting in 21 traffic related work zone fatalities with 2 workers killed.

“Enforcement efforts by Illinois State Police have played a critical role in keeping workers and motorists safe during the massive roadway rebuilding and widening projects underway on all of our Tollway, and the photo speed enforcement vans are a resource that drives home the message that speeding in construction work zones is unacceptable,” said Illinois Tollway Acting Executive Director Michael T. King. “Speeding, impatience, and driver inattention are the leading factors in work zone crashes, so we need drivers to slow down and stay alert in work zones for their own safety as well as our workers.”

Under the provisions of the Automated Traffic Control Systems in Highway Construction or Maintenance Zones Act of 2004, Illinois State Police were given the authority to use cameras to enforce work zone speed limits in cases where workers are present. It also requires that signs be posted when work zone speed limits are being enforced by camera.

IDOT and Tollway officials stress the importance of complying with work zone speed limits even when workers are not present because of the dangers posed by features such as narrow lanes, lane shifts, reduced shoulder width, obstructions and drop-offs. Most people do not realize that over 90 percent of Illinois’ traffic related work zone fatalities are motorists.

For more information regarding photo radar enforcement, log onto http://www.dot.il.gov/workzone/workzone5.html or telephone the ISP Public Information Office at 217-782-6637