Maryland is one of the few states in the region that has to pay for two subway systems, and it creates conflicts.
The Washington, D.C., region is struggling to come up with a way to get Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia to develop a dedicated source of funding.
As you might imagine, this creates conflicts within the state as lawmakers in Annapolis try to figure out what to do and how to pay for it. Light Rail around here hasn?t been a smashing success, and that creates questions about how much more rail service can or will be added. Maryland officials are spending a great deal of money to fund projects in the Washington region, but for the most part, Baltimore has done well.
But nothing is sacrosanct, and the balance of spending could begin to tilt south very soon. There are big demands there, and those who live and work in and around Baltimore need to let their desires known before it?s too late.
E-ZPASS issues
Marc writes: “Your article on the flaw in the E-ZPass system is on the money. I’m sure you will get a ton of similar stories, but the numbers in my case are much greater than $65. When I lived in New Jersey, I became an E-ZPass customer. … My replenishment amount was $50 after the 90-day intro period. Several years later, my usage skyrocketed to $250 to $300 per month with an accurate automatic replenishment of $250.I moved to Maryland immediately after my last E-ZPass replenishment and rarely traveled toll roads. After seven months of sporadic use, my account finally needed to be replenished. The result? Not only did the replenishment amount not decrease according to my usage, but it actually doubled to $500! Fortunately, the automatic deduction was tied to a bank account that was closed when I move to Maryland. Goodbye New York E-ZPass, and hello Maryland E-ZPass and $50 replenishment. Based on stories like these, what can we do to protect our money, or is this simply a matter of paying to play?”
It would be very interesting to see what the various member agencies who participate in the E-ZPass program as part of the Interstate 95 Corridor Coalition receive each year in interest on these accounts. I?ll try to get that information from Maryland. It seems to me that there should be an appeal process whereby you can get your replenishment amount reduced if it?s too high. You might also try using the check method instead of the automatic deduction from your credit card.
Questions, comments, random musings? Write to [email protected].
