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He told The Center Square he wanted to bring the measure forward
because drivers often aren’t made aware of the actual cost of a
toll until it's too late to turn around.
“You will see a sign that says ‘toll ahead’ or ‘paid toll,’ but
it does not define what the cost of that toll is going to be on
the majority of tollways,” McLaughlin said. “If you're going to
continue to charge us for the tolls, the least you should expect
would be to get an exact exact dollar amount before you enter a
toll point, and that's not happening today.”
McLaughlin said the proposed law may come at a small cost to
update and place new signage near tollways, but he said that
cost would come alongside the tollway already needing to update
signs if it approves a rate hike.
McLaughlin noted he doesn’t feel proposed toll increases, which
are set to be voted on by Illinois Tollway officials in the
coming months, are necessary right now. The increase would be 45
cents per toll for IPASS users and a 30% rate hike for
commercial IPASS users.
“To me this is just another opportunity to demand transparency
from those in Illinois that have a spending addiction, but have
a transparency problem and if you're going to hit up me and my
neighbors for these numbers, let us know in advance before we
enter into the toll,” McLaughlin said.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker last month defended the proposed
increase, noting that tolls have not increased since 2012 and
the tollway board is looking to maintain a balanced budget.
The proposed toll hike is part of Illinois Tollway’s $26.5
billion capital program aimed at strengthening maintenance in
improving traffic conditions over the next 15 years, according
to announcements by the board.
The board has multiple public meetings allowing residents to
share their thoughts on the hike, along with an online survey
for residents who can’t attend. The survey closes August 3,
before a likely final vote this fall.
According to recent reporting, Illinois has the fifth highest
tollway burden in the nation, behind Delaware, New York, New
Jersey and Pennsylvania.
McLaughlin said the bill should be filed in the coming days
after a drafted version is finalized.
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