Chapter 1 • Introduction
1.2.2 FY 2023 Temporary Business Rule Changes On March 17, 2020 MDTA implemented systemwide cashless tolling until further notice like most other larger toll agencies in the United States that had the capability to do so. Permanent cashless tolling on all MDTA facilities was announced on August 6, 2020 to provide convenience for motorists, less engine idling for better fuel efficiency and reduced emissions, decreased congestion, and increased safety. Mailing of Notice of Toll Due (NOTD) video invoices was paused in March 2020 but was resumed in the fall of 2020. This resulted in a backlog of NOTD transactions. To assist customers having to pay these backlogged transactions, the MDTA board approved a customer assistance plan on February 24 th , 2022 which was effective immediately. This plan included a civil penalty waiver grace period and ceased referring toll bills to the Central Collection Unit (CCU) and MDOT Motor Vehicle Administration (MDOT MVA) temporarily. The customer assistance plan was terminated on December 14 th , 2022. Additionally, due to the customer assistance plan, civil penalties were not assessed on unpaid video invoices until after the termination of the customer assistance plan. Assessment of the $25 civil penalty resumed beginning December 14 th , 2022 for all unpaid video transactions, including those from video invoices issued prior to the expiration of the customer assistance plan. Normal civil penalty collection and enforcement measures such as tax intercept and motor vehicle registration hold/suspension are assumed for this forecast.
While all these video invoices have been mailed, these policy changes are important to recall when reviewing historical trends for collected transactions and revenue in Chapter 2.
1.2.3 Upcoming Toll Rate Changes There is no future toll rate change assumed for the forecasting period through FY 2035 on the Legacy System and Intercounty Connector. The only toll change assumed in the forecast presented in this report is the additional toll zone on the I-95 ETL northbound extension through MD 24. 1.3 Report Structure Chapter 2, Historical Traffic and Revenue Trends, provides a summary of historical trends and variations of traffic and revenue on the Legacy bridges, tunnels, and highways operated by the MDTA. Trends in different payment shares are also provided. Chapter 3, Socioeconomic Review, provides a summary of updated historical trends and forecasts of socioeconomic variables to provide the context for the traffic and revenue growth projections. The socioeconomic trend review consisted of data collection such as the compilation and updating of pertinent variables such as population, employment, income, gasoline prices, and real gross regional product from a number of public and private sources. These included the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), US Census, Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Maryland State Data Center (MD SDC), U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Woods & Poole Economics (W&P), and Moody’s Analytics (Moody’s).
Chapter 4, Forecasts by Facility, provides a summary of the underlying assumptions and methodology used in the traffic and revenue forecasting process. Also presented in this Chapter
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