Emergency vehicles don't pay TxDOT tollways - Except in Austin!

Standard for Central Texas is stricter than policies on other Texas toll roads.

Austin police, fire and emergency medical vehicles will have to pay tolls on Central Texas' three existing turnpikes unless they are pursuing a suspect or responding to an emergency, the Texas Transportation Commission decided today.

The policy for other Texas Department of Transportation tollways around the state will be more forgiving for public safety vehicles, allowing them to use turnpikes toll-free if they are "on duty."

The tougher policy in Central Texas is due to binding promises made to investors in 2002 when the Transportation Department issued $2.2 billion in bonds to build Texas 130, Texas 45 North and the Loop 1 extension. About 41 miles of what will eventually be 66 miles of those three roads opened last fall.

In other business, the commission approved so-called "video tolling" for the three Austin toll roads and set the toll rates at 33 percent above the charge for vehicles with toll tags. Drivers will be able to drive through toll tag lanes and receive a bill in the mail; the charge would be 60 cents for the typical exit or entrance ramp charge, compared with 45 cents for toll tag customers and 50 cents for cash customers.

Full article at www.statesman.com

Commissioners were reluctant, saying they didn't want to follow the example of the North Texas Tollway Authority, a Plano agency that controls other Dallas-area toll roads. Critics have said the agency's giving out freebie TollTags to elected officials has potentially lost it more than $1 million in toll revenue.

The commission will decide April 27 whether to allow free police and fire vehicle traffic permanently.

Read this article at www.dfw.com.

another article...... www.news8austin.com

Emergency vehicles driven on toll roads operated by the Texas Department of Transportation won't have to pay as part of a test run.