12/23/04-Gov. Bob Taft signed legislation Wednesday, Dec. 22, to fund lower tolls for large trucks on the Ohio Turnpike.
The new toll rates could take effect as early as Jan. 1.
Reductions will vary from about 2 percent for Class 4 trucks to 57 percent for Class 9 trucks.
For Class 8 trucks, the toll to travel the length of the 241-mile route between Indiana and Pennsylvania will drop from $42.45 to $31 to cross the state.
The lower tolls are a rollback of the increases that took effect in 1999, leading truck traffic to spill over to smaller roads.
The new law – previously HB406 – authorizes the Ohio Department of Transportation to make a one-time payment of $23.4 million to the Turnpike Commission to offset lost revenue that may result from the temporary change, which is scheduled to last until summer 2006.
Taft sought the reduction, along with an increase in truck speed limits from 55 mph to 65 mph along the turnpike, as part of a plan to steer trucks off overloaded two-lane roads and back onto the toll road.
The new law also allows the commission to decrease toll rates without holding a public hearing.
State law now requires at least three public hearings and a public comment period of 90 days preceding toll changes.
In addition, the measure bans the use or possession of devices used to change some traffic signals from red to green. Violators could face up to six months in prison.
The portable signal pre-emption devices are intended to allow police, fire and other emergency officials to clear intersections before they approach, but are commonly sold on the Internet and catalogs.

12/22/04-State lawmakers have forwarded a measure to Gov. Bob Taft to ban the use or possession of devices used to change some traffic signals from red to green.
The portable signal pre-emption devices are intended to allow police, fire and other emergency officials to clear intersections before they approach.
Anyone found using the device could face up to six months in prison while anyone in possession of a device could face up to 30 days in jail.
Provisions added to HB406 in the Senate would fund lower tolls for large trucks on the Ohio Turnpike.
The new toll rates could take effect as early as Jan. 1.
Reductions will vary from about 2 percent for Class 4 trucks to 57 percent for Class 9 trucks.
For Class 8 trucks, the toll to travel the length of the 241-mile route between Indiana and Pennsylvania will drop from $42.45 to $31 to cross the state.
The lower tolls are a rollback of the increases that took effect in 1999, leading truck traffic to spill over to smaller roads.
The bill would authorize the Ohio Department of Transportation to make a one-time payment of $23.4 million to the Turnpike Commission to offset lost revenue that may result from the temporary change, which is scheduled to last until summer 2006.
Taft sought the reduction, along with an increase in truck speed limits from 55 mph to 65 mph along the turnpike, as part of a plan to steer trucks off overloaded two-lane roads and back onto the toll road.
HB406 would also allow the commission to decrease toll rates without holding a public hearing.
State law now requires at least three public hearings and a public comment period of 90 days preceding toll changes.
For bill status, call (614) 466-8842. In Ohio, call 1-800-282-0253.

12/13/04-Senators have forwarded legislation that would prohibit a device that can change some traffic signals from red to green.
The bill has been sent back to the House for final approval before heading to Gov. Bob Taft.
A traffic-light changer is designed to allow police, fire and other emergency officials to clear intersections before they approach. But some impatient drivers have managed to purchase them on the Internet.
HB406, sponsored by Rep. Jeff Wagner, R-Sycamore, would ban the possession or use of so-called mobile infrared transmitters, or MIRT, by anyone other than public safety officers.
Under the proposal, unauthorized possession of the device could result in a fine up to $250 and 30 days in jail. Using it could cost the offender as much as $1,000 with six months in prison.
The devices, which sit on a vehicle’s dash, are not regulated by current federal standards because they rely on a beam of light instead of a radio wave to trigger the light-changing mechanisms that have been attached to some intersections.
A recent U.S. Department of Transportation survey showed the devices are in use at 26,500 intersections in 78 cities across the country.
For bill status, call (614) 466-8842. In Ohio, call 1-800-282-0253.

5/19/04-The House passed a bill that would prohibit a device that can change some traffic signals from red to green.
A traffic-light changer is designed to allow police, fire and other emergency officials to clear intersections before they approach. But some impatient drivers have managed to purchase them on the Internet.
People can even buy kits and build the signal changer themselves.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Jeff Wagner, R-Sycamore, would ban the possession or use of so-called mobile infrared transmitters, or MIRT, by anyone other than public safety and transit agencies.
Under the proposal, unauthorized possession of the device could result in a fine up to $250 and 30 days in jail. Using it could cost the offender as much as $1,000 with six months in prison.
The devices, which sit on a vehicle’s dash, are not regulated by current federal standards because they rely on a beam of light instead of a radio wave to trigger the light-changing mechanisms that have been attached to some intersections.
A recent U.S. Department of Transportation survey showed the devices are in use at 26,500 intersections in 78 cities across the country.
HB406 is in the Senate Highways and Transportation Committee.
For bill status, call (614) 466-8842. In Ohio, call 1-800-282-0253.

4/20/04-Rep. Jeff Wagner, R-Sycamore, has introduced a measure that would prohibit a device that can change some traffic signals from red to green.
A traffic-light changer is designed to allow police, fire and other emergency officials to clear intersections before they approach. But some impatient drivers have managed to purchase them on the Internet for as low as $100, according to published reports.
People can even buy kits and build the signal changer themselves.
HB406 is intended to deter anyone other than public safety and transit agencies from using the so-called mobile infrared transmitters, or MIRT.
Under the bill, unauthorized use could result in a fine of not more than $1,000, while simply possessing a device could cost violators $250.
The devices, which sit on a vehicle’s dash, are not regulated by current federal standards because they rely on a beam of light instead of a radio wave to trigger the light-changing mechanisms that have been attached to some intersections.
A recent U.S. Department of Transportation survey showed the devices are in use at 26,500 intersections in 78 cities across the country.
For bill status, call (614) 466-8842. In Ohio, call 1-800-282-0253.