National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Joins the State Attorneys General and Ad Council to Unveil New Public Service Advertising Campaign to Urge Young Adult Drivers to 'Stop the Texts' and 'Stop the Wrecks'

AAA Applauds Legislature on Passing Teen Driver Safety Bill

There is no public or political support for tolling Route 422 in Southeastern Pennsylvania, so why do a handful of Big Government Democrats keep beating a dead horse?

422 tolling plan doomed, so why keep pushing? - pottsmerc.com

Nearly 230 State-Owned Vehicles to be Offered at Aug. 15 Public Auction

State Police Leads Multi-Agency Motor Coach Enforcement Effort; 30 Motor Coaches Pulled From Service

Most Drivers With Cell Phones Use Them While Driving Even Though They Know It Is Unsafe; More Than One In Five Text While Driving

PA Statewide Hearings Set to Update 12-Year Transportation Program

PennDOT: Motorists' Survey Feedback Will Help Prioritize Safety Efforts

While the tolling proposal covers Route 422 from the Pottstown area to King of Prussia, Republican State Rep. David Maloney, whose 130th House District includes Route 422 in Berks County, is also opposed to the tolls.

PA State Rep. David Maloney - Local Legislators Speak Out Against 422 Tolling Plan

Five state representatives from legislative districts along Route 422 in Montgomery, Chester and Berks counties held a press conference Thursday afternoon along the busy highway to announce their opposition to a proposal to toll the four-lane highway. The lawmakers said the tolls would force traffic onto local roads and there is no guarantee that passenger rail service would ever be built to ease congestion on Route 422. The Republican lawmakers expressing opposition to the plan being pushed by Montgomery County Commissioner Joe Hoeffel and the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, include Reps. Tom Quigley, Mike Vereb, Warren Kampf, Marcy Toepel and David Maloney.

The man who will have a lot to say about whether Route 422 in Southeastern Pennsylvania ever becomes a toll road says any talk of tolling the highway is "premature."

Sen. John Rafferty Jr. (R-Montgomery), chairman of the powerful State Senate Transportation Committee, released the following statement Thursday regarding recent news accounts that Route 422 was being considered as a future toll road:

"There is no legislation pending in either the House or the Senate calling for the tolling of any specific roadways in Pennsylvania. And any thoughts or considerations of implementing tolling on any specific roads in the state to generate transportation funding are wholly premature. As chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, I have no plans to move anything adding tolling to Route 422 or any state roadway. In fact, we are currently in a holding pattern until the Governor's Transportation Funding Advisory Committee (TFAC) makes it recommendations later this summer. Even after that report is delivered, the Committee's recommendations are just suggested courses of action, not proposals that would necessarily become law."

Rafferty's 44th State Senate District includes many of the communities along the Route 422 corridor in Berks, Chester and Montgomery counties and it's unlikely any plan to toll Route 422 will gain traction without his support.

107 Trucks, 72 Drivers Placed Out of Service During Operation SAFE

Four Southeastern Pennsylvania state legislators will hold a press conference Thursday to discuss the proposed tolling of Route 422.

The feasibility study by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission supports a plan to toll the roadway between Pottstown and King of Prussia despite widespread opposition from area residents and lawmakers.

Four members of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from Montgomery and Chester counties will weigh in on the report's findings during a 2 p.m. press conference at the 422 Business Center in Oaks.

Participating in the event are Reps. Warren Kampf (R-Chester/Montgomery), Marcy Toepel (R-Montgomery), Tom Quigley (R-Montgomery) and Mike Vereb (R-Montgomery).

All four have expressed reservations in the past about tolling Route 422. (Rep. David Maloney, a Republican who represents parts of Berks County, is also opposed to the tolling plan but is not able to attend the press conference.)

For more about the tolling plan, check out this recent article in The Mercury.

PennDOT: Three Scenic Byway Projects Selected for Federal Funds

Barack Obama and Congressional Democrats keep trying to find new ways to take more of your money. The latest scheme is a vehicle-mile tax.

From an editorial in The Washington Times on why this new tax would hurt everyone

There's no such thing as a "nonuser" of the road network. America has 208 million licensed drivers out of a population of 240 million of driving age. Only a handful of people depend on the bicycles, buses and trolleys that meet with liberal approval. Everyone benefits from having food and other goods delivered by truck. Motorists are one of the most overtaxed groups in America, and the automobile has done more to enable this country's economic success than any other invention.

EDITORIAL: CBO's toll-road fib - Washington Times

Congested Roads Hitting Americans In the Pocketbook

PennDOT Announces $24.7 Million for Smart Transportation Projects in 41 Communities

State Police: Seven Killed, 264 Injured in Crashes During Holiday Travel Period

As someone who has been driving Pennsylvania roads for about 30 years, I beg to differ with a new survey that says the majority of Pennsylvania motorists consider themselves "safe drivers."

I suspect that 3,800 Pennsylvania drivers responded to the online survey conducted by PennDOT were fibbing on some of the questions.

I think Pennsylvania drivers are among the worst in the country.

And here's a telling statistic from the survey to back me up: Pennsylvania in 2009 had 35 percent more fatal crashes than New Jersey, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

And I think N.J. drivers are the worst in the nation. So what does that say about Pennsylvania drivers?

Survey: Pennsylvania Motorists Believe They Are Safe Drivers

A new website opposing the tolling of Route 422 has launched at http://www.stop422tolls.com/

The site is also critical of Democratic state Rep. Paul Drucker, who is the only Pennsylvania lawmaker so far to advocate tolling one of the busiest highways in the state.

Drucker is a freshman House member who represents the 157th District. Route 422 travels through some of the communities in the district.

The website includes an online petition asking visitors to oppose the tolling of Route 422.

From the home page:

Maybe State Rep. Paul Drucker believes we don't already pay enough taxes. Maybe State Rep. Paul Drucker believes traffic on Route 422 isn't bad enough already, and could use a few toll booths to slow things down a bit more. Maybe State Rep. Paul Drucker believes people who use Route 422 won’t mind paying for the privilege of driving on that road.