Maine to enforce toll plaza speed limits

PORTLAND – Safety complaints by toll collectors on the Maine Turnpike have set the stage for a state police crackdown on drivers of cars and trucks that speed through toll plazas.

“It’s pretty scary,” said Carol Maxfield, a veteran toll taker who said she has seen motorists dodge each other for open lanes and disregard 5 mph speed limit signs as they barely stop to pay the fee.

The speed problem accelerated after the Maine Turnpike Authority installed its Transpass system. More than 85,000 drivers have electronic devices on their dashboards that automatically deduct tolls from user accounts as they pass through toll plazas without having to stop.

“Under the old system, everybody had to stop and take a ticket or pay a toll, so it slowed things down quite a bit,” said Christopher Shaw, toll manager at exits 6 through 10.

The authority last week decided to raise the speed limit at tollbooths to 10 mph, which was seen as more realistic and more enforceable than 5 mph. The speed zone will extend 75 feet on either side of tollbooths.

Troopers equipped with laser speed detectors will be stationed inside random tollbooths.

When a speeder is spotted, the trooper will radio ahead to a trooper in a cruiser, who will be waiting to hand out a speeding ticket.

Serious accidents at tollbooths remain rare, officials said, but near misses and fender benders happen with some regularity. Still, the authority recognized the potential for serious injury, especially since drivers have grown more aggressive and the Transpass electronic toll system was introduced in 1997.

“Unfortunately, some Transpass users have taken our slogan, ‘Pay the toll on the roll,’ to the next level,” said Brian Ross, a toll supervisor who worked on the authority’s speed task force.

The authority learned of the toll collectors’ concern when it conducted a survey to learn how it could improve working conditions for turnpike employees.

State police are expected to begin enforcing the 10 mph limit late next month after warning signs are changed and the public has been fully informed.

Drivers interviewed at Exit 6A on Thursday said they wouldn’t mind the crackdown.

“It’s a good thing,” said Wanda Russell, 36, a frequent turnpike traveler who lives in Waterboro. Russell said she has seen some near accidents because people were driving too fast through toll plazas.