Discounted tolls for carpoolers and frequent users have been proposed in a bill filed yesterday in response to planned Massachusetts Turnpike toll hikes.
The bill would also reinstate tolls for out-of-state drivers on the westernmost reaches of the highway that runs from the New York border to Boston.
``This bill would give commuters and those who frequently travel through the tolls affordable and viable discount programs to offset the high costs of toll hikes,'' said the bill's sponsor, state Sen. Frederick Berry (D-Peabody).
The three-member Turnpike Board is expected to vote by the end of the month on a proposal to hike tolls from 50 cents to $1 on the Turnpike from Route 128 to the Allston/Brighton tolls starting in January. Tunnel and bridge tolls would also increase.
The higher tolls would go to pay off Turnpike bonds taken out to fund the $14.5 billion Big Dig. The plan anticipates additional toll increases of about 20 percent every six years. ``It's an interesting set of ideas and it comes as the Turnpike Authority is starting to review a study on a variety of toll discount options,'' Turnpike spokesman Bob Bliss said.
That study, requested by acting Gov. Jane Swift, looks at the possibility of offering discounts based on how often drivers use the road, where they live and what time of day they drive.