1618                             Joint Resolutions

The commutation rate is 35¢ for the car and driver. The maximum
truck rate on the Bay Bridge is $5.50 $5.00.

It has been proposed that the toll rate per passenger vehicle (in-
cluding driver and all passengers) in the Patapsco River Tunnel will
be 35¢, and that the highest truck rate will be 75¢.

When all these figures are compiled in tabular form, the inequities
clearly appear:

Passenger Cars Trucks (Maximum)
Length           Commu-              Commu-

Facility                 Cost (miles) Toll tation Toll tation

Potomac ........ $ 5,600,000 2 $1.00 50¢ $2.50 None

Susquehanna.. 4,700,000 1½ 0.20 1¢           .40 30¢

Chesapeake ... 45,300,000 7 1.40 35¢         $5.50 None

5.00
Patapsco ....... 144,000,000 15         .35 None           .75 None

The members of the General Assembly would point out two main
faults in the schedule of toll fees. First, traffic estimates for the
use of the bridges and tunnel were very conservative, and the volume
of traffic using the several facilities has been far above the original
estimates. Probably, therefore, all these tolls could have been set
at a lower figure in the first instance.

Secondly, the amount of tolls charged for the use of the several
projects now is seriously unjust and inequitable. Note, for example,
the very low toll charge which is planned for the Patapsco River
Tunnel, although it is twice as long and is costing four times as much
as the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

We fully appreciate that the toll facilities have been constructed
with borrowed funds and that the investment of the bondholders may
not be impaired. We point out, however, that so long as the total
receipts from all four facilities remain constant, modifications may
be made among the individual fees.

Clearly, users of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge are subject to dis-
crimination. Not only is the toll charge for passenger vehicles four
times as great as for the Patapsco Tunnel, but the commutation rate
—which is of such high importance for local users—is clearly in-
ordinately high in comparison with the commutation rate on the
Susquehanna River Bridge. It may be noted also that the maximum
truck rate on the Bay Bridge is $5.50 $5.00, and there is no commuta-
tion rate; these figures likewise are far out of line with those for the
Susquehanna River Bridge where the maximum toll charge is 40¢
and the commutation charge is 30¢.

These comparative figures have a very real and serious implication
for many parts of the State. It appears that citizens of the State
who use the Chesapeake Bay Bridge are bearing a far heavier burden
in terms of toll charges than are other residents of the State.

It is, therefore, the considered judgment of the General Assembly
of Maryland that the State Roads Commission immediately should
undertake a complete and thorough re-survey and revision of the
toll charges—actual and planned—on the four toll facilities operated
by it; now, therefore, be it