Save Public Transportation News

HARRISBURG—Today PennPIRG released a paper outlining the potential problems of Turnpike privatization. PennPIRG is concerned that a turnpike sell-off would harm the long term financial health of the Commonwealth, while ceding public control of transportation planning. Governor Rendell has proposed privatizing the Pennsylvania turnpike as a way to fund road and bridge repair.

“The Pennsylvania Turnpike should be managed for the public interest, not private profit,” said Jim Swoyer, a public interest advocate with PennPIRG, “This is a major public resource, and decisions on what maintenance needs to be done, what safety standards must be observed, and what tolls to charge should all be made based on Pennsylvania’s needs, not a company’s profit margin.”

PennPIRG stressed that any potential deal must guarantee public participation, transparency, and high standards for safety and maintenance. In order to ensure that the Commonwealth will not be stuck with a bad deal, these and other conditions must be reflected in any authorization-to-negotiate law that the General Assembly enacts.

The Pennsylvania Public Interest Research Group (PennPIRG) is a non-profit consumer advocacy group representing 3,500 citizen members across the state. PennPIRG has offices in Philadelphia and Harrisburg. For more information, visit www.pennpirg.org