Jack Wagner Urges Safety Director Appointment

Wagner made the recommendation after his compliance audit found weaknesses in the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s collection and analysis of accident data, making it difficult to accurately assess the turnpike’s safety record.

Jack Wagner's audit also found that the Turnpike Commission wrote off over $2.6 million in the 2006-07 fiscal year, some of which represented fines from previous years, by collecting only a portion of unpaid tolls and fees from violators who used E-ZPass lanes without paying, an issue that was also found in the prior audit of the commission.

“The Pennsylvania Turnpike was America’s first superhighway in the 20th Century, and it remains one of the most important transportation corridors in our nation,” Wagner said. “The Turnpike Commission must do all that it can to make sure that the Pennsylvania Turnpike remains a safe and convenient roadway of choice for commercial and private travelers in the 21st Century.”

Wagner said the responsibility for roadway safety on the turnpike is dispersed to various internal and external groups with no single administrator designated to hold ultimate operational responsibility.

Jack Wagner noted that the Turnpike Commission’s collaborative safety structure had positive aspects, but that having the responsibility divided among so many groups without an in-charge safety director did not best protect taxpayers’ vested interests. Wagner said to improve turnpike operations, a lead administrator who is responsible for overall safety on the turnpike will best serve the public and ensure accountability for safety.

During the audit, which covered the period Jan. 1, 2003 to Dec. 31, 2005, the Turnpike Commission showed a positive safety record, but Wagner’s auditors found that the Turnpike Commission did not fully utilize accident information that was available for analysis. For example, data collected on individual accident reports used by all accident reporting entities statewide was not included in the commission’s accident database. Furthermore, the commission was unable to provide auditors with certain categories of information, data was incomplete and not always timely entered in the database, and the database itself had limited information sorting and retrieval capabilities.

Wagner’s audit also noted safety violations within the E-ZPass toll plazas. Wagner said the Turnpike Commission did not ensure that vehicles entering and exiting the turnpike toll plazas traveled at safe speeds. Although the commission had monitoring reports of the number of vehicles speeding through toll plazas, it did not issue sanctions to any of the violators.

In addition, Wagner’s audit found that roadway and traffic information on the commission’s Web site was not conveniently or easily accessed and it included links to other Web site addresses that were incorrect or no longer available. The audit also noted that the Turnpike Commission did not perform consistently in its dissemination of roadway and traffic information. For example, audit tests revealed that the Commission’s highway advisory radio and electronic message boards provided incorrect and misleading roadway and traffic information.

Wagner’s report identified five findings and made 27 recommendations to improve the operations of the Turnpike Commission, which include:

* Ensuring timely and complete entry of accident information into the accident database, and performing routine, standardized, systematic and documented accident trend analysis
* Improving the accuracy of Web site information and its monitoring of the highway advisory radio
* Monitoring and enforcing posted speed limits at toll plazas and assessing penalties for violators
* Lobbying the General Assembly for legislation to impose more meaningful penalties for E-ZPass toll violations, and also increase administrative fees to the statutory maximum of $35.

The Turnpike Commission was created in 1937, and is governed by five board members, one of whom is the Secretary of Transportation. Its roadway system extends 537 miles across Pennsylvania, and it is funded by multiple sources, including state and federal funds and revenues it generates from turnpike operations. The commission’s comprehensive annual financial report for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2007 values the turnpike infrastructure at $4.4 billion, less depreciation.

Wagner’s report is available in its entirety at www.auditorgen.state.pa.us.

Auditor General Jack Wagner is responsible for ensuring that all state money is spent legally and properly. He is the commonwealth’s elected independent fiscal watchdog, conducting financial audits, performance audits, and special investigations. The Department of the Auditor General conducts approximately 5,000 audits per year.

Source: By The Pennsylvania Department of Auditor General