Zakim Bridge lights go back on; Pike announces traffic-easing changes

"Officials said the turnpike will now pay overtime for toll collectors to fill empty shifts on holiday weekends and other times heavy traffic is expected, even though toll takers earn $55 per hour on holidays."

You have to be kidding me! $55/hour to take tolls? Has the state lost it's mind??

$55 an hour....why oh why did I go to college.

Wow. $55/hour seems like an awful lot, considering the nature of the job.

$55/hour??????? Are you kidding me?????? Unions are helping to ruin our economy!!!!

Are you kidding me? $55/hr. for a toll collector?? What a joke, no wonder the Turnpike Authority is under water. I know its overtime, but still, it works out to almost $115,000 a year if it was a full time job. Even if it was HALF that, its absurd.

17 workers who called in sick.!! This appears to be much of the problem.

Le Bovine should still be fired for his earlier remarks. And, every Easter toll-taker without a doctor's note- FIRED. And, not a note from a Union doctor, like the Boston firefighter-body-builder.

Le Bovine should still be fired for his earlier remarks. And, every Easter toll-taker without a doctor's note- FIRED. And, not a note from a Union doctor, like the Boston firefighter-body-builder.

"...e ven though toll takers earn $55 per hour on holidays."

Nice, for an unskilled job.

"The move, which will be debated at a Wednesday meeting of the turnpike board, will cost the agency $6 million a year but will reduce congestion at toll booths by spurring more drivers to acquire the devices, which allow electronic toll collection."

Mor cars on the road - more pollution; more congestion; more sedentary people. Why not leave the system as is, and get people on the T?

BOSTON GLOBE WROTE: "Zakim Bridge lights go back on"

When do the lights go back on for the Democrats running this state?

There are plenty of people who are willing to work for less, much less, than
$55. What kind deal is it Turnpike Authority making with the work union? It is \
about time to do something about the nonsense!

Tolls are an insult to us drivers who already pay gasoline and other taxes to maintain our roads. It's not so much the expense, but the inconvenience and total and utter lack of consideration given to us by people whose salaries are paid BY US.

ABOLISH ALL TOLLS !!!

$55 per hour.

To stick your hand out and gruffly collect a buck.

(Something a trained gorilla could do for a bushel of bananas.)

Only in Massachusetts.

Again ... how do they let 17 collectors get away with calling in sick on a holiday? Enough said.

$55 an hour?!?! Seriously... $55 an hour?!?! Is no one addressing that as being a root cause behind this nightmare?!?!?!?! $55 an hour to make change? What is wrong with this state that we still allow this to continue? Ooooh... but its a UNION... we have to give salary and benefits unheard of anywhere to them because its a UNION, and our elected officials need their support to get re-elected so they can do more for the well connected people that are part of the UNIONS... I had to work in the private sector on holidays... and I didn't get my wage bumped at all, never mind to $55 an hour. Un-freaking-believable. I can't wait to get out of this ridiculous joke of a state.

In Maine, the transponders are $25 or $30 per car, depending on the mount you choose. Why should we in MA complain about .50 cents per month?! That's peanuts compared to the time you save using them!

The lights are back on because the Turnpike Authority got severely criticized about what a stupid idea it was to turn the lights off. Saving $5,000 a month wasn't worth the loss of what those lights represented for the city of Boston esp in these tough times. LeBovidge just doesn't get it and should be replaced or, at the very least, take some lessons in public relations.

Pardon me? How about "Toll takers will report to work on Holiday shifts or be fired. The only excuse will be a written note from a doctor".

This is incredible.

Appease the populace for a few weeks and maintain the inept leadership. What a surprise!

Replace LeBovidge and all of the Turnpike Directors. If employees don't get the message and improve performance, work your way down the line.

Politicians protecting them by pretending they have no authority will be replaced until someone do the job they were elected to do.

I voted for Question #1....did you?

Welcome to Mafia-chusetts!

I think everyone in this state would agree $55 an hour is an outragous amount of money. Toll collecters shouldn't be making more than scientists and engineers. Unions are the reason our taxes are so out of control. Kick out the union workers and replace them with high school and college kids.

$55 /hr? WHAT? That is crazy!! I have an idea, next time 17 people call in sick, replace them with someone who would love the job for half the money. I think it's pretty obvious who the problem is.. the Union. Probably closely related to the one that drove GM into the ground.

Union Guy Speaks
I am a guy that has a Union Job. Easter is not a Holiday. Easter happens to fall on a Sunday, which means a sunday premium SHALL be paid. You guys that went to college (paid by your parents or Govt. loans) probably never worked a Sunday, let alone a holy day like Easter,Christmas and other non christian holydays. If you are complaining about someone making 55 bucks an hour on Easter sunday...shame on you. You are probably loosing your job . My suggestion is when you are laid off, get organized, and find a job to support your family. A job with a collective baargaininga greement. I am going to watch the bruins/montreal game now ........mike

Dear Governor,
Thanks for listening to my letter.
-Registered Voter

They are STILL not seeing the issues here:
1. It's NOT the $0.50/mo that creates the resistance to buying the transponder. It's the act itself of getting the thing and sticking to their windshield for someone who uses the turnpike maybe 5 times a year or someone from out of state who isn't aware of the traffic issues. There are cheaper options available already like EZ-PASS. It's NOT THE PRICE as already stated by BAROQUE.
2. I don't know WHAT kind of traffic engineers are designing the layout of the Fast Lane versus the cash lanes. All I know is that eastbound, the move of the cash lanes to the right from the left has causes major problems at the 128/95 tolls because those of us with transponders KNEW to move to the right just after those in the right lane Exit for 128/95, and we glide right into the Fast Lane booths while those without transponders who typically are driving in the left and middle lanes stay left. The move of the cash booths to the right has caused major traffic jams on days when there typically was no traffic. It's very simplistic to think "oh yeah, Fast Lane people will be on the left". This is not the case here.

I actually thought it was a great idea to save $5,000 a month and not waste all that electricity just to decoratively light the bridge. I was a little shocked that so much energy was used for that purpose. I'm glad they are at least researching lower energy lighting, that's a bit of a no-brainer... I would however like to go on record as thinking it's perfectly fine if the bridge is a little more dimly lit if it means we aren't wasting tens of thousands a year... The city doesn't need to be lit up like Vegas to look nice people!

Call the PIGS at Mass Pike Teamsters Local 127 at 617-328-7441, these are the pigs who are taking us hostage, who have misled the state into a contract where these PIGS can make $55 an hour to make change. Tell these PIGS that they are a drain to society, a drain to our economy, and their PIG union along with the rest of the corrupt unions (mbta anyone? paying someone to watch an abandoned building?) that they are the reason our economy is in the cr4apper. REVOLUTION NOW - BUST THE UNIONS

Hey Union Guy - salaried workers work many extra hours and days, including Sundays and on holidays. We work because we have a sense of personal and professional responsibility to do our job, not for more money. If you wonder why there is so much negatitivity towards unions, the entitlement attitude you so casually expressed is the reason.
btw - No one will be loosing a job, but some people might be losing their job.

I do not know why we do not protest. Quite seriously - We march on the state house for everything but not for union abuses. in 100 years taxpayers have never stood up to the unions. No one reads these. Newspapers and TV LOVE protests - why we didnt protest ON the pike itself back a few months was stupid. We should ALL protest ON the pike it self. STOP traffic - get national attention placards that broadcast the unions wages. The unfair tax on the western burbs to pay for the northern burbs project.
We need to protest ON the pike at the Allston tolls. who will join me?

i can not believe with the economy being so bad people are concerned about
lights on a bridge . even with private donations's the light's should stay off.
there are better reason's to donate money when people are losing job's and homes .why not help people out instead of light's on a stupid bridge.
and it is a stupid bridge.