As if the tolls arent bad enough, drivers on the Massachusetts Turnpike are far more likely to get ticketed than on any other highway in the state under a unique arrangement that dedicates an entire state police troop exclusively to the Pike.

A Herald analysis of state police ticket tallies over the past three years reveals highly uneven traffic enforcement with nearly a third of all tickets issued on the 138-mile toll highway.

"Am I surprised that they are trying to bilk more money out of the only commuters who have to pay a toll to go to work every day? Am I surprised that the state is trying to squeeze more money out of MetroWest?" Pike commuter Al Hamilton of Southboro said. "Not at all."

Patrolling only the Pike, state police Troop E wrote 213,670 citations over the past three years. The next most active unit, Troop C in central Massachusetts, issued 128,668 tickets over the same period, although its troopers are responsible for hundreds of miles of interstate and state highways.

State police spokesman Lt. Sharon Costine chalked up much of Troop Es towering ticket tally to extra patrols paid for by the Turnpike Authority and contractors. Other state police troops typically can afford to mount extra patrols only around holidays with state grant money, she said.

"Its not that we are not out there doing traffic safety on the other roads. We are," Costine said. "The Turnpike troops focus is completely on traffic because theyre not doing anything else."

That singular focus resulted in Troop E writing twice as many tickets as all but one other state police unit last year, figures show. The lopsided enforcement meanseither Pike drivers are unfairly targeted, or drivers on other highways are unfairly protected less.

Ivan Sever of the Massachusetts chapter of the National Motorists Association said he didnt see any reason other than financial why the Pike would need special police attention.

"Its not fair to other roads," he said. "Its not making other roads safer. Its singling out one road."

Anywhere else in the state, traffic fines imposed by staties are split evenly between the state and the community where the infraction occurred.

Not so on the Pike, where the Turnpike Authority pockets 80 percent of ticket revenue and the state gets the rest, spokeswoman Mariellen Burns said.

"We are entirely responsible for the cost of these troopers, and proudly so as they do an exemplary job of keeping our road one of the safest in the nation through their traffic enforcement strategies, which include a strong focus on trucking safety," Burns said.

The authority expects to spend $24.3 million to operate Troop E this year and collect about $5.2 million from the tickets they write.

© 2006 Copyright by the Boston Herald.