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Automation May Make Toll Roads More Common
bfwebster writes "Here in Denver, we have E-470, a toll section of the 470 beltway, that uses the usual transponder attached to your windshield. Fair enough, and I make use of it, particularly in driving to the airport. But they've just implemented new technology on E-470 that allows anyone to drive through the automated toll gates. If you don't have a transponder, it takes a photo of your license plate and sends a monthly bill to your house. As a result, the company that runs E-470 plans to close all human-staffed toll booths by mid-summer. And as an article in this morning's Rocky Mountain News notes, 'Such a system could be deployed on other roads, including some that motorists now use free. The result: a new source of money for highways and bridges badly in need of repair.' You can bet that legislators, mayors, and city councilpersons everywhere will see this as an even-better source of income than red-light cameras. You've been warned."
Wait a second, the 407 is clearly marked as a toll road and the existing highways that run parallel will take you to the same destination albeit with more congestion.. The motorist has a clear option that won't turn into a 18 hour delay.
What's being proposed in this story presents a far different scenerio where the motorist, if they want to avoid the toll road, will have to navigate through a whole bunch of sidestreet, county roads, red lights, lower speed limits, way different
We have had a toll Highway in Canada operating that way for the last 6-7 years. The 407 ETR. There are a lot of false plate issues as well as some clever devices that hide the plate while passing the camera.
It seems to be human nature to cheat the system