New Jersey toll road authorities began stricter speed limit enforcement for E-ZPass lanes last Sunday, angering some motorists and eliciting calls for installation of high-speed toll plazas from transportation advocates. 

Drivers caught passing through lanes by electronic monitors on the NJ Turnpike, Garden State Parkway, and Atlantic City Expressway at speeds far above the 5 mph limit now will receive a warning by mail. After three warnings, drivers face a suspension of their E-ZPass account from 60 days up to a year for continued violations. The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey has said it will start a similar program on August 1st. 

The toll authorities presented the crackdown as a response to notable increases in crashes at plazas. According to the Star-Ledger and the Bergen Record, toll plaza crashes increased by 4.4% on the Turnpike and 33% on the Garden State Parkway after the first year of E-ZPass, though crashes dropped by 20% after Parkway lanes were made more uniform and visible. 

Transportation groups from the AAA to the Tri-State Transportation Campaign have called for the near-term reconstruction of selected NJ toll plazas to allow drivers to pass through at normal highway speeds. Operators of toll facilities in Illinois, Georgia, Oklahoma and Delaware have told the Campaign that accident rates were reduced after electronic, non-stop collection equipment and plazas were in place. High-speed facilities also process 50% more vehicles per hour than E-ZPass-only lanes fitted into old-style toll booths.

Regardless, a spokesperson for the New Jersey Turnpike told the Courier News last week that although a planned new toll plaza at Exit 1 will have non-stop capabilities, the agency would not retrofit existing plazas due to concerns over lane widths. The Port Authority hopes to retrofit toll plazas on approaches to the George Washington and Staten Island bridges once E-ZPass users make up 70-80% of daily traffic. High speed tolls are also being considered as a solution to the public outcry over plaza congestion on the Garden State Parkway by a task force convened by Acting Governor DiFrancesco (MTR #320). 

Another Toll Holiday Bid, Careful Language from DiFrancesco - June 4, 2001

Port Authority Steps Towards Non-Stop Tolls - April 16, 2001

Garden State Parkway Confirms E-ZPass Non-Stop Potential - July 17, 2000 

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