Last Monday, five environmental and transportation reform groups asked Acting Governor Donald DiFrancesco, state legislators, to work with New Jersey's toll authorities to identify funds for the immediate installation of high-speed toll collection at selected plazas across the state. The call came two weeks after toll authorities began stricter enforcement of the existing 5mph speed limit for E-ZPass-only lanes, to the widespread frustration of drivers. 

"The toll plaza speed limit problem shows you can't improve tolls by strapping new technology into antiquated toll booths. It's the toll booths, stupid," said Janine Bauer, Executive Director of the Tri-State Transportation Campaign. The Campaign was joined by the NJ Environmental Lobby, NJ PIRG Citizen's Lobby, the NJ Environmental Federation, and the NJ chapter of the Sierra Club.

The groups put forward a variety of locations as potential sites for model high-speed toll lanes, including the NJ Turnpike's Exit 18 near the George Washington Bridge. The Garden State Parkway's Tom's River Plaza and Barnegat Plaza's were suggested due to their location on straight, flat portions of the highway. The Union Plaza and Raritan Plaza - two of the Parkway's highest volume plazas - could be retrofit or rebuilt as part of planned reconstruction of the Parkway/I-78 interchange and the Raritan River Bridge and its approaches, respectively. The New Jersey Turnpike has already installed the first high-speed toll facility in the state at Exit 6 and plans another at Exit 1 by the Delaware Bridge.

A high-speed E-ZPass lane can process 50% more cars per hour (1800 vehicles) than an E-ZPass-only lane in an old-style toll plaza (1200 vehicles). In fact, turning an E-ZPass-only lane in today's plazas into a high-speed lane would result in an improvement in toll collection speed on the same order as the Parkway's change from token-only lanes to E-ZPass lanes.

Crackdown Pits Stop & Go Tolls Against True Promise of E-ZPass - July 23, 2001

GSP Finishes E-ZPass Roll-out First, Lags Behind Pike in Innovation - September 25, 2000

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