Cashless Tolls May Be On The Horizon For New Tappan Zee Bridge
TARRYTOWN, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) - No cash, no coins, no problem - that's the plan for the toll plaza on the new Tappan Zee Bridge.
The Journal News reports that the New York State Thruway Authority is looking into a high-tech system of traffic cams and electronic tag readers.
Cashless tolls are designed to stop the delays caused when drivers are pulled over for trying to go through a toll plaza without any cash.
One driver said he supports the idea of cashless tolls following his recent headache.
"I didn't have any money or E-ZPass and I had to send a ticket into the state about a month ago. That'd be really convenient," the man told WCBS 880's John Metaxas.
Cashless Tolls May Be On The Horizon For New Tappan Zee Bridge
For those without E-ZPass, a picture of the license plate will be snapped and the car's owner will be mailed a bill for the toll.
Other drivers also think the proposal is a good idea.
"I think it'll be good, especially with the tolls going up. Oh God, nobody's going to have that kind of money," a driver told Metaxas.
"I think that it would keep the traffic moving. To have to wait to get your change, forget it. That's why E-ZPass is so good," said another driver.
But some commuters are not on board with the new toll plan.
"I already think it's a pain on the Henry Hudson [Parkway]," one driver told Metaxas. "They mail you a bill with a $25 fine on it. If you don't read the whole thing, you don't realize you only have to pay whatever it is on the Henry Hudson."
Rockland County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef has come out in support of the cashless tolls.
The aim is to implement the cashless tolls once the northern span of the new bridge is completed in three years, Metaxas reported. The Thruway Authority board would have to vote on the proposal before it could be implemented.
The Thruway Authority has given a green light for a tryout of the cashless tolls at the Yonkers and Harriman toll plazas, the Journal News reported.
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