E-ZPass
|
|
E-ZPass_logo.gif
E-ZPass logo
E-ZPass (Fast Lane in Massachusetts, Smart Tag in Virginia) is an electronic toll collection system used on several toll bridges and toll roads in the northeastern United States. Each state has its own billing and customer service center (CSC), and the CSCs are connected by a secure network (the "reciprocity network"). All of the states use the same technology, allowing travelers to use the same E-ZPass tag in multiple states. E-ZPass is usually offered as a debit account: tolls are deducted from prepayments made by the users. Users may opt to have prepayments automatically deposited when their account is low, or they may submit prepayments manually. When the E-ZPass network is complete, drivers with an E-ZPass tag will be able to drive toll roads from Maine to Virginia without stopping to give change to a toll collector.
E-ZPass tags are RFID transponders which communicate with equipment built into the toll collection lanes. The most common type of tag is mounted on the inside of the vehicle's windshield behind the rearview mirror. Some vehicles have windshields that block RFID signals. For those vehicles, an externally-mountable tag is offered, typically designed to attach to the vehicle's front license plate mounting points.
Many E-ZPass lanes have speed limits which require cars to slow down significantly (5 and 15 mph are typical) in both E-ZPass only and mixed toll lanes. In some areas, however, there is no need to slow down, E-ZPass users utilize dedicated traffic lanes ("E-ZPass Express") outside the toll booth.
List of E-ZPass Agencies
The following agencies accept E-ZPass at their toll facilities:
- Maine Turnpike Authority
- Massachusetts Turnpike Authority
- Massachusetts Port Authority
- New York State Thruway Authority
- Peace Bridge Authority (New York, US/Ontario, Canada)
- New York State Bridge Authority
- MTA Bridges & Tunnels (New York)
- Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
- New Jersey Turnpike Authority (includes Garden State Parkway)
- South Jersey Transportation Authority (New Jersey)
- Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission (New Jersey/Pennsylvania)
- Burlington County Bridge Commission (New Jersey/Pennsylvania)
- Delaware River Port Authority (New Jersey/Pennsylvania)
- Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission
- Delaware River and Bay Authority (Delaware/New Jersey)
- Delaware Department of Transportation (includes Delaware Turnpike and State Route 1)
- Maryland Transportation Authority
- West Virginia Turnpike
- Virginia Department of Transportation
- Dulles Greenway (Virginia)
The following agencies will be included in the E-ZPass system by the end of 2005:
- New Hampshire DOT - Bureau of Turnpikes (includes the Blue Star Turnpike, the Spaulding Turnpike, and the Everett Turnpike) [1] (http://www.state.nh.us/dot/turnpikes/pdf/EZPassUpdate.pdf)
- Illinois Tollway
- Richmond Metropolitan Authority (Virginia)
- Pocahontas Parkway Association (Virginia)
The following agencies are either implementing or considering the E-ZPass system:
- Indiana Department of Transportation [2] (http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2004-05-25-toll-system_x.htm)
- Ohio Turnpike Commission [3] (http://www.ohioturnpike.org/faq_index.html#EFAQ)
External links
- E-ZPass Interagency Group (IAG) (http://www.e-zpass.info/)
- E-ZPass Delaware (http://www.ezpassde.com/)
- E-ZPass Delaware River and Bay Authority (http://www.ezpassdrba.com)
- E-ZPass Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission (http://www.ezpassdrjtbc.com)
- E-ZPass Maine (http://www.ezpassmaineturnpike.com/)
- E-ZPass Maryland (http://www.m-tag.com/)
- Fast Lane Massachusetts (http://www.massturnpike.com/fastlane/)
- E-ZPass New Hampshire (http://www.state.nh.us/dot/turnpikes/ezpass.htm)
- E-ZPass New Jersey (http://www.ezpass.com/)
- E-ZPass New York (http://www.e-zpassny.com/)
- E-ZPass Peace Bridge (http://www.pbaezpass.com/)
- E-ZPass Pennsylvania Turnpike (http://www.paturnpike.com/ezpass/default.htm)
- Smart Tag Virginia (http://www.smart-tag.com/)
- E-ZPass West Virginia (http://www.wvturnpike.com/ezpass.html)