The Toll Machine Arrives

Often this blog touts the advancement of technology or the discovery of either a medical breakthrough or development of a machine that advances the lives of people the world over.

Not today.

It was on this date in 1954 that the very first toll machine made its debut at the Union Toll Plaza on New Jersey’s Garden State Parkway (figures). Motorists dropped a quarter into the mesh basket and then waited for the light to turn green. Now that’s progress. At least with a human being there, you knew that someone was employed, albeit in a mind-numbing job.

This great innovation in motoring occurred 14 years after the first toll highway appeared. The Pennsylvania Turnpike opened in 1940 to ease by three hours the travel time between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg. Motorists gladly forked over a few coins to save time and gas.

I hate toll roads. They are inefficient—and generally a pain in the rear. The Maine Turnpike opened with a promise to END the tolls once the road was paid for. Of course, the gravy train was too good to stop after the highway had been paid for—and now we are hostages to a system based on a lie.

The theory behind the toll is valid—have those who USE the road pay for it. However, after the road is constructed, the maintenance and upkeep cannot possibly be equal to the tolls we are compelled to pay to use it.

On Monday, I drove from Portland to Massachusetts. I paid a dollar to enter the Maine Turnpike, another 2 dollars to leave it at the York tollbooth—and then another 2 dollars to pass through the Seabrook toll booth in New Hampshire. FIVE bucks to drive less than 60 miles! Multiply that by the millions of cars traveling the Turnpike and we could be paving the road with gold bricks---and still have dough left over.

The advent of the Speedpass has made the pain a bit less—as it goes a lot faster—and, like using a credit card, there is a false and fleeting sense that it really isn’t costing you anything to travel.

For the most part, toll collectors are a friendly bunch, but speed isn’t a hallmark of the operation. Since they’ll be there for hours on end, they are in no hurry to make change. The worst is pulling up to witness an “across the lane” conversation between two toll collectors. Uh, HELLO!! Can I just pay my toll and move on?

I’m sure that the turnpike employees have their own stories to tell. From rude motorists (like me) to those asking directions to those engaged in embarrassing activities inside the vehicle, there must be some whoppers making the rounds at the annual Christmas party.

Perhaps the worst are those motorists not prepared to pay-including this motorist who decided to test the patience of the toll collector as a prank-check it out:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLW1JAVG81o


My Favorite toll booth scene is from the Mel Brooks movie “Blazing Saddles” . WARNING! There are a couple of “bad words” spoken here, so beware!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbWg-mozGsU

Now, THAT’S FUNNY!

It is clear that the future holds no job opportunities for toll collectors. Instead of having to purchase a “speedpass”—and hide it from theft, every car should have a transponder embedded that directs an invoice to the current holder of the registration. Tolls would be “taken” at high speed without any slowdown, there would be no toll collectors or even traditional toll booths. Cameras could still record violaters and the average toll could (and should) drop significantly.

As long as the toll COST were posted in enough advance mileage to allow exit from the road and the toll, it could be a far better system than the long lines to pay excessive tolls to drive on (often) inferior roads.

If you’d like my blog in your weekday box, let me know—NO TOLL associated! Tim.moore@citcomm.com

Happy Motoring!