You should go faster

By Steve Poftak
August 14th, 2009

(Ed. Note — Pioneer Institute urges compliance with all local, state, and federal laws.)

I used to be one of those people who crept through the Fast Lane readers, believing that it needed time to read my transponder. Then a gentleman who made part of the transponder’s insides informed me that they can read at very high speeds.

Meanwhile, State Auditor Joe DeNucci has found that a number of folks are being overcharged by the FastLane system.

Peter Samuel of Toll Road News looks into the issue and finds that, at low speeds in bumper-to-bumper traffic, the system can’t distinguish between the break between vehicles. What that means is that the person in the first car is getting charged for as many axles cross the sensor until the system reads a new, discrete car. And the person whose car is treated as the rear axles of that initial car isn’t paying anything.

So, the upshot is that you should drive through faster, leaving space between the vehicles.

Samuel notes that the overcharging problem, while not good, has a corresponding undercharge. Little solace to those overcharged, but the Turnpike is not getting rich. Also, the error rate (.096% of transactions) is within the standard specified in the contract.