Private Tollway Makes Its Debut Today in O.C. : Commuters on the Fast Track
America’s first fully automated toll road begins service today along the Riverside Freeway in Orange County. There are no tollbooths on the road, which has two lanes in each direction, and planners estimate that drivers can save 20 minutes each way on a trip that now takes an hour at prime commuting times. To use the road, drivers need transponders, which can be obtained by calling (800) 600-9191.
Automated Toll Collection
1) Transponder attached to lower inside left corner of windshield.
2) Motorists with transponders enter toll lanes at either end of tollway.
3) Overhead sensor reads vehicle’s transponder and deducts toll from prepaid account.
4) Car-poolers are verified by tollway workers at road’s midpoint.
5) Cameras record license numbers of cars without transponders; violators stopped by California Highway Patrol or ticketed by mail.
Eastbound toll Schedule
Westbound toll Schedule
Sources: Times reports, California Private Transportation Co.
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