How to Navigate Cashless Tolls
Your guide to navigating this change in holiday travel
When crossing bridges or simply traveling along the highway in New York State, paying the toll is an unfortunate but necessary occurrence. However with the advent of new cashless tolls, Governor Andrew Cuomo is aiming to reduce the inconvenience.
Calling the state’s roads “some of the most congested in the nation” in an MTA press release last month, Governor Cuomo announced the initiative for cashless tolls to reduce both congestion and pollution. Already, cashless tolling is in place for vehicles crossing the Tappan Zee Bridge. Other bridges will receive the upgrade starting in January, with all MTA-operated bridges featuring cashless tolls by the end of next year.
Presently, there are no plans to implement the system for the Mid-Hudson Bridge or any other bridges in the Hudson Valley area. That may change as time goes on, though, as cashless tolls appear to be a growing nationwide trend. Already, it is used for 35 tolls across the country including the Golden Gate Bridge, according to the New York Thruway Authority.
But what does cashless tolling really mean?
With many drivers already using the E-Zpass system to get through tolls, this may not appear to be a huge change. On the contrary, automatic cashless tolls eliminate the need to slow down for tolls at all.
Instead of the individual lanes as shown in the image above, the tolling system will be suspended above the road as shown here. No longer will vehicles have to choose a lane depending on how they are paying and then slow down to 5mph, even with an E-Zpass. These systems will be able to register an E-Zpass with cars going at highway speeds, so there is no disruption to the drive. In addition, there will be no need to switch lanes.
For drivers planning to pay with cash, though, the new system may make things more inconvenient instead of less. When a car passes through the toll without an E-Zpass, the system will capture the license plate and mail a bill for the toll’s amount to the registered owner of the car. The owner can then pay the toll by going to tollsbymailny.com.
Therefore, the initiative appears to also be an effort to persuade more drivers to put E-Zpasses in their vehicles. E-Zpass holders already pay a smaller toll — $1.25 on the Mid-Hudson Bridge, for example, as opposed to $1.50 for cash.
An E-Zpass is a small white box that attaches to the top of a car’s windshield. Drivers add money to an account that can be linked to multiple license plates, and when the car goes through a toll the money is automatically deducted. Purchasing an E-Zpass can be done by going here.
Getting rid of traffic is something everyone can agree on, and hopefully the new cashless toll system will help achieve that.
