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N.J. Rides the E-Z Road to Value Pricing

When the New Jersey Turnpike flipped on the switch for E-ZPass this fall, it made cashless travel possible on toll roads from Boston to Philadelphia. It also ushered in the largest experiment yet with tolls that vary by time of day.

When the New Jersey Turnpike flipped on the switch for E-ZPass this fall, it made cashless travel possible on toll roads from Boston to Philadelphia. It also ushered in the largest experiment yet with tolls that vary by time of day.

Transportation officials around the country will be watching to see if the turnpike's "value pricing" plan reduces traffic congestion. At the same time E-ZPass began, turnpike tolls rose by 20 percent. But drivers using the electronic toll-collection system can still pay the old toll rate on weekdays, if they travel outside of rush hour. The goal is to change commuting patterns to spread out traffic throughout the day.

Turnpike officials are hoping to ease the driving public into the idea of variable tolls. They know what happened in California, where HOV lanes that let drivers pay as much as $5 to bypass congestion were derided as "Lexus lanes." To counter that, the higher cost of driving at rush hour on the Jersey Turnpike amounts to only a dime or two for most trips. For now, officials hope that will keep at bay critics who might see the fare premium as unfair to low-income drivers. Although the difference is likely too small to have a great impact on driving behavior, Turnpike chief Edward Gross notes that, "if the differential was too significant initially, we'd run the risk of the public not being comfortable with it."

The plan would be nearly impossible to administer without the E-ZPass technology. The toll charged to E-ZPass users can be changed throughout the day electronically, while drivers paying in cash must use pre-printed tickets that impose the full fare all day.

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