Electronic Tolling Is Catching On

Virginia drivers are sure getting comfortable with the idea of electronic tolling, which is good news for proponents of toll funding for new highways - especially for former governor Gerald Baliles' pitch to set up 38 tolling stations on Virginia's interstates.

The Washington Post reports that the number of EZ-Pass transactions jumped from 118,000 last October to 646,000 in June. Transactions using Smart Tags rose by 1 million during the same period.

Says the Post: 'Officials said the rise in users is due to greater familiarity with the technology and the universal desire not to sit in traffic jams.

'The results of increased usage are "better operations of roads, drivers are certainly not sitting in traffic as much, and they're not creating more pollution or air quality issues," said Barbara Reese, chief financial officer for the Virginia Department of Transportation.

'Public enthusiasm for electronic tolls also bodes well for plans to build more toll roads in the Washington region. Virtually every major road being considered in Virginia and Maryland would have a toll, and the success of the roads would require collection of tolls without slowing traffic.'