![]() Energy Information Administration, 2016) In addition to the environmental and economic benefits, AET systems on average improve safety on the highways by eliminating up to 28% of the total number of accidents. (4) With idling times reduced, this saves 1800 to 7800 tons of CO 2 from being emitted into the atmosphere per year. It is expected that each year with AET that drivers will save over 280,00 hours of vehicle delays annually and 500 to 2500 gallons of gasoline per day. (4) While the state is saving money, drivers also receive benefits which include a price reduction (7%), decreased time in the car, reduced fuel costs from idling in traffic, and safer commutes. This savings is due mostly to the elimination of the manual collection process and the reduction in labor that is required to operate the AET system. (4) Although there is a high upfront cost to the AET there are many financial and non-financial benefits that will be shared by both the state and drivers.įinancially, the operating cost of the tolling system will decrease by an estimated $23M in its first year of operation. Installing and integrating the AET system, in the end, will cost roughly $474M, which includes construction of the gantries, “backoffice” and customer service centers, and demolition of the existing tolls. Figure 4 below shows a typical AET toll zone, in which a total of 16 AET gantries will replace the 24 existing toll plazas. AET is compatible with the current E-Z pass transponder for charging drivers and will also use license plate imaging to identify and bill (via mail) drivers without transponders. AET, unlike the E-Z pass system, is a fully automated tolling system that eliminates the need for collection stations. Unfortunately, most commuters use the Mass Pike to travel to and from work between the hours of 00 and will typically find themselves in traffic due to the manual toll process and are unable to use the ‘E-Z Pass Only’ lanes as seen below in Figure 3.Īlthough the E-Z Pass system was originally a step in the right direction to relieve traffic at the tolls, MassDOT needed to make improvements to the system to account for the high volume timeframes.Īs of October 28, 2016, Massachusetts rolled out its new AET system. Pathways to Just Digital Future Watch this tech inequality series featuring scholars, practitioners, & activistsįigure 2: Manual and Electronic Collection Operating Cost Comparison (4)įrom the drivers perspective, the E-Z Pass system drastically reduced wait times at the tolls, however there is a caveat and that is, the E-Z Pass only reduced wait times during low-medium volume traffic time frames. (3) Due to the additional process steps and labor requirements for cash collection of the manually operated tolls, the operating costs differed drastically, especially when compared to total revenue collected, and this is shown in Figure 2 below. The staffing needs for the manual process required 491 employees, whereas the electronic process required only 135 employees. The manual process was much more labor intensive not only at the toll booth but also for cash collection and included additional processing steps such as armored car service, counting rooms, auditing, cash control systems, and security. ![]() ![]() According to MassDOT, as of March 11, 2015, the Mass Pike consisted of 24 plazas with a total of 147 toll lanes, 77 of those lanes were staffed, and the other 70 were E-Z Pass. In 1998, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) installed an electronic tolling system known as Fast Lane, which later merged with E-Z Pass. Highway tolls have historically been a manual process, requiring drivers to come to a complete stop and pay operators during all hours of the day. The Massachusetts Turnpike (Mass Pike), in Figure 1 below, also known as I-90, has been collecting tolls since it first opened in 1957 on the premise of maintaining high quality roads.
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