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The ICC: the Most Technologically Advanced Toll Highway in the U.S.
The Intercounty Connector (ICC) will be unique in that it is the only all-electronic toll road in the U.S that can collect tolls at highway speed. That’s right — there are absolutely no toll booths to collect money, so you don’t have to slow down to pay. The ICC will use the E-ZPass system, an electronic toll collection system. Many other U.S. toll roads already use E-ZPass nationwide, but drivers on those roads still have to slow down to about ten miles per hour or less for their E-ZPass to be read properly.
Can you imagine not dealing with the hassle of having long waits in traffic congestion to enter a toll highway? There is another all-electronic toll road collection system currently in place in western Canada, also the first of its kind.
How is electronic toll collection possible?
This high tech solution entails antennas “reading” the vehicle-mounted E-ZPass transponders and deducting the cost of the trip from the driver’s prepaid account. If the vehicle doesn’t have a transponder, cameras will take pictures of the vehicle’s license plate and the owner will receive a “Notice of Toll Due” in the mail along with a $3 surcharge.
The first stretch (7.2 miles) of the ICC will now open at 6AM Wednesday February 23. Until March 7, no tolls or surcharges will be collected. The remaining two stretches will open later this year and by spring of next year.
New E-ZPass offices are now open in Gaithersburg and Beltsville Maryland (MVA) for those who want to sign up. Toll prices have also been set, and they will vary depending on what time of day you pass through.
A word to the wise: you might want to stick to the speed limit as the E-ZPass antenna reads your transponder. If you zoom past at a higher speed than the posted speed limit, you could end up with a nasty speeding ticket. Happy driving!
The Power of Suggestion: Traffic Signs Could Relieve Gridlock; Alter Driving Behavior
What if we could help ease traffic congestion by merely installing traffic signs? Nothing fancy here. These signs would simply suggest a desired driver behavior to achieve a desired outcome: moving traffic along in a more expeditious manner.
Highways all over the country already have these. Imagine my awe as I rode past, staring at them with my mouth wide open as I had an “ah-ha moment.” There was a sign that blatantly said: “Steep Upgrade, Maintain Speed.” Wow, what an idea! A sign that strongly suggests that drivers hit the gas pedal to maintain speed because — pay attention now, this is deep — we are now driving on a steep incline on a highway, and in order to not slow the people down behind us, we need to STEP ON IT. What a novel idea! Why haven’t the transportation authorities in MD, VA, and D.C. metro area caught onto this??
Study explained traffic jams
Years ago, I remember watching a news story about a traffic study that explained why traffic jams and slowdowns occur on our highways. Among their conclusions were: (1) rubbernecking to see the source of a police stop; (2) rubbernecking due to a disabled car or accident; (3) sheer volume; (4) curvy highways; (5) hilly highways (the steeper the grade, the slower traffic gets); (6) construction and or repair.
We have many highways that are curved and are downright hilly in this area. I understand slowing down a little for curves in bad weather, but not to the degree that most people do. I’m quite sure they were built to accommodate highway speeds (at least during fair weather). But, for some reason, people don’t compensate for hills by simply accelerating. Guess they just feel that they don’t need to or are not paying enough attention to notice that their car is slowing down. I wouldn’t want to be a passenger in that car!
Wake up, people!
I believe that this problem could be helped just by strategically installing the right signage. Traffic merging onto I-95 North is always slow because there are two steep upgrades before you even get to Exit 33 Rt. 193. After this exit, traffic usually speeds up exponentially (with some exceptions, of course). I am convinced that merely suggesting that people accelerate to maintain their speed would go a long way to relieve congestion caused by hills. It’s worth a try!
Tell me…what do you think of this solution? Don’t be shy — leave a comment.