According to the U.S. Department of Transportation's 2003 TransportationStatistics Annual Report, it takes 39% longer to make a rush hour trip inurban areas compared with the time it would take if traffic were flowing freely. Even though billions have been spent in transportation improvements over the past decade, resources and funding remain limited, and it willnot be possible to build our way out of traffic congestion. This articlelooks at one solution that could improve the existing roadways: removing a manmade obstacle, the tollbooth. Florida is testing a prototype installation of open-road tolling technology for future deployment. The open-road electronic toll collection or open road tolling (ORT) is gaining popularity as a possible means to increase throughput and funding at the same time. It takes just 16 milliseconds for the cameras, computer equipment, and electronic radio antennas to read and write to SunPass transponders as vehicles travel at highway speeds at the prototype installation under the Oakland Park Boulevard Bridge near Fort Lauderdale. This open-road tollingdemonstration site is the precursor to larger open road tolling installation being studied for implementation soon.
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