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E-ZPass start exquisitely botched in Ohio - lane imbalances, mis-signing
E-ZPass electronic tolling 
off to a rough start on the Ohio Turnpike this week with mismatches between lane allocations and traffic, and motorist confusion about signs. Rather than speed throughput at the toll plazas there were longer queues than normal. The last major toll authority in the US to implement electronic tolling seems to have been unable to learn lessons from others that managed much smoother transitions 1995 to 2005.
The adage Keep It Simple, One Thing at a Time wasn't heard in Ohio.
Instead Thursday October 1 they had a cash toll hike plus the startup of electronic tolling simultaneously.
And they grossly overestimated first day uptake of electronic transponders.
Initial lane allocations were based on an estimate that first day penetration of E-ZPass transponders would be 30% of traffic.
The actual percentage Thursday, Day One, turned out to be about 10%, officials said.
E-ZPass Only lanes went unused while traffic backed up at cash lanes.
Plaza superintendents scrambled to change lane modes.
At first they changed dedicated E-ZPass transponder lanes to mixed mode.
Sign confusion
Then there was sign confusion.
Mixed mode lanes signed everywhere else in Inter Agency Group country CASH/E-ZPass in Ohio were signed TICKETS/E-ZPass which apparently led many cash-paying motorists not to understand they could use the lanes.
So the mixed mode lanes went underused while traffic queues grew at the cash lanes.
The Turnpike Commission apparently felt they couldn't call the non-E-ZPass lanes CASH because they have payment machines that not only accept cash, but also credit/cards.
Quickly fixable, soon forgotten
Good news was that the toll equipment and systems apparently worked well at the technical level, and that all the management missteps are fixable. Reports are by Friday traffic was moving much better. This time next year the opening day's problems will be forgotten.
see
TOLLROADSnews 2009-10-02
