PENNSYLVANIA TURNPIKE Speed limit to be inforced in E-ZPass lanes

A digital sign erected at each E-ZPass toll gate shows drivers their speed.
HARRISBURG -- The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission will begin enforcing the 5 mph speed limit on the E-ZPass lanes on the state's turnpike system this summer.
E-ZPass, designed to speed up traffic flow at ticket booths by allowing passenger vehicles to be equipped with windshield tags that are read by a computer, uses specially designated lanes that don't require vehicles to come to a full stop.
It is now available at every gate on the turnpike.
The commission has made a couple of recent enhancements at the toll booths to alert E-ZPass customers to their speed as well as to the status of their E-ZPass accounts, said John Durbin, executive director.
There is an easily visible digital display that shows the vehicle's speed as it travels through the E-ZPass lane, he said, noting that the maximum is 5 mph and the state will begin enforcing it in the summer.
Safety of turnpike employees working toll booths is a major factor in the 5 mph limit, and the digital display will be a reminder to drivers who travel too fast through those lanes, Durbin said.
Feedback: The commission also has installed feedback signals that look like traffic lights with red, yellow and green lights to indicate the status of a customer's E-ZPass account.
Green indicates the tag has been read and the account is sound. Yellow means the account has a low balance and the customer should replenish that account. Red means the account is empty.
There are nearly 180,000 passenger vehicles enrolled in the program across the state, and trucks and buses will be added by the end of this year, Durbin said.
For information on the system, call (877) PENN-PASS or contact the commission's Web site at www.paturnpike.com.