Article Contributed on: 7/2/2009 3:36:27 PM
Drivers on E-470 are no longer able to dig in their pockets for cash or coins to pay the toll, as cash payments are no longer accepted.
The decision was made to stop cash toll collections because it was not cost effective, said Jo Snell, public information officer for E-470. The change went into effect July 4.
More than 70 percent of the drivers on E-470 currently pay electronically with an EXpressToll account, so staffing the toll booths, collecting the cash with armored cars, maintenance of the coin baskets and other toll plaza equipment was not worth the cost, Snell said.
In addition, the majority of accidents on E-470 occur in the toll plazas, when drivers are merging or changing lanes, so non-stop tolling will reduce the number of fender-benders in cash lanes, Snell said.
"It is also environmentally-friendly because there won't be stop-and-go traffic or cars idling in the cash lanes," she said.
Drivers have the option of paying with EXpressToll or with license plate toll.
EXpressToll customers receive a vehicle-mounted transponder that attaches to either the inside of the windshield or to the front bumper. Tolls are automatically deducted from the pre-paid EXpressToll account.
If a driver does not have an EXpressToll account, they can drive non-stop and will be billed later, Snell said. A camera takes a photo of the car's front and back license plates. A month later, the registered owner of the vehicle will get a bill in the mail for all tolls incurred during that period.
If the bill is not paid within 30 days, the unpaid transactions will become toll violations.
The license plate tolling was introduced on Jan. 1 of this year, Snell said. Currently, 73 percent of E-470 drivers use EXpressToll, 19 percent pay cash and 8 percent use license plate toll.
Snell said the hope is that with the switch, more people will sign up for EXpressToll, which offers a discounted toll rate to customers. For more information, go to www.expresstoll.com.
E-470 is a 47-mile toll highway that runs along the eastern perimeter of the Denver metro area from C-470 at I-25 in Douglas County, through Aurora and ending just south of 160th Avenue.