I was driving on the Mass Pike into Boston this morning, as were thousands of other cars. There was so much traffic on the pike that I began to wonder if maybe there was an accident further ahead. As I got a closer toward the $1.00 toll, with my $1.00 in hand, I realized the traffic buildup was not due to an accident, but due to so many people trying to move into the fast pass lane. The several lines for the fast pass lane were dreadfully long, and the few “cash only” lines were absolutely empty. I thought to myself: Even if I were a registered driver for fast pass, I would’ve still opted for the cash only lane this morning. With the majority of people intending to get somewhere faster in the morning, is the Fast Pass/EZ-Pass really making it faster and easier? I wonder if some of the morning commuters who already have a monthly fast-pass payment do occasionally pull out a dollar bill from their wallets just to save time…and frustration. OR, would it be easier to not be given a choice at all? This would certainly free up congestion that happens now when cars have to quickly shift into the appropriate fast pass or cash only lane.
Too many options are increasingly creating much of the congestion and confusion today. This same dilemma goes for snail mail versus Internet. As technology, society and the service industry all continue to get more innovative and efficient, will the outdated alternatives just create more overall confusion, indecision, and congestion? Maybe it would it be best if I signed up for the fast-pass device afterall and help free up the highway commute and facilitate steady, constant lanes without having the hesitation as to which lane to weave into at the onset of a toll.
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