BY BOB HOLT

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

The New Jersey Turnpike Authority is looking into the possibility of replacing human toll collectors with an electronic cashless system on the Garden State Parkway in 2013.

According to NorthJersey.com, a year-old agreement between the NJTA and its toll collectors’ unions stated that all toll collectors will lose their jobs by July 1, 2013, leaving the Turnpike Authority the option of privatizing the collections, or no longer accepting actual cash.

The agreement called for salaries of full-time toll collectors to drop from a high of $64,500, to $49,500 by July 1. New full-time collectors will be paid $12 an hour, or about $25,000 annually.

A spokesman for the South Jersey Transportation Authority said the organization will eliminate toll takers from the 47-mile Atlantic City Expressway with approval from Governor Christie’s office. He says there are 142 on the Garden State Parkway.

A cashless system would require drivers to buy an E-Z pass, or have a photo taken of their license plate, and receive a bill later. Reactions of drivers are mixed.

"It would take a lot of the congestion away from the parkway,” Carol Wanas told NBC40.net. “I think it would make the traffic flow so much better." But Don Smith said, "I'm not from this area but I wouldn't agree with it because we come down here a week at a time so why would I have an E–Zpass?"

Turnpike representatives believe the hardest aspect of the move would be collecting tolls from out of state motorists. CBS New York reports that is why there are no plans to eliminate cash toll collections on the New Jersey Turnpike.