Today's New York Times features an article on electronic tolls (e.g. EZPass along the East Coast, FastTrak in the SF Bay Area). An economist determined that on average tolls increase 30% after electronic toll payment is installed. This should be no surprise to merchants and billers that already accept electronic payment – consumers spend more when they aren't physically handing over cash.

Read the whole article here (free subscription):

Technology Eases the Ride to Higher Tolls
By DAVID LEONHARDT
The New York Times
Published: July 4, 2007