Blinding Lights: The New AC Expressway E-ZPass Problem

Many of us down here in South Jersey make the drive back and forth from Atlantic and Cape May County to Philadelphia.

Maybe it's for a sporting event, or to visit your son or daughter at college, for work, or to go shopping.

Another thing many of us have an issue with is driving at night.  The glare from the oncoming traffic from cars in the opposite lane is very intense for many drivers, making me sing the old Manford Man song, "Blinded By The Light," when going through.

I made the drive home on Friday night, and it made me wonder: Is anyone else having the same issue I am having with the new E-ZPass overhead gantries, a new cashless all-electronic tolling system that began earlier this year?

You probably have noticed the gantries; they are the new steel structures that span over the roadway, replacing the toll booths.

11 Gantries, 11 Headaches

Overall, there are 11 gantries that you'll pass through if you go from start to finish on the Atlantic City Expressway. The lights are very bright and very intense.

As I was driving home from my cousin's wedding, which was in Philadelphia, on the way home from Philly to the Jersey Shore, these gantries are so bright that they give me a headache.

The "Days of Thunder" Commute

I felt like I was in the movie Days of Thunder with Tom Cruise, who plays NASCAR driver Cole Trickle. In one scene, Trickle is apprehensive about driving through the smoke of a car crash, but his pit crew asks him to trust them.  Trickle closes his eyes and just hopes for the best, coming out safe on the other side.

Whenever I approach these gantries, I have to close my eyes and hope for the best. The bright lights are so intense that I can't drive through without it blinding me for a few seconds after passing.

A Plea to E-ZPass: Dim the Lights

So, E-ZPass, I'm not asking about toll decreases (they'd be nice), but can you please do something about those bright lights?  Thanks, I can't imagine I am not the only one with this issue.

Does the glare bother you, too?  Let us know in the comments.

Driving to Atlantic City?  Check out these great restaurants!