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For the Lionel model railroad product, see FasTrack (with a "c").
Diagram of FasTrak toll collections system. As the vehicle enters the toll lane, sensors(1) detect the vehicle. The two-antenna configuration (2) reads a transponder (3) mounted on the vehicle's windshield. As the vehicle passes through the exit light curtain (4), it is electronically classified by the treadle (5) based on the number of axles, and the ETC account is charged the proper amount. Feedback is provided to the driver on an electronic sign (6). If the vehicle does not have a transponder, the system classifies it as a violator and cameras (7) take photos of the vehicle and its license plate for processing.
FasTrak is an electronic toll collection system in the state of California in the United States. The system is designed to eliminate the need for cars to stop to pay at toll booths, thus decreasing the traffic traditionally associated with toll roads. Its use of technology to improve transit is in line with the U.S. Department of Transportation's Intelligent Transportation Systems initative.
FasTrak uses RFID technology to read data from a transponder placed in a vehicle (usually mounted by velcro strips to the windshield) moving at speeds that may exceed 70 m.p.h. The RFID transponder in each vehicle is associated with a prepaid account; each time the vehicle passes underneath a toll collection site, the account is debited to pay the toll.
 Mounted FasTrak transponder
The FasTrak system is currently used on most of the toll roads and bridges throughout the state, including the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, the Golden Gate Bridge, and toll roads in Orange County, California administrated by the Transportation Corridor Agencies.
Anybody with a FasTrak transponder can use it to pay tolls on any California toll road or bridge using the system. But the state encourages people to open their accounts with the local agency in charge of the toll road that they use the most.
A similar toll collection system is used on Interstate 95 in the northeast U.S. and in Melbourne, Australia on the CityLink tollway.
 Three-lane FasTrak site in Orange County
See also
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