Technology can promote multiple objectives and facilitate new revenue and finance mechanisms.
New technologies, such as electronic transponders, video recognition tolling, and satellite- based payment systems, are creating new options for funding the transportation system that simply have not been available before. Although none of these options is in wide use yet across the country, these technological advances offer the promise of providing policy makers with new opportunities to not only raise needed funding but also improve energy efficiency, mitigate congestion, protect the environment, and improve safety. Consideration of alternative funding approaches therefore must take into account the role that technological innovation can and should play in the future.