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Bay Area Toll Authority To Install Cameras To Catch Carpool Cheats

OAKLAND (KCBS) – Cameras are going to be installed on the only Bay Area freeway carpool lane where drivers can pay a toll or use it for free if carpooling.

Drivers with a FasTrak transponder are charged during commute hours on the 14-mile stretch of Interstate 680 from Pleasanton to Milpitas.

Andrew Fremier with the Bay Area Toll Authority said there are too many carpool violators and the California Highway Patrol is having a tough time with enforcement.

"The combination of visually seeing occupancy and the acceptance of a valid toll tag is how they determine proper use of that lane," said Fremier. "But it's turning out to be very cumbersome."

KCBS' Bob Melrose Reports:

The Bay Area Toll Authority said they are going to spend $100,000 on a camera system to see if that helps solve the problem.

The agency plans to unveil the camera and related computer technology sometime this fall.

(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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