The first phase of cashless tolling came to the George Washington Bridge over the weekend, with the Palisades Parkway entrance making the switch.

The toll booths are still in place but are unmanned. Commuters should drive through at the posted speed limit and not stop. E-ZPass transponders will be read in order to collect tolls from the service's users, while instant pictures will be taken of other vehicles.

The toll plazas at the upper and lower levels will operate as usual and continue to be manned and collect cash.

The upper and lower levels along with the Lincoln and Holland Tunnels will eventually go cashless but no date has been announced.

The cashless tolls also mean the beginning of the end of carpool discounts for the George Washington Bridge. The Port Authority has said  that once the George Washington Bridge, Lincoln and Holland Tunnel crossings go cashless, there is no way to accurately count the number of occupants in a vehicle. U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J. 5th District, told NorthJersey.com that technology to determine the passenger count is being studied in California, Georgia and Minnesota.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ

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