Fun with Plates

You are driving on the road and you see the sign below. What does it mean to you?

This was just one of the bewildering questions your correspondent was asked to respond to on an on-line survey sponsored by MTA Bridges and Tunnels, Port Authority of NY and NJ, and the New York State Thruway Authority. My response: "Either I will receive a bill for my toll in the mail or I can mail in my tolls in advance. Either way it doesn't make much sense. It might however help the USPS out of its jam."

The survey went on to ask the same question about PAY-BY-PLATE and TOLL-BY-PLATE, before informing us that:

All-Electronic Tolling (AET) is a new technology that is being deployed at some tolling facilities across the country. Since AET is a cashless technology, some NYC-area bridges and tunnels may no longer accept cash payments in the future. The first facility to use AET was the Henry Hudson Bridge, which has been a no-stop, cashless operation since late 2012.

For E-ZPass users, their method of toll payment will not change.

For non-E-ZPass users (people who would otherwise pay with cash, but now can’t, because there will be no cash option), a camera will capture the vehicle’s license plate as it drives through the toll plaza. Customers will have the option to visit a website or call an 800# and provide their information to pay their toll or wait for a toll bill to be sent to the registered owner of the vehicle.

The survey asked me to choose the best of the three options (I grudgingly chose PAY-BY-PLATE), and offered me the opportunity to suggest some of my own. Here are my suggestions: LICENSED TO PAY (a bit long); PAY-TO-PLATE (wrong direction?); and PLATE-TO-POCKET.

What's yours?