Illinois: Toll Money Spent Creating Mascot

Article: Illinois: Toll Money Spent Creating Mascot

The Illinois Tollway spent motorist funds developing a cartoon mascot to promote the virtues of tolling and lowered speed limits. The campaign includes coloring books handed to children at toll booths to encourage youth to support tolling. The helpful tips provided in the twelve-page booklets explain the need for special 45 MPH speed limits that are enforced by speed cameras capable of generating hundreds of citations an hour, each worth between $375 and $1000.

"Iron Man, Batman, the Hulk might have swell super powers or nifty crime-fighting gadget, but when it comes to bringing congestion relief to drivers on the Illinois Tollway, there's only one superhero delivering the message to Know Before You Go!" the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority explained in a statement. "The new superhero makes his debut today as the champion of customer service on the Illinois Tollway."

In the neighboring state of Indiana, toll road officials created a similar mascot, the i-Zoom Girl, to promote electronic toll transponders. Source