Pennsylvania - minor date glitch in 5 Turnpike systems; receipts being corrected manually

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Y2K presents few problems for the Mon Valley

By Joanna Blair

FOR THE TRIBUNE-REVIEW

~snip~ Locally, errors showed up in the turnpike systems where toll collectors on Route 43 toll road were forced to pencil in the year 2000 on receipts before handing them out. The printed date read, "01/04/19100."

According to Tom Fox, public information/public involvement manager for the turnpike commission, the turnpike is currently working with three different printing systems and a software problem is causing some adjustment.

"The main line ticket system is working fine," said Fox, "printing the year 2000 on the receipts."

Besides the main line ticket system, according to Fox, the turnpike maintains two other systems: the weigh barrier and the axle based systems. Apparently, the weigh barrier system was tested and found to be working, but now a printing glitch has been found, explained Fox. It's the same problem as that on Route 43. "The turnpike is well aware of the problem and are providing receipts with manual corrections until the glitch is corrected," said Fox. "We feel it will be resolved in the next two weeks."

Besides Route 43, four other turnpike locations are providing hand-corrected receipts including Beaver Valley extension, Amos K. Hutchison extension, Clark Summit exit and Kaiser Avenue exit. Fox stated the problem is a printing software problem, not a result of Y2K.

~snip~

Source: Tribune-Review, Mon Valley (Monongahela valley) PA, Jan 8, 2000, http://www.triblive.com/frames/monfram.html

-- Lee Maloney (leemaloney@hotmail.com), January 16, 2000

Answers

Hi Lee, great post.

NOT A Y2K problem? EXCUSE ME?!!!!! Classic Y2k. Maybe Javascript was somehow involved even (19100 is a classic Javascript y2k-error). I would not want to be Route 43's accountant at the end of the month!!!

-- Bud Hamilton (budham@hotmail.com), January 17, 2000.


Hi Bud, thanks for the encouragement.

I can tell that you understand the Y2k dilemma. Only by putting ourselves in the shoes of the "bitten" can we understand fully the "bug" itself.

As an aside... since companies are being extremely cautious in their reporting of Y2k bugs, I've resorted to running my internet keyword searches on "problem and computer", but never the words "y2k, glitch, or bug." As a result, I'm now finding a multitude of articles directly related to Y2k bugs.

-- Lee Maloney (leemaloney@hotmail.com), January 17, 2000.


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