New Hampshire's problem-plagued electronic toll system has run into a new snag. In July, legislators accidentally deleted the provision of law that made toll evasion a crime. Now the camera-based system designed to mail tickets automatically to alleged toll evaders is being spoofed by New Hampshire's own license plate system. The cameras, run by Dallas-based contractor ACS, can't handle the concept that New Hampshire allows the same license plate number for different cars as long as the type of plate is different.

A veteran's plate, for example, could have the license tag 123 while another car could have 123 on a license plate featuring a moose. State officials have no idea how many dual plate numbers are in use.

The ticket system is on hold until officials can make a more defensible claim that the right individuals will receive the citations. After the bugs are worked out, both toll evaders and people who have failing transponders will have to pay the same $25 "administrative fee" on top of the original toll charges, unless they are able to prove their own innocence.

"We have some strange things in New Hampshire," [Transportation Commissioner Carol A.] Murray said of the dual numbers.