Somehow, this doesn't surprise me...

Gov. Deval Patrick’s pedal-to-the-metal push for high-speed electronic tolling caught House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo by surprise yesterday as he urged his fellow Democrat to keep some toll takers on the job.

“(Patrick told me) he was only looking at this conceptually and just certain venues,” DeLeo said, referring to last week’s leadership meeting.

The Herald reported yesterday that the governor is moving to hire a new toll czar charged with installing electronic devices meant to ease traffic and ax costly toll takers.

“I don’t see how you can totally do away with all of the toll takers,” DeLeo said during a sitdown with Herald reporters and editors. “You can probably lower the work force, but I’m not sure if you can totally eliminate them.”

The new “deputy director of statewide tolling” would compare different electronic systems aimed at replacing toll booths with sensors that pick up transponders and toll motorists as they drive by at highway speeds. The system would take a picture of drivers’ license plates and send a bill to folks without a transponder.

UPDATE: More from Holly Robichaud, Michael Graham and State House News Service.

SECOND UPDATE: From the Boston College Heights and Boston Globe.

THIRD UPDATE: From the Boston Globe and AP.