EZ-Pass

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Feb 1, 2006
Messages
3,832
Location
NEPA
I travel the PA Turnpike frequently. Paying tolls is not a big deal, I grew up on this road and was quite used to it. Occasionally, a back-up would occur at a bigger exit, like Mid-County outside of Phila. One or twice, I even forgot my walet! Since I got a new car, I decided to get EZ-Pass. The first time out, the back-up at Mid-County was HUGE, like 200 cars. There are high-speed EZ-Pass lanes there, I zipped through at 55mph! I can definately say it's a nice item to have at your disposal. Gotta love technology. I understand that they might add an EZ-Pass only exit near me (Pocono Speedway). EZ-Pass ONLY.
 
EZ pass does cheapen some roads... DE river bridges can be SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper when using EZP.
It really is a wonderful thing... saves so much time, and not just at rush hour.

For it to really be beneficial, ez pass express needs to be installed at as many places as possible.

JMH
 
Definitely lots of discounts in the Northeast. I travel the NY Thruway several times per month, and I think the discount is something like 15%
 
NH its 30% off tolls. However the prior token system it was 50% off tolls. They did however subsidize the transponders($5/each intitially) and got overwhelmed by response.

I wish Logan airport(Boston) would incorporate into their parking garage, some other airports have the service.
 
Yes Michael, we do. Crossing the NYC bridges costs some people 9 bucks each day.

The roads were paid for many times over. I believe that something like 45% of all U.S. road tolls are collected in NY, NJ, and CT.

Apparently some people equate discount with cheap.
 
Tolls are stupid, imo. I do have a problem with Sr. discounts. Why should one person pay more so another can pay less? Mom pays like $1 for the bridge and I pay $3...she has much more money!!!Same goes for food and building supplies. Young couples with kids pay more so some old rich dude with a yacht can get a discount! Discrimination is suppoed to be: color, religion, sexual orientation and age, etc. Discounts based on this stuff should be banned.
 
You pretty much have NO CHOICE between OKC and Lawton, I44 between them is a Pike Pass system. I too recently switched to the automatic toll collection and have it linked directly to my credit card so I won't have to keep sending them checks every two weeks. You do get a 5% deduction as a "volume" discount. One thing I have questioned during tax time and I view it this way: tolls on highways are TAXES essentially, especially if it is owned by a State government, therefore, they are tax deductible.
 
I have no problem with Sr. discounts. I just think they should not be valid at peak times.

It's frustrating if I have a fixed lunch hour to have a place packed with the retired bridge club ladies out for a leisurly lunch.

Just my opinion,

T
 
Love my EX-Pass, been using it for the past 5 years or so now. Very convenient, no more fumbling for change, no waiting in long lines to pay my toll. I have mine tied into one of my credit cards. When my EZ-Pass account gets below a certain threshold ($15 I believe), they charge another $35 to my credit card to replenish the account. The new higher-speed EZ-Pass lanes and the EZ-Pass only "slip" ramps are nice too.
 
we have a similar thing in florida clled "sunpass" its the electronic toll system throughout floridas toll roads and alot of other crap like parking lots, etc.

we also have exits that have sunpass only lanes which really help out in rush hour.
sunpass also gives you a 25 cent break on most tolls.

i try not to use sunpass whenever i can because of the cost but when faced with situations like traveling on 45mph streets with stoplights compared to the 70mph sunpass with no stops, ill chose the sunpass system most of the time.
 
quote:

Originally posted by Pablo:
What's a toll road?

It is something that is needed around here, if you want to live out in the burbs or the islands and travel to the big cities then you should be paying. Tired of gas tax going up to pay for others pleasures in where they live.
 
quote:

Originally posted by williar:
Don't worry Pablo, many in King & Pierce county want to bring them to Washington state. Such as on the Tacoma narrows bridge and Hwy 167. Won't be long...

I hope to never go to Tacoma again anyway.
But if they start a toll on the I90 and 520 bridges across Lake Washington they will rake in the bucks.
And then, no doubt, waste them as usual.
 
quote:

Originally posted by ImaginThat:

quote:

Originally posted by Pablo:
What's a toll road?

It is something that is needed around here, if you want to live out in the burbs or the islands and travel to the big cities then you should be paying. Tired of gas tax going up to pay for others pleasures in where they live.


What big city would that be? You can't be talking about Seattle?
Anyway, why penalize someone because of where they live?
Just what we need here, the government getting even more of our money to do nothing with.
nono.gif
 
One thing that most people these days don't know is the history of toll roads. Back over 100 years ago, particularly inland, the "free" public road system was terrible. Private investors would build private toll roads to connect principal cities.

Of course, without regulation, some owners would overcharge. Toll roads were typically chartered by acts of a state legislature, and part of the charter was a toll schedule of what the general public could be charged for use of the road.

Sometimes, the toll road owners would challenge the rate schedule as being so low that they were unconstitutional. The courts that decided these cases set down principles of how low rates could be without being unconstitionally confiscatory, and this created the foundation for how utility rates are set.....at least how they were set before the present madness of "utility deregulation".

Today's tolls charged on toll roads have little to do with the cost of financing and owning the toll road itself. The revenue is used for all kinds of other purposes, such as public transit.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom