Riders call HOT lane bike transponders a waste

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. -- Motorcyclists are allowed to use the new freeway HOT lanes toll-free so many are wondering why they have to register with The State Road and Tollway Authority.

They also want to know who is paying for the thousands of transponder devices that are being sent to them if they’re not required to mount the Peachpass on their motorcycles.

This fustercluck is going on in my old homestate. And the anser to the question, "who is paying for these transponders?" That would be you and me. It's a "Federal Grant."

For those that are unfamiliar with Atlanta, they have "High Occupancy Vehicle" lanes on most of the major interstates. In Gwinnett County, they are trying something new, "High Occupancy Toll" lanes. The left lane is now restricted to vehicles with 2 or more passengers, but you also have to have a "Peachpass" which is a toll transponder. You get charged a toll for using the High Occupancy lane. The toll depends on how far you travel in that lane (how many toll collection points record your transponder), and I believe also on the time of day ( more expensive during rush hour, very inexpensive or free on weekends ).

The "High Occupancy" law in Georgia exempts motorcycles and Approved "Alternative Fuel Vehicles" from the 2 person requirement, and allows free use of the HOT (toll) lanes. However, motorcycles (and presumably AFV's) will be charged a fine if they use the HOT lane without having a PeachPass transponder.

It's only free if you let yourself be tracked by big brother.

I call those the “rich people” lanes. You can drive with the little people in the muck, or you can pay to drive at freeway speeds. I first saw it in San Francisco. Irked me then and it still irks me.

This adds a more sinister twist. I’m sure the reason is that they don’t want to have to use a human being to catch when the “pass transponder” is not present that it is a motorcycle so it’s ok.

BTW, In one city I was in you only needed it if you had less than two passengers. My big question was, how does it know how many passengers you have. And there are no cameras.

donhunt wrote:

Could it be that the transponder can be used in other states that don’t have the HOV program?

The transponder is basically a RFID tag. It identifies the vehicle to the toll collection system. It operates on known frequencies, and can also be triggered by another data collection point, basically anywhere.

Actually, there's a potential trap in this for out of state motorcycle travelers. There are signs all over that say those lanes are open and free for motorcycles. If an out of state traveler rides down the toll parts of those lanes, they could get a ticket and get billed for not having the transponder. I'm not sure which states (if any) share that data for photo-enforcement like this.

stratboy wrote:

Its a revenue generating move. Even though they are free to use the lane, if they cross the solid white lines, they will be tagged with $150 fine. At least that is what I heard.

I've also heard from my friends up there that this new system will implement a heavy fine for crossing into or out of the HOT lane anywhere other than the "approved" entry and exit points.

cuban leaf wrote:

This adds a more sinister twist. I’m sure the reason is that they don’t want to have to use a human being to catch when the “pass transponder” is not present that it is a motorcycle so it’s ok.

BTW, In one city I was in you only needed it if you had less than two passengers. My big question was, how does it know how many passengers you have. And there are no cameras.

Well, the cameras are probably activated by electronic loops in the pavement. Basically, those are "metal detectors."

I've worked with some folks who write some of the software for the sensors that are now used in traffic flow analysis using those ground loops. The signal from a Motorcycle is radically different from the signal from an automobile, and it's different from the signal for a large truck (18 wheeler or similar).

Actually, even without RFID, those ground loop signals are very nearly "fingerprints" and fairly unique to each vehicle. I don't know if any systems go to the trouble to track vehicles by the "signature" from those sensors, but it's really amazing how those signals can identify vehicles. For unusual or unique models (rare classic cars, or high priced models), you can just about track individuals with those ground loops. For very popular mass production models, a lot of them look the same, although passengers and cargo (especially metalic things like golf clubs or rifles) can make individual cars identifiable on those loops. You can't really tell what's in the car, but you can tell "that one" has something different and metalic somewhere in it.

As for the "one passenger" fee, trust me, there are cameras there at the toll collection stations (transponder readers). You'll probably be charged the toll if your passenger bends down to pick something up from the floor at the wrong time (and doesn't show in the camera shot).

Actually, I suspect that the Georgia system will eventually bill the fine to your transponder account if you don't have two passengers visible in the car.

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