I do not like those EZ pass things.
We went home to CA for a visit this summer. We chose not to get an EZ pass card for the rental car, since we did not anticipate going over many bridges. And we could always pay toll if we did happen to cross a bridge—right? Actually, no. The toll booths on many bridges are not staffed. There is nothing like sitting there in traffic, waiting to cross the bridge, and all the signs are telling you that you need EZ pass to cross—but you don’t have it, you don’t have any way of getting it at that point, and you can’t even get off at the exit before the bridge because of traffic. That one ended up costing us $37 later on. (Getting the EZ pass with the rental would also have been an expensive option—it would only have saved about $7, given that we crossed one bridge once.)
I understand the desire to streamline traffic by removing the toll booths, but why can’t there be at least one manned toll booth for the people for whom crossing that bridge might be a one-time event?
Where was that toll bridge? Was it in San Francisco?
If push comes to shove, you cover up your license plate.
I moved from Seattle to KY a couple years ago. I visit the kids and grandkids a lot in Chicago. However, when we go there, we avoid the toll roads, though we carry a jar of change, just in case.
If I were in a state that had toll roads, I’d move. And I’ve already proven that if I don’t like the politics of a state I’ll leave it. There are too many horror stories of friends getting nailed by the state for unpaid tolls even though they did pay. Heck, I’ve had unmanned booths tell me I owe money even after putting the correct amount and more.
I don’t do tolls and will move heaven and earth to avoid them.
“I understand the desire to streamline traffic by removing the toll booths, but why can’t there be at least one manned toll booth for the people for whom crossing that bridge might be a one-time event?”
Don’t know where you went in CA, but up here in the Bay Area ALL the toll crossings have manned toll booths 24/7. The other thing is that so long as you have the car you are driving listed with FasTrak, it doesn’t matter whether or not you have a transponder because they take photos of your license plate and charge your account. We had a bad transponder, and after a couple of months, they sent us a letter asking us to send it in for a free replacement. No fines for the fact that the transponder was inop.
I live in north San Diego county and have a Fastrak transponder to use the I15 HOV lanes. In Orange County they use Fastrak....same name and logo, but you can’t drive in their lanes. SIL got a several tickets In the ma after driving up there.