toll booths suck

[Master Moron]

I've always said toll booths were a safety hazard. I mean, they must cause so many accidents by making people look for change while they're driving. Of course, prior to this day I at least didn't have any trouble paying them.

However, today I went on the highway and I encountered a toll booth with no person attending it. Drivers had two options, pay with i-pass, which I do not have, or pay with coins. Now, I generally do not carry around large amounts of change on me. Once my wallet gets too heavy with change I generally donate it to whatever charity is collecting in front of Wal-Mart. But, the sign said that if I didn't have change I could pay online.

So, when I come back I had to pay the toll again, this time I actually did have enough change due to paying tolls with actual people operating them. I deposited the change into the bucket, but unfortunately, the light did not turn green. There was a car behind me and I didn't have more change, so I just drove off.

Finally, I got home and went to the website to pay my toll. I paid the one I missed, but I have no idea if I also need to pay the one that didn't register me as paying. According to the website, there's no way to tell whether you have any unpaid tolls on your record. The website says that occasionally the coin collector would jam and if this occurs it wouldn't be counted as a violation. It also said I was supposed to wait 5-10 seconds for the coins to count.

Anyway, one might wonder why I don't just pay the $1.10 again, just in case. Well, that's because I'm not allowed to use online payments as a regular method of payment. After I pay online more than four times it's counted as a violation. So, I obviously don't want to waste my online payments if I only get four of them.

Three violations and I get fined. Do I have one violation or zero? No way to tell.

Now, one would think that the simplest solution for this would be to buy one of those i-pass thingees. Apparently, it's a little sensor that you stick on your windshield. Unfortunately, they're doing some maintenance on the website so I can't order one now. It takes 7-10 days to deliver anyway.

I figure my best solution is to go to the bank tomorrow and get $10 worth of change. I discovered that my car has an ashtray. Unfortunately, I also discovered that the ashtray contains used cigarette butts. I proceeded to empty the tray over the garbage and wash it out. Unfortunately, I'm having trouble getting rid of the smell. Anyway, hopefully next time I pay with change it will actually register. I'd really hate to get fined for something that isn't my fault.

In conclusion, toll booths suck.

[Kagetsu]

Sounds like a problem best solved with careful placement of much high explosive. Myyaahaahahhaahha. [/joke,,, maybe?]

When I was little I loved tossing the coins in the baskets,,, yea I was always weird and it wasn't my money. :p. I remember clearly one road had a ticket instead of coins but I must have still wanted to hand it to the clerk. The wind took it from me first and parents and had a mad scramble to catch it. Well I thought it was funny. :sweat:

[Dr. OneWay]

One day I'm just going to bust through the rinky dink gate and speed off. No joke.

[Master Moron]

One day I'm just going to bust through the rinky dink gate and speed off. No joke.

Well, see, there wasn't a gate in this case. There was no person, either. There was just a bucket and a light. Actually, the first time time I went through it I didn't even notice it and had to back up in order to read the sign. Gee, now that I think about it, I'm wondering if that will mark me down as another violation. I mean, if I drive through it without paying, and then back up and go through without paying again, is that two missed payments or just one?

The website wasn't clear about how they keep track of who pays and who doesn't pay. I assume that there is a camera since the website said if I'm fined I would be sent a photograph of the incident. Now, if there's a camera it would show me paying the toll when I came back, but my guess would be the camera only turns on when it registers someone as not paying. So, if the toll booth registered me as not paying then I assume it would only take a picture of my car in order to identify my license plate and there would be no proof that I paid.

[Dr. OneWay]

Well, see, there wasn't a gate in this case. There was no person, either. There was just a bucket and a light. Actually, the first time time I went through it I didn't even notice it and had to back up in order to read the sign. Gee, now that I think about it, I'm wondering if that will mark me down as another violation. I mean, if I drive through it without paying, and then back up and go through without paying again, is that two missed payments or just one?

The website wasn't clear about how they keep track of who pays and who doesn't pay. I assume that there is a camera since the website said if I'm fined I would be sent a photograph of the incident. Now, if there's a camera it would show me paying the toll when I came back, but my guess would be the camera only turns on when it registers someone as not paying. So, if the toll booth registered me as not paying then I assume it would only take a picture of my car in order to identify my license plate and there would be no proof that I paid.

Yea, don't even worry about it. If they haven't sent you something by now, then I'm pretty sure they saw you putting the money in.

[Master Moron]

Yea, don't even worry about it. If they haven't sent you something by now, then I'm pretty sure they saw you putting the money in.

By now? This happened earlier today.

[Dr. OneWay]

By now? This happened earlier today.

Oh, right..haha, I feel stupid. But still, you backed up and dropped your money in. If they really watched the camera's tape, they would see that.

[Kagetsu]

By now? This happened earlier today.
That's the way I feel with those red light cameras. You never know when they will send you a ticket, and how could you even remember it to contest it. Then they shorten the yellow light that if you aren't half way into the intersection when it changes, you'll never make it.

[Chris Wood]

That's the way I feel with those red light cameras. You never know when they will send you a ticket, and how could you even remember it to contest it. Then they shorten the yellow light that if you aren't half way into the intersection when it changes, you'll never make it.

Yeah, I hate those things. I think they're dangerous. You end up either flying through the intersection or screeching to a halt.

If you have to deal with tolls on a regular basis you might want to think about getting one of those speed pass thingies so you don't even have to stop.

[En Sabah Nur]

In NY our little windshield devise called EasyPass. I forgot the last time I paid with cash going though a toll booth. but I think tolls suck for a different reason. They are expensive. Some are as high as $7.20 with Easypass and $9 if you use cash.

[Chris Wood]

Maybe if you drive through REALLY fast it won't register?

[Kagetsu]

Yeah, I hate those things. I think they're dangerous. You end up either flying through the intersection or screeching to a halt.

If you have to deal with tolls on a regular basis you might want to think about getting one of those speed pass thingies so you don't even have to stop. Yea, that's what everyone wants. "Pay your $20+ bill each month and don't think about it.", cellphone, internet, cable, electric, how many is there really?

[Vermunium]

Something similar happened to me. When I was driving in Florida, I came across a toll booth. I think it was on the Turnpike, I can't remember. I paid the toll, and it didn't register. I saw there for about thirty seconds, but the light never went green. There wasn't any traffic behind me, luckily. I drove off though, because I paid it, and it never green-lighted me. Hopefully I don't get a violation for it either.

[Master Moron]

Yea, that's what everyone wants. "Pay your $20+ bill each month and don't think about it.", cellphone, internet, cable, electric, how many is there really?

My understanding is that it's not a monthly fee but rather an account. The website says you have to pay $50 at first and $10 is a refundable deposit and $40 is prepaid tolls. I was under the impression that the $40 doesn't expire, but stays on your account and when it depletes, you can put more money on the account. Of course, I've never used one of those things, so I could be wrong.