I miss the option of paying tolls in real time.

[Torvy]

i avoid tolls if possible, refuse to get a box for my car. Around me they making more and more toll roads from roads that used to not be toll roads, all to grab money. With variable time of day tolls, sometimes can be over $100......

I was that way until I was commuting 35 miles each way in DFW traffic.

The the time difference was too great, not to mention the aggravation.

Now it's not really an issue. I rarely go into the city and it's usually to see my kids. I choose the tollway when it gets me around traffic. I really hate driving in traffic.

Fortunately, the routes from here to my kids seldom benefit from tollways.

 

[Jstpssng]

I really hate driving in traffic

Which also comes back to how valuable your time is. How many will pay a $5.00 toll to save a half hour on the road?

 

[ultrarunner]

A neurosurgeon that had a hilltop Oakland estate valued his time he would come and go via helicopter…

No idea the price point where helicopter commute trumps…

 

[ponytug]

@Jstpssng You make a great point. I'm definitely not as rational as I think I am, or I would pay the toll more often.

@ultrarunner Given the safety record of small helicopters, that seems like an interesting trade off by the doc. (Somewhere around 1,000x driving). But few people are rational...

All the best, Peter

 

[jyoutz]

@Jstpssng You make a great point. I'm definitely not as rational as I think I am, or I would pay the toll more often.

@ultrarunner Given the safety record of small helicopters, that seems like an interesting trade off by the doc. (Somewhere around 1,000x driving). But few people are rational...

All the best, Peter

I used to ride around in helicopters often when I worked on wildfire incident management teams. Over the years, there were 5 helicopters that fell out of the sky on incidents that I served on. About half of the occupants were fatalities. I finally decided to give up doing aerial mapping and intelligence.

 

[Oaktree]

3A is the road that directly parallels it.
Rt 3 is a mile east, and brings you through congested Hooksett, Pembrook, etc…

You're half right. 3A parallels between Manchester and Concord. 3 parallels it between Manchester & Nashua, and takes you thru Merrimack. On the southern stretch 3A is on the other side of the river. I don't know why they swap.

 

[Oaktree]

How many will pay a $5.00 toll to save a half hour on the road?

When I was younger, I'd take the "scenic route" to avoid a toll, but the older I get the less it's worth it.

 

[DarkBlack]

You're half right. 3A parallels between Manchester and Concord. 3 parallels it between Manchester & Nashua, and takes you thru Merrimack. On the southern stretch 3A is on the other side of the river. I don't know why they swap.

Ok. The majority of Mass to NH traffic uses route 93. With that route you only need to avoid the Hooksett tolls by using 3A. I wasn’t thinking of those coming up using 293, which as you pointed out , adds that second toll

 

[Larry Caldwell]

On a $39 purchase without satisfaction I launched a Consumer Product Safety Commission Investigation which resulted in product redesign.

Bait and switch advertising is another thing I stand on principal.

I’ve filed court cases with goverment agencies which settled rather than going to court…

Police in hot foot pursuit destroyed a section and gate of a yard fence… police said immune and that is what insurance is for… with a thousand deductible at the time it was all out of my pocket.

Served the city and city Attorney reached out to settle… funny how that works that it took a suit to get someone’s attention.

Cities buy lawsuit insurance from indemnity companies. Those companies have lawyers on the payroll. If it's cheaper to settle than go to court, they will settle every time. The city has nothing to do with that decision.

 

[Larry Caldwell]

I used to ride around in helicopters often when I worked on wildfire incident management teams. Over the years, there were 5 helicopters that fell out of the sky on incidents that I served on. About half of the occupants were fatalities. I finally decided to give up doing aerial mapping and intelligence.

My dad spent several years being a helicopter mechanic. He refused to ride in them.

 

[ultrarunner]

It was the city attorney from the department 3 cities away that asked me to come in and had a simple release and satisfaction form for me to sign and handed me a check.

Maybe because the amount was under $500?

Too many are of the mindset they can come to Oakland and tear up things or dump without pushback.

 

[otlski]

My dad spent several years being a helicopter mechanic. He refused to ride in them.

My buddy was a Marine Corps helicopter mechanic. It was mandatory that he fly in the copter after the repair. He said it was quite the motivator, he triple checked every repair he made, and whatever else he had time for!

 

[Larry Caldwell]

My buddy was a Marine Corps helicopter mechanic. It was mandatory that he fly in the copter after the repair. He said it was quite the motivator, he triple checked every repair he made, and whatever else he had time for!

And still they fell out of the sky.

 

[Quaffer]

With variable time of day tolls, sometimes can be over $100......

Some colleagues of mine discussed imposition of road tolls while waiting for their flight to depart. This was after encountering a huge backup at a SF Bay Area / Oakland toll booth and almost missing the flight due to traffic.

An interesting idea was variable tolls. Such as most lanes being the "typical" toll rate. Back then the "typical" rate was $5. And that busy section had many toll booths, probably 20 +/-.

But, also offer a few lanes at $20, one at $50, and one at $100. If you are at risk to miss your flight due to traffic congestion, some number of people would pay a $100 toll if it made the difference between catching or missing a flight.

Regarding this being unfair to those unable to pay such a fee, the idea was floated to also have a free lane. But to use the free lane, when you got to the window, you had to fill out a job application.

 

[ultrarunner]

Some colleagues of mine discussed imposition of road tolls while waiting for their flight to depart. This was after encountering a huge backup at a SF Bay Area / Oakland toll booth and almost missing the flight due to traffic.

An interesting idea was variable tolls. Such as most lanes being the "typical" toll rate. Back then the "typical" rate was $5. And that busy section had many toll booths, probably 20 +/-.

But, also offer a few lanes at $20, one at $50, and one at $100. If you are at risk to miss your flight due to traffic congestion, some number of people would pay a $100 toll if it made the difference between catching or missing a flight.

Regarding this being unfair to those unable to pay such a fee, the idea was floated to also have a free lane. But to use the free lane, when you got to the window, you had to fill out a job application.

No more Bay Area Toll Booths on your friends next visit.

 

[bcjmmac]

I don’t mind the change over as I haven’t been billed for any “electronic” tolls in the US for a few years now.
Guessing the cost to track me down & send a bill would be more than an individual toll?

 

[Torvy]

Frankly, that is one of my only problems with them. Unless there is a reciprocal agreement, they often cannot collect even from different states. That basically means that those outside the area become freeriders. That tends to worsen the problem with people moving to a new area and slow-walking getting their vehicle licensed.

These systems also increase the value (and thus the probability) of stealing license plates. In Texas, we are required to have front and rear plates. A few months ago, wife was in a suburb meeting an old friend for lunch. When she got home, she noticed the front plate was missing. Fortunately, it isn't too expensive to get a new plate number.

 

[jyoutz]

Frankly, that is one of my only problems with them. Unless there is a reciprocal agreement, they often cannot collect even from different states. That basically means that those outside the area become freeriders. That tends to worsen the problem with people moving to a new area and slow-walking getting their vehicle licensed.

These systems also increase the value (and thus the probability) of stealing license plates. In Texas, we are required to have front and rear plates. A few months ago, wife was in a suburb meeting an old friend for lunch. When she got home, she noticed the front plate was missing. Fortunately, it isn't too expensive to get a new plate number.

Maybe that’s why some people don’t get toll bills. Many states only require the rear license plate. Does the reader focus on the front plate?

 

[Torvy]

.

Maybe that’s why some people don’t get toll bills. Many states only require the rear license plate. Does the reader focus on the front plate?

No. The thieves put the plate on the back.

The billing works a bit like this. A) you need an agreement to be able to legally pull the information needed to bill. B) The amount they bill needs to be worth the effort.

Using you as an example...say you come into DFW once or twice a year with the same vehicle. If you only hit a few tolls, they may not bother until you hit their threshold of $. That also would require TX and NM to have an agreement to share your info.