Toll Booths (Was: Re: [OT] NH protest against HP printers with RFID chips Nov. 5th)

[Neil Schelly]

> Has anyone been to Atlanta? The EZ-Pass style toll system is what it
> should be like anywhere they have an auto-payment type system. You can go
> 80mph through the toll plaza. They have two larger lanes on the left side
> of the highway and you can zip through like it wasn't even there. Your
> little transponder beeps and all is well.

This seems to be the direction MA is headed anyway - I know at least a few
places have these more separated FastLane paths now.  They aren't quite
safe at 80MPH, but I don't expect they can redo the entire tolling system
for that in a day.  At least I hope that's why they're doing it this way
on some of the newer tolls.

> EZ-Pass seems silly when you still have to wait in like 5-6 cars deep.
> Sure it moves faster, but when the cash (now also ez-pass) lanes only have
> on person, and the coin lanes have 2-3, it seems silly.

My qualm here is that they are turning FastLane-only booths to
FastLane/Cash booths outside of the city at least.  That effectively makes
another cash booth and takes away a FastLane booth.  The cash booths are
getting quicker and the FastLane booths are getting slower.

I love the idea of making FastLane booths out of all the cash booths, but
the whole point of FastLane is the dedicated FastLane booths.  The lines
are getting longer there and shorter in the cash booths because it's
cheaper to turn a FastLane booth into a FastLane/cash booth than to turn a
cash booth into a hybrid.

Eh well... they'll get there eventually.

> Then yo go through NY and they have GATES on the EZ-Pass lanes that you
> have to actually stop and wait for the gate to raise up... what's the
> point!

And that's why NY/NJ drivers shouldn't be allowed on the Mass Pike.  They
all stop in the toll booths, even with everyone else going the usual
15-25MPH.
-N