SunPass query as to residents of E-ZPass states

Started by 1995hoo, May 16, 2011, 09:57:04 AM

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1995hoo

I hope the subject line isn't confusing. I know from doing some research online that non-Florida residents can obtain a SunPass for use on the toll roads down there and I see that there are two types of devices, the SunPass Mini and a more conventional device.

I'm wondering if anyone could give me advice on obtaining one of those things. Here are my circumstances and questions:

(1) I don't drive to Florida very often at all (last trip in my car was in 2005 via the Auto Train; that trip involved paying tolls on FL-417, the Bee Line, and Alligator Alley). My wife flies down to visit relatives typically twice a year and rents a car. But we are thinking about a vacation down there this summer, either driving all the way or taking the Auto Train, and so I've been pondering the idea of getting a SunPass just because I hate waiting on line at tollbooths and fumbling around with cash. We'd likely be making a full circuit all the way down the east coast, possibly as far as Key West, across to Fort Myers, and up to Orlando to stop at Disney on the way home (and I want to go over the Sunshine Skyway en route just to see the bridge). From looking at the map we'd almost certainly be using some of the toll roads at some point, probably multiple portions of the turnpike, Alligator Alley, and maybe some of the roads in the Miami and Orlando areas.

(2) I see that the Mini basically works out to have no cost other than the tolls you pay because the cost of the device is refunded back to your account, whereas the regular device appears to have a non-refundable $25 charge–i.e., if you cancel your account, you do not return the regular transponder like you do with E-ZPass and you're out the $25.

(3) On the other hand, I see the Mini will stop working once it's removed from the windshield.

(4) First question: Does the SunPass Mini interfere with transponders on other systems, such as E-ZPass or remote gate openers that use stick-on transponders? The reason I ask this question is that I remember back before Virginia integrated its old Smart Tag system with E-ZPass, the E-ZPass would prevent the Smart Tag from working if you forgot to put the E-ZPass in the no-read bag (Virginia, of course, didn't provide a no-read bag). If the devices interfere, this would be a reason to get the conventional transponder.

(5) Obviously another reason to get the conventional transponder would be the convenience for my wife in that she could just take the device with her when she flies down and then use it in whatever rental car. That brings me to the second question: If you don't use a SunPass for a long time, does the account expire or otherwise get revoked? The Virginia E-ZPass agreement says somewhere in the small print that you're supposed to use the device at least once every six months or your account may be cancelled. I got a letter of this sort once when I hadn't had reason to drive on the toll roads for awhile. Ultimately they didn't cancel the account after I called them. But my question stems from those circumstances because if Florida would cancel your SunPass account for non-use, then it would be a clear reason not to get the conventional transponder.


What it really boils down to is that from my research, the SunPass Mini seems like the more sensible device for someone living in Virginia at first blush because you can close the account and get all your money back. I suppose if you do that, when you get home you can just scrape the thing off the windshield if it does interfere with the E-ZPass. I'm wondering if those of you who drive to Florida, or who live in Florida but have transponders for other states as well, can give me any thoughts on whether it makes more sense just to get the conventional device because of the ability to bring it with us on future trips (even if only twice a year), or whether I'm right to find the $25 nonrefundable charge for the portable device to be off-putting. (It seems to me that if I get the Mini device it doesn't make sense to keep the account open once this trip is over simply because I have no idea when I might take my car down there again.)

Thanks in advance for any help.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.


realjd

#1
Pro-tip: The SunPass Mini stickers work fine when taped to (or held up against) your windshield. You don't need to actually stick it on, regardless of what the SunPass people actually tell you. They're more delicate though, so if you plan on using it regularly I'd just get the conventional suction cup mount one.

The SunPass account never expires and you never lose your money. It works great with rental cars. Just be sure to go to SunPass.com and register the car's tag number with your account so they can bill your account if the transponder doesn't get read properly. The website is set up to allow rental cars so you can give it a tag number and a date/time range and it automatically removes the car after that date.

From an engineering perspective, having two transponders in the car shouldn't interfere with anything, but I've never tried it so I can't promise anything.

Both types of transponders will refund your unused toll balance. The difference is that the SunPass mini comes with $5 in toll credits to cover the cost (making it essentially free) while the suction cup mount one does cost $25 (nonrefundable).

One other note: SunPass is 100% compatible with Orlando's E-Pass tolls. It takes 24 hours for a newly registered SunPass to be tied in with the E-Pass system. If you plan on driving through an E-Pass toll booth with a SunPass within the first 24 hours of registering it, be sure to go onto SunPass.com with a smartphone or call the 800 number to have your tag tied to your account. It'll get processed as an "image toll" where the E-Pass folks see that the transponder wasn't registered yet but can look up your account # from your tag. It works immediately after registration on SunPass-run toll booths, but having your car tag tied to the account is a very good idea in case the transponder isn't read. It keeps you from getting a toll violation ticket.

xcellntbuy

E-Z Pass and Sunpass are separate systems and do not work interchangeably.  I have to keep both transponders in the car when driving back and forth to New York and Florida.  I do not keep either "-pass" on the windshields of my cars since I own four cars in two States and just do not travel very often, of late.

1995hoo

Quote from: xcellntbuy on May 16, 2011, 11:39:49 AM
E-Z Pass and Sunpass are separate systems and do not work interchangeably. I have to keep both transponders in the car when driving back and forth to New York and Florida.  I do not keep either "-pass" on the windshields of my cars since I own four cars in two States and just do not travel very often, of late.

Yeah, this part I knew, which was what prompted the question because I remember how when Smart Tag and E-ZPass were separate systems they interfered with each other–found that out the hard way when I was approaching a tollbooth on the Dulles Toll Road and realized I had the E-ZPass up, so I threw it on the passenger seat and stuck the Smart Tag up in its place, but it was too late–the E-ZPass interfered and I had to pay cash.


To save space I won't quote realjd's post, but thanks for the advice on the tape aspect. I remember when I first got the Smart Tag I used tape to fasten it to the windshield in my parents' car when I was riding with them one weekend and it worked fine, but that hard plastic device is rather different from the stick-on SunPass Mini. Based on your comments, it sounds as though the Mini, taped to the windshield, is the way to go. As you can see from my user info, I live in the DC area, so the idea of paying $25 nonrefundable for a transponder that will seldom get used doesn't appeal to me.

I figure if I get one I'd just order the thing a few weeks in advance of our trip so that if they ship it to me we'd have it on time with no worries about activation.

Thanks again for the help. I still wish that we could have a North America Pass that would work on all toll facilities in the US, Canada, and Mexico (although I don't plan on driving any of my cars to Mexico).
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

realjd

Quote from: 1995hoo on May 16, 2011, 11:55:26 AM
Thanks again for the help. I still wish that we could have a North America Pass that would work on all toll facilities in the US, Canada, and Mexico (although I don't plan on driving any of my cars to Mexico).

Florida is going to plate-tolls, at least for the SunPass roads like the Turnpike and the Miami-area toll roads. In the not too distant future, tourists won't need to worry about it. They'll be tolled by their license plate and then get a bill in the mail.

1995hoo

Quote from: realjd on May 16, 2011, 11:58:29 AM
Quote from: 1995hoo on May 16, 2011, 11:55:26 AM
Thanks again for the help. I still wish that we could have a North America Pass that would work on all toll facilities in the US, Canada, and Mexico (although I don't plan on driving any of my cars to Mexico).

Florida is going to plate-tolls, at least for the SunPass roads like the Turnpike and the Miami-area toll roads. In the not too distant future, tourists won't need to worry about it. They'll be tolled by their license plate and then get a bill in the mail.

I read about that, but it also mentioned that there would be a processing fee on top of it, sort of like the Intercounty Connector in Maryland ($3 surcharge per trip if you do the video tolling). I saw that the Homestead Extension requires either SunPass or video tolling. The idea of paying the processing fee didn't appeal to me, so that factored into my thought process in favor of getting the device along with my natural dislike of waiting on line to pay a toll.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

NE2

Quote from: http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2011-02-04/news/fl-miami-traffic-turnbell-20100510_1_toll-by-plate-toll-plaza-homestead-extensionYou can avoid the fee by opening a Toll-By-Plate account. Basically, it's like SunPass only without a transponder. You provide your vehicle license plate number and a payment option like a credit or debit card. Every time you drive under a toll gantry, your account will be debited for the amount of the toll, no administrative fee.
Note that this only applies to the Homestead Extension (and I believe SR 924). Other toll roads, including the rest of the Turnpike, use the standard cash or transponder booths.
pre-1945 Florida route log

I accept and respect your identity as long as it's not dumb shit like "identifying as a vaccinated attack helicopter".

Daniel Fiddler

Buy the mini.  Do not mess with the regular transponders.

Here's why:  the regular transponders have the problem that they run on a battery, the minis do not.

Why is this point so key?  Here's why:  If you're anything like me, you have other things on your mind besides checking to see if the transponder's battery is working.  So you go on your merry way and find out, oh, the battery's dead.  Not a big deal right?  You're a Sunpass customer, the balance is taken from your prepaid tolls on your account.

Wrong.  Normally, that is the case, but one day, a state trooper happened to be patrolling a toll booth.  I had my transponder in the car, and it was out of battery.  The cop STILL wrote me a ticket for "not paying the toll", and I had to appear in court.  I even SHOWED THE JUDGE that I was a Sunpass customer, explained my battery in my transponder died, and showed him proof how the toll was deducted from my account.  HE STILL CHARGED ME WITH A $225 FINE which I had to pay.

So unless you want to happen to you what happened to me, never buy regular transponders.  The mini will not cause you the problems that a regular will.

Jim

Get with it, Florida.  How many northeasterners and midwesterners visit Florida regularly who already have an E-ZPass tag on the windshield?  Especially if Florida is making changes anyway, it's time to include E-ZPass as an option.

Of course, I'm sure they'd rather do the plate tolling and add a hefty administrative fee to tourists' toll bills.
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realjd

Quote from: Daniel Fiddler on May 17, 2011, 01:38:24 AM
Here's why:  the regular transponders have the problem that they run on a battery, the minis do not.

The newest generation of suction-cup mount transponders don't have batteries. They look the same as the old ones but they don't have an LED, don't beep, and don't need a battery.

I've had my older battery powered SunPass not read, as well as my mini. Sometimes it just doesn't read correctly. That's why they check your plate before they mail you a ticket. They show up as "ITOLL" on my SunPass statements. It happens once or twice a year for me. I'd be VERY pissed if I was fined for that. Did you try appealing?

Quote from: Jim on May 17, 2011, 07:48:58 AM
Get with it, Florida.  How many northeasterners and midwesterners visit Florida regularly who already have an E-ZPass tag on the windshield?  Especially if Florida is making changes anyway, it's time to include E-ZPass as an option.

Of course, I'm sure they'd rather do the plate tolling and add a hefty administrative fee to tourists' toll bills.

They are only going to add the administrative fee if you don't have a SunPass account. People from out of state can go to SunPass.com and create a free account, registering their license plates. They don't get the same toll discount that transponder customers get, but they also don't get stuck with the service charge that they tack on if they have to mail a bill.

Adding EZ-Pass compatibility would be expensive. They're spending the money on going to toll-by-plate instead. That way it opens up electronic tolling to all drivers, not just yankees with EZ-Pass tags.

agentsteel53

Quote from: Daniel Fiddler on May 17, 2011, 01:38:24 AM
I even SHOWED THE JUDGE that I was a Sunpass customer, explained my battery in my transponder died, and showed him proof how the toll was deducted from my account.  HE STILL CHARGED ME WITH A $225 FINE which I had to pay.


the Hell?

I thought that there was always an option to pay a toll by mail and not get penalized.

I remember I once charged through a toll plaza on X-470* in Denver and, due to the fact that it was a rental car, it took eight months for the toll authorities to catch up to me.  Once they did, they called me on the phone, and went ahead and charged my credit card a whopping 75 cents.  No penalty.

*one of the many 470s.  I can't remember whether X was I, E, or C, or nothing at all.
live from sunny San Diego.

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Jim

Quote from: realjd on May 17, 2011, 09:03:24 AMThey are only going to add the administrative fee if you don't have a SunPass account. People from out of state can go to SunPass.com and create a free account, registering their license plates. They don't get the same toll discount that transponder customers get, but they also don't get stuck with the service charge that they tack on if they have to mail a bill.

Sounds fair enough, glad to hear it.

I suppose that in the era of smartphones, someone might even be able to register once on the toll road itself.
Photos I post are my own unless otherwise noted.
Signs: https://www.teresco.org/pics/signs/
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NE2

Quote from: agentsteel53 on May 17, 2011, 10:12:55 AM
I thought that there was always an option to pay a toll by mail and not get penalized.
Daniel went through the transponder lane at a toll booth that also had cash lanes. Usually toll roads that accept cash don't have toll by plate.
pre-1945 Florida route log

I accept and respect your identity as long as it's not dumb shit like "identifying as a vaccinated attack helicopter".

agentsteel53

Quote from: NE2 on May 17, 2011, 10:16:52 AM
Quote from: agentsteel53 on May 17, 2011, 10:12:55 AM
I thought that there was always an option to pay a toll by mail and not get penalized.
Daniel went through the transponder lane at a toll booth that also had cash lanes. Usually toll roads that accept cash don't have toll by plate.

that's what I did.  On *-470 there were options to pay by cash or use a transponder, and I - apparently oblivious to my surroundings - zoomed through a transponder lane at about 30mph.

again, eight months later, they caught up with me and brutally extracted their colossal sum of money.  it was awful; the politeness of the operator quickly wore down my basic humanity, rendering me a shell without identity or being.  Their mental rape, centered around such well-known tenets of dehumanization as "explain one's options in a clear manner" and "imply a general sense of forgiveness" was of the sort which was banned by, I believe, six different paragraphs of the Geneva Convention - seriously, to this day, I cannot hear the words "well that's all right, you can just pay now" without collapsing in a paroxysm of tears and drooling.

I hear that 75 cents can get you an entire candy bar in some jurisdictions.
live from sunny San Diego.

http://shields.aaroads.com

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Daniel Fiddler

#14
Quote from: agentsteel53 on May 17, 2011, 10:12:55 AM
the Hell?

I thought that there was always an option to pay a toll by mail and not get penalized.

Quote from: realjd on May 17, 2011, 09:03:24 AM
Sometimes it just doesn't read correctly. That's why they check your plate before they mail you a ticket. They show up as "ITOLL" on my SunPass statements. It happens once or twice a year for me. I'd be VERY pissed if I was fined for that. Did you try appealing?

I thought so too.  In fact, my toll was deducted from my balance after they snapped a photo of my license plate and showed up as ITOLL, I showed that to the judge.  That did not make any difference to him, he still fined me.  And yes, I did consider appealing, but it would have cost me $175 to appeal.  Paying $225 or having a chance of saving $50 versus a chance to pay an EXTRA $175?  I cut my losses.  But yes, I was very pissed off.

Quote from: NE2 on May 17, 2011, 10:16:52 AM
Daniel went through the transponder lane at a toll booth that also had cash lanes. Usually toll roads that accept cash don't have toll by plate.

Actually, it was a Sunpass only plaza with no cash option.

Quote from: agentsteel53 on May 17, 2011, 10:36:29 AM
I hear that 75 cents can get you an entire candy bar in some jurisdictions.

Inside the Walmarts of Tennessee you can, in fact, I think they're as low as 50 cents there.

Brandon

Quote from: realjd on May 17, 2011, 09:03:24 AM
Adding EZ-Pass compatibility would be expensive. They're spending the money on going to toll-by-plate instead. That way it opens up electronic tolling to all drivers, not just yankees with EZ-Pass tags.

Adding EZPass capability would be just plain common sense.  And, it's not just northeasterners who have them.  We Midwesterners do as well.  As far as I am concerned, they can learn to charge my I-Pass account for it.
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

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realjd

Quote from: Brandon on May 17, 2011, 01:18:05 PM
Quote from: realjd on May 17, 2011, 09:03:24 AM
Adding EZ-Pass compatibility would be expensive. They're spending the money on going to toll-by-plate instead. That way it opens up electronic tolling to all drivers, not just yankees with EZ-Pass tags.

Adding EZPass capability would be just plain common sense.  And, it's not just northeasterners who have them.  We Midwesterners do as well.  As far as I am concerned, they can learn to charge my I-Pass account for it.

That's easy to say for you. It's my tax dollars having to pay for the extra equipment. Florida uses an incompatible transponder standard. If we're going to pay for an infrastructure upgrade, we could pay for equipment to read transponders used by a subset of the population of a dozen states, or we could pay for toll-by-plate equipment that works for every visitor from everywhere. It's a no-brainer from my perspective.

Alex

Quote from: realjd on May 17, 2011, 02:34:36 PM
Quote from: Brandon on May 17, 2011, 01:18:05 PM
Quote from: realjd on May 17, 2011, 09:03:24 AM
Adding EZ-Pass compatibility would be expensive. They're spending the money on going to toll-by-plate instead. That way it opens up electronic tolling to all drivers, not just yankees with EZ-Pass tags.

Adding EZPass capability would be just plain common sense.  And, it's not just northeasterners who have them.  We Midwesterners do as well.  As far as I am concerned, they can learn to charge my I-Pass account for it.

That's easy to say for you. It's my tax dollars having to pay for the extra equipment. Florida uses an incompatible transponder standard. If we're going to pay for an infrastructure upgrade, we could pay for equipment to read transponders used by a subset of the population of a dozen states, or we could pay for toll-by-plate equipment that works for every visitor from everywhere. It's a no-brainer from my perspective.

But at the same token, I would like it if I only needed my Sunpass when driving in Illinois or the northeast. Trying to find an EZPass without a monthly maintenance fee is becoming a harder and harder prospect. I had a Maryland one for several years but got tired of paying the $1.50 monthly fee and and closed my account. The lack of a monthly fee for Sunpass is a nice facet of it.

realjd

So  I did a bit of research on tolling technologies. Florida uses the eGo stickers from a company called Transcore and bought their mult-protocol readers. They can support, among other standards, the Mark IV standard used by EZ-PASS, the eGo standard used by the new SunPass stickers and batteryless hard-case transponders, and the old Florida standard. But they can only do 2 protocols at a time. Currently Florida has them read the eGo protocol and the old Florida protocol.

http://www.tollroadsnews.com/node/3234

The eGo stickers are being phased in by a number of states, including Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. The EZ-Pass group has been stuck on the question of modernization mainly due to politics, so they're stuck using the Mark IV transponders still.

North Carolina is also going with the eGo stickers, but they're setting their readers to read Mark IV and eGo protocols. They're working on deals with Florida and EZ-Pass to be compatible with both. Consumers will have a choice between a standard eGo sticker that will only work in NC or Florida or a more expensive dual-protocol transponder that would also be compatible with EZ-Pass.

http://www.tollroadsnews.com/node/4732

Florida is working closely with EZ-Pass and other toll agencies in a common toll-by-plate database. Conceivably, an EZ-Pass customer would be able to drive through a toll-by-plate lane in Florida and have the toll automatically deducted from their account. And the other way around. This seems like a great idea to me.

http://www.tollroadsnews.com/node/4297

Also, the tollroadsnews site is full of other highly technical, nerdy transponder info. I love it!

vdeane

Quote from: realjd on May 17, 2011, 09:03:24 AM
Adding EZ-Pass compatibility would be expensive. They're spending the money on going to toll-by-plate instead. That way it opens up electronic tolling to all drivers, not just yankees with EZ-Pass tags.
How is it too expensive?  All they would have to do is purchase antennas to detect the ex-pass transponder and tie it into the system, no?  I really am curious, because the Thousand Islands Bridge is refusing to go ex-pass for the same reason.

Adding ex-pass would bring the nation closer to having a unified transponder.  Having a surcharge if you don't have an account is BAD.  If we had a single transponder, this problem wouldn't exist.  IMO we should make this single transponder compatible with ON 407 as well.

Having to get an account with a specific agency or pay a surcharge is so backwards!
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

realjd

Quote from: deanej on May 18, 2011, 05:54:07 PM
Quote from: realjd on May 17, 2011, 09:03:24 AM
Adding EZ-Pass compatibility would be expensive. They're spending the money on going to toll-by-plate instead. That way it opens up electronic tolling to all drivers, not just yankees with EZ-Pass tags.
How is it too expensive?  All they would have to do is purchase antennas to detect the ex-pass transponder and tie it into the system, no?  I really am curious, because the Thousand Islands Bridge is refusing to go ex-pass for the same reason.

Adding ex-pass would bring the nation closer to having a unified transponder.  Having a surcharge if you don't have an account is BAD.  If we had a single transponder, this problem wouldn't exist.  IMO we should make this single transponder compatible with ON 407 as well.

Having to get an account with a specific agency or pay a surcharge is so backwards!

Florida is working on tying their license plate database in with the EZ-Pass database. Presumably there would then be no surcharge for EZ-Pass customers. That seems to be the best answer. With one set of image toll equipment they'd be able to support EZ-Pass customers, SunPass non-transponder customers, TX-Tag customers, FastTrack customers, and any other state's toll agency customers.

As for the cost, it's more than just the antennas. The current antennas already are sensitive to that frequency band. The computers talking to those antennas need to be able to speak the proper protocol (language) for the EZ-Pass transponders. That's not trivial, but it's most likely just an equipment purchase. The "tie it into the system" part is the really expensive part. EZ-Pass and SunPass don't necessarily have compatible database, and it's not easy to integrate them. I wish I could explain it better, but there's a LOT of software work in bridging the gap between the two systems. Florida's SunPass and Orlando's E-Pass have been integrated for years and they STILL run into problems.

vdeane

Sounds like poorly designed software then.  Why can't they just check a box to add EZ-PASS to the list of transponders to read and if it reads EZ-PASS, check the entry from a central EZ-PASS database on the EZ-PASS server?  That's how it should be set up.  Clearly someone didn't have ease of use in mind when they made the system.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

realjd

#22
Quote from: deanej on May 19, 2011, 05:50:45 PM
Sounds like poorly designed software then.  Why can't they just check a box to add EZ-PASS to the list of transponders to read and if it reads EZ-PASS, check the entry from a central EZ-PASS database on the EZ-PASS server?  That's how it should be set up.  Clearly someone didn't have ease of use in mind when they made the system.

You sound like the electrical engineers I work with... "It's just software!" :)

Regardless of whether the SunPass gantries could read EZ-Pass tags, what incentive would the EZ-Pass states have to install an entirely new system to read the incompatible Florida tags (or NC, or TX, or CA, etc.)? And there's no way Florida would spend all of that money to read EZ-Pass tags when they wouldn't do the same for us. And yes, it may be inconvenient for tourists, but the system was put in place primarily to make life easier for us locals who use the toll booths sometimes daily. What would be the return on investment for spending the tax dollars for EZ-Pass compatibility? As inconvenient as it is for people from out of state, I seriously doubt it is having a serious impact on our tourism.

I suspect that part of the reason Florida didn't go EZ-Pass to begin with was to keep a larger amount of local control. There's a serious amount of politics that goes on among the EZ-Pass consortium that Florida may not have wanted to deal with at the time.

As for the administrative fee on plate tolls, keep in mind that fleecing tourists is what we do. There's a reason we have no state income tax and relatively low sales and property taxes. And we like it that way. Giving y'all a free ride wouldn't be the Florida way!

vdeane

Personally I'd just have Florida go EZ-Pass (and Texas, Kansas, California, etc. but they aren't as critical because they're further away).  Never heard about the politics though.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

1995hoo

#24
I've read that one reason some of the non E-ZPass jurisdictions, including Florida, don't want to join the consortium is that the E-ZPass device is battery-powered and thus has to be replaced every so often (I think I had to replace mine after about five years). I suppose that theoretically increases costs. As has been stated elsewhere in this thread, both of Florida's devices are apparently not battery-powered, and I certainly can't argue that it's more convenient for the motorist as well not to have to think about the battery issue.

The idea of coming up with some sort of inter-agency toll-by-plate system makes a lot of sense, although supposedly some states charge outrageous fees to out-of-state toll agencies for access to plate databases. I don't know the details on that, but I gather that such fees are one obstacle to the adoption of this sort of thing.

As far as states joining or not joining E-ZPass goes, the most absurd argument I ever heard was Virginia's argument against joining E-ZPass back when Jim Gilmore was governor (1998 to 2002). VDOT contended that the majority of trips on Virginia's toll roads are by Virginia residents (which is probably true) and claimed that therefore Virginia residents would not benefit from having E-ZPass accepted on Virginia toll roads. Never mind the thousands of us who travel out-of-state on the East Coast on a regular basis. The people who don't know any other route to New York besides the I-95 ---> New Jersey Turnpike route go through a bunch of E-ZPass member toll facilities each time. Thankfully, when Mark Warner became governor he had them re-examine that–I remember I sent in a letter asking him to reconsider and his secretary of transportation wrote back saying that "Governor Warner does not see any logic in the prior administration's position on this issue."  :-D
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.



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