New York State Thruway

[Ted$8roadFan]

Sounds like the toll increase is being voted on next week.  Unfortunately, the non-NY E-ZPass rate is still the same as the toll-by-plate rate, which makes no sense.

It's a quick and easy way for the agencies to make increased revenue without in-state constituents feeling as much pain. Plenty of out of state drivers use their toll roads and they can collect much more revenue from them this way. Really is making me consider if I should get a NY issued tag and just forgo the useless discounts from the NJ Turnpike Authority.

The NJ EZ-Pass seems almost useless to me, the off-peak discounts are too small and limited to matter. I only drive in NYC like once a month and it's enough to make the NY tag a no-brainer.

Does NJ have a monthly fee? The big draw to MTA or NYSTA is no fee.

NJ does have a service fee of $1 (per month?).

[02 Park Ave]

It also has a bimonthly fee set at $1.00.

[NoGoodNamesAvailable]

Sounds like the toll increase is being voted on next week.  Unfortunately, the non-NY E-ZPass rate is still the same as the toll-by-plate rate, which makes no sense.

It's a quick and easy way for the agencies to make increased revenue without in-state constituents feeling as much pain. Plenty of out of state drivers use their toll roads and they can collect much more revenue from them this way. Really is making me consider if I should get a NY issued tag and just forgo the useless discounts from the NJ Turnpike Authority.

The NJ EZ-Pass seems almost useless to me, the off-peak discounts are too small and limited to matter. I only drive in NYC like once a month and it's enough to make the NY tag a no-brainer.

Does NJ have a monthly fee? The big draw to MTA or NYSTA is no fee.

NJ has a fee ($1 a month I think). If you order a NY ezpass with an NJ registered address they will send you a PANYNJ tag which also has a $1 a month fee. So it's a wash.

In my opinion $1 a month is irrelevant. Especially when you compare it to the toll savings that you only get with a NY tag.

[Mr. Matté]

Does NJ have a monthly fee? The big draw to MTA or NYSTA is no fee.

NJ has a fee ($1 a month I think). If you order a NY ezpass with an NJ registered address they will send you a PANYNJ tag which also has a $1 a month fee. So it's a wash.

In my opinion $1 a month is irrelevant. Especially when you compare it to the toll savings that you only get with a NY tag.

Eh, I'd rather just wait until I happen to get on the Thruway, then buy it at a service area, and save the $12 a year. Oh wait, I did do that.

[Jim]

Regarding transponder discrimination, in my experience as a NYSTA tagholder pretty much from the day they came into existence here, Maryland is about as bad as it gets with the rates charged to all non-MD tags the same as the no-transponder charges.  The Massachusetts approach seems much more fair and reasonable.  MA tagholders get the lowest rate, rates for other E-ZPass tags is not much higher, then the toll-by-plate is significantly higher.  Wouldn't this reflect the reality that the processing costs for the toll are lowest when it's their own tag, just incrementally more when it's a different tag, and significantly higher to deal with toll by plate?

[jmacswimmer]

^

MDTA does actually have a 3-tier rate structure now, although for whatever reason they don't post the out-of-state E-ZPass rate on their toll signage unlike MassDOT and NYSTA (for now). Using that I-95 sign I linked as an example, the out-of-state E-ZPass rate is in between at $8.00 - this was previously the base cash rate as well, but with the conversion to AET the toll-by-mail base rate was hiked to $12.00 while the out-of-state E-ZPass rate was surprisingly left alone.

[Jim]

Well how about that, my Maryland tolls from last month did come in at $8 each, not the $12 I expected.  OK, so Maryland can't be the poster child for the worst treatment of foreign E-ZPass.

[webny99]

Changing the subject to bring up something odd I noticed when digging through Thruway traffic count data for 49 (NY 78) to 50 (I-290).

WB AADT is consistently about 1200-1500 vpd higher than EB AADT over expected. Normally when there's a big directional split, I can figure out why (usually a ramp oddity where using the freeway makes sense for one direction but not another), but this one has me stumped. There are no unusual ramp configurations in the area, and airport traffic patterns would seem to favor EB I-90, if anything. Using ramp volume data from the TDV suggests that the higher volumes of WB traffic are coming from Exit 49, as the WB entrance ramp is similarly busier than the EB exit ramp. And the extra traffic seems to be evenly distributed throughout the day, not concentrated at a specific time of day. But why that's the case, I haven't figured out yet. But there could be something obvious I'm overlooking, so comments or suggestions are appreciated!

[Alps]

Sounds like the toll increase is being voted on next week.  Unfortunately, the non-NY E-ZPass rate is still the same as the toll-by-plate rate, which makes no sense.

It's a quick and easy way for the agencies to make increased revenue without in-state constituents feeling as much pain. Plenty of out of state drivers use their toll roads and they can collect much more revenue from them this way. Really is making me consider if I should get a NY issued tag and just forgo the useless discounts from the NJ Turnpike Authority.

The NJ EZ-Pass seems almost useless to me, the off-peak discounts are too small and limited to matter. I only drive in NYC like once a month and it's enough to make the NY tag a no-brainer.

Does NJ have a monthly fee? The big draw to MTA or NYSTA is no fee.

NJ has a fee ($1 a month I think). If you order a NY ezpass with an NJ registered address they will send you a PANYNJ tag which also has a $1 a month fee. So it's a wash.

In my opinion $1 a month is irrelevant. Especially when you compare it to the toll savings that you only get with a NY tag.

It's not a wash. If you're using NY facilities, go buy a tag in person and save the $1.

[storm2k]

It also has a bimonthly fee set at $1.00.

The NJ $1 fee is monthly. The more I think about this, the more I realize I need to take a ride to Ardsley and just pick up a couple of NY tags and probably close out my NJ account.

[Rothman]

I don't see why anyone would get a tag with a monthly fee.  I'm not totally happy with NY's demand for a minimum amount to be held in account, but that's better than a monthly fee.

[storm2k]

I don't see why anyone would get a tag with a monthly fee.  I'm not totally happy with NY's demand for a minimum amount to be held in account, but that's better than a monthly fee.

That's pretty common for most states though. NJ will replenish your account as soon as it dips under a certain level (and it fluctuates depending on how much you use your tags. When I had frequent travel to work I was getting hit for like 150 every so often to keep them happy).

[MASTERNC]

I don't see why anyone would get a tag with a monthly fee.  I'm not totally happy with NY's demand for a minimum amount to be held in account, but that's better than a monthly fee.

That's pretty common for most states though. NJ will replenish your account as soon as it dips under a certain level (and it fluctuates depending on how much you use your tags. When I had frequent travel to work I was getting hit for like 150 every so often to keep them happy).

The adjustments are the only thing I don't like. If you have one or two big trips in one quarter and then fewer the next, you could have to tie up a lot more money (and at an earlier point if the replenishment threshold changes) than necessary until they review your account again. You can sometimes get customer service to adjust again but it can be a pain.

[Rothman]

I don't see why anyone would get a tag with a monthly fee.  I'm not totally happy with NY's demand for a minimum amount to be held in account, but that's better than a monthly fee.

That's pretty common for most states though. NJ will replenish your account as soon as it dips under a certain level (and it fluctuates depending on how much you use your tags. When I had frequent travel to work I was getting hit for like 150 every so often to keep them happy).

The adjustments are the only thing I don't like. If you have one or two big trips in one quarter and then fewer the next, you could have to tie up a lot more money (and at an earlier point if the replenishment threshold changes) than necessary until they review your account again. You can sometimes get customer service to adjust again but it can be a pain.

I've never had an issue immediately reducing the amount after they've raised it to cover a high month in NY.  Simple enough to do online without calling anyone; they e-mail to let you know they needed to raise it.

[MASTERNC]

I don't see why anyone would get a tag with a monthly fee.  I'm not totally happy with NY's demand for a minimum amount to be held in account, but that's better than a monthly fee.

That's pretty common for most states though. NJ will replenish your account as soon as it dips under a certain level (and it fluctuates depending on how much you use your tags. When I had frequent travel to work I was getting hit for like 150 every so often to keep them happy).

The adjustments are the only thing I don't like. If you have one or two big trips in one quarter and then fewer the next, you could have to tie up a lot more money (and at an earlier point if the replenishment threshold changes) than necessary until they review your account again. You can sometimes get customer service to adjust again but it can be a pain.

I've never had an issue immediately reducing the amount after they've raised it to cover a high month in NY.  Simple enough to do online without calling anyone; they e-mail to let you know they needed to raise it.

Only way I've been able to do online is to submit a service request.  Would be nice if you could just adjust yourself from your account.

[jeffandnicole]

I don't see why anyone would get a tag with a monthly fee.  I'm not totally happy with NY's demand for a minimum amount to be held in account, but that's better than a monthly fee.

That's pretty common for most states though. NJ will replenish your account as soon as it dips under a certain level (and it fluctuates depending on how much you use your tags. When I had frequent travel to work I was getting hit for like 150 every so often to keep them happy).

The adjustments are the only thing I don't like. If you have one or two big trips in one quarter and then fewer the next, you could have to tie up a lot more money (and at an earlier point if the replenishment threshold changes) than necessary until they review your account again. You can sometimes get customer service to adjust again but it can be a pain.

I've never had an issue immediately reducing the amount after they've raised it to cover a high month in NY.  Simple enough to do online without calling anyone; they e-mail to let you know they needed to raise it.

Only way I've been able to do online is to submit a service request.  Would be nice if you could just adjust yourself from your account.

The goal is to replenish the account once a month. So a month with heavy usage where they hsd to replinish an account bumps up the replinished amount. After a few months where usage has gone down, it should bring the replenishment amount down.

[vdeane]

^ There's also the goal to keep the account from going negative.  It's allowed when automatic replenishment is enabled, but they don't like it.

[Rothman]

I don't see why anyone would get a tag with a monthly fee.  I'm not totally happy with NY's demand for a minimum amount to be held in account, but that's better than a monthly fee.

That's pretty common for most states though. NJ will replenish your account as soon as it dips under a certain level (and it fluctuates depending on how much you use your tags. When I had frequent travel to work I was getting hit for like 150 every so often to keep them happy).

The adjustments are the only thing I don't like. If you have one or two big trips in one quarter and then fewer the next, you could have to tie up a lot more money (and at an earlier point if the replenishment threshold changes) than necessary until they review your account again. You can sometimes get customer service to adjust again but it can be a pain.

I've never had an issue immediately reducing the amount after they've raised it to cover a high month in NY.  Simple enough to do online without calling anyone; they e-mail to let you know they needed to raise it.

Only way I've been able to do online is to submit a service request.  Would be nice if you could just adjust yourself from your account.

The goal is to replenish the account once a month. So a month with heavy usage where they hsd to replinish an account bumps up the replinished amount. After a few months where usage has gone down, it should bring the replenishment amount down.

I've always had to tell them to reduce the amount, which is an admitted annoyance.

[lstone19]

^ There's also the goal to keep the account from going negative.  It's allowed when automatic replenishment is enabled, but they don't like it.

I have my NY EZ-Pass on "Pay Per Trip." Balance sits at zero, usage sends it negative, and then once per day, they charge my checking account for that day's usage.  Only disadvantage is pay per trip must use a checking account, not a credit card.

OTOH, my Illinois I-(EZ-)Pass auto replenishes. You can change the amount online and while they say they will auto-adjust it, that never happened when we lived in Illinois and were racking up well more than the $40 auto-replenish amount every month. Now, no longer living in Illinois, I set the replenish amount to $10.

One thing I've never liked about Illinois' system is while they give you dire warnings about not letting it go negative, they don't say what happens if a single toll sends it negative (entirely possible with out of state usage given a fixed auto-replenish $10 point) . While the auto-replenish happens usually within an hour or so, for some minutes you're negative. At least with NY Pay Per Trip, being intra-day negative is normal and it is clear that's not a problem so long as their charge clears.

[jeffandnicole]

I don't see why anyone would get a tag with a monthly fee.  I'm not totally happy with NY's demand for a minimum amount to be held in account, but that's better than a monthly fee.

That's pretty common for most states though. NJ will replenish your account as soon as it dips under a certain level (and it fluctuates depending on how much you use your tags. When I had frequent travel to work I was getting hit for like 150 every so often to keep them happy).

The adjustments are the only thing I don't like. If you have one or two big trips in one quarter and then fewer the next, you could have to tie up a lot more money (and at an earlier point if the replenishment threshold changes) than necessary until they review your account again. You can sometimes get customer service to adjust again but it can be a pain.

I've never had an issue immediately reducing the amount after they've raised it to cover a high month in NY.  Simple enough to do online without calling anyone; they e-mail to let you know they needed to raise it.

Only way I've been able to do online is to submit a service request.  Would be nice if you could just adjust yourself from your account.

The goal is to replenish the account once a month. So a month with heavy usage where they hsd to replinish an account bumps up the replinished amount. After a few months where usage has gone down, it should bring the replenishment amount down.

I've always had to tell them to reduce the amount, which is an admitted annoyance.

Did you wait 3 months?  That seems to be the time it takes for them to readjust the replenishment amount.

^ There's also the goal to keep the account from going negative.  It's allowed when automatic replenishment is enabled, but they don't like it.

One thing I've never liked about Illinois' system is while they give you dire warnings about not letting it go negative, they don't say what happens if a single toll sends it negative (entirely possible with out of state usage given a fixed auto-replenish $10 point).

In both cases, there's really not much the user can do about it.  The agreement between EZ Pass and the User should say that the account will be auto-replenished after the account falls below a set amount (usually $10 or $15).  If it falls below $0, there's no penalty since you chose the auto-replenish option.

[vdeane]

They adjusted my replenishment amount and/or threshold after one particularly large trip that sent my account balance negative a couple times.  It went back to normal at some future point, but it is something they prefer to avoid, even if there's no penalty (obviously doesn't apply to pay per trip, but I'm not sure if that option even existed at the time).

[jwags]

^ There's also the goal to keep the account from going negative.  It's allowed when automatic replenishment is enabled, but they don't like it.

I have my NY EZ-Pass on "Pay Per Trip." Balance sits at zero, usage sends it negative, and then once per day, they charge my checking account for that day's usage.  Only disadvantage is pay per trip must use a checking account, not a credit card.

OTOH, my Illinois I-(EZ-)Pass auto replenishes. You can change the amount online and while they say they will auto-adjust it, that never happened when we lived in Illinois and were racking up well more than the $40 auto-replenish amount every month. Now, no longer living in Illinois, I set the replenish amount to $10.

One thing I've never liked about Illinois' system is while they give you dire warnings about not letting it go negative, they don't say what happens if a single toll sends it negative (entirely possible with out of state usage given a fixed auto-replenish $10 point) . While the auto-replenish happens usually within an hour or so, for some minutes you're negative. At least with NY Pay Per Trip, being intra-day negative is normal and it is clear that's not a problem so long as their charge clears.

I live in WI but I've had a NY tag on PPT since back when it was only available on MTA TBTA tags and those don't have monthly fees. I almost exclusively use it in Illinois and pay the same rate as IL I-Pass tagholders. It really is the best deal out there if you can get a NYSTA or TBTA tag. I haven't had to pay any fee or tag deposit and when one of my tags died they sent me a new one for free w/ a free return envelope.

[jmacswimmer]

Sounds like the toll increase is being voted on next week.  Unfortunately, the non-NY E-ZPass rate is still the same as the toll-by-plate rate, which makes no sense.

As expected, looks like the increase was officially approved yesterday.

https://twitter.com/NYSThruway/status/1703862339840180610?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

[Jim]

Sounds like the toll increase is being voted on next week.  Unfortunately, the non-NY E-ZPass rate is still the same as the toll-by-plate rate, which makes no sense.

As expected, looks like the increase was officially approved yesterday.

https://twitter.com/NYSThruway/status/1703862339840180610?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

We don't want to offend the NY Thruway Authority by not using the right term: they're clearly and consistently calling this an "adjustment" rather than any kind of word that indicates that it's an increase... 

Come on, whether the increase is justified or not, can't they at least call it what it is.

[jeffandnicole]

After all the blah-blah-blahing about how old the bridges and subbase is, the increases don't seem high enough to be able to fund much in the way of replacing those bridges and subbase.