Toll Road-Specific Currency

[sandwalk]

I thought a few of you might like this.  I was driving a company vehicle a couple of days ago and noticed an old coin from 1993 that looked like an arcade token.  Lo and behold, it was a 'Toll Bridge Token' for the Harlem Road / Bauer Parkway toll bridge.  This toll bridge was built over the Rock River as another east-west crossing to relieve traffic in the Rockford, IL area.  This particular toll bridge no longer uses tokens, just regular coins.

Here's a couple of pics I took:







Pretty unique!  Are/were there any other tolls that had it's own specific currency?

[formulanone]

Garden State Parkway - http://www.tollroadsnews.com/node/4060

Sam Houston Tollway Tokens (now used in a semi-classy way) - http://www.etsy.com/listing/68518223/texas-sam-houston-tollway-hctra-token

I used to collect coins to a far greater degree when I was younger; now I basically just go for the state/park quarters, foreign coins, and the occasional silver oddity in my change.

In the northeast during the 1930's-50's there were bus tokens that were roughly the size of dimes with an "H" or "Y" punched through both sides of it; there's probably hundreds of varieties from the past.

[PurdueBill]

Don't forget New Hampshire tokens, which were discontinued without a buyback and are now basically worthless.  At least the GSP offered a buyback.  I still have most of a roll of GSP tokens in a desk drawer; sentimental value now I guess. 

[bulldog1979]

The Mackinac Bridge Authority offers tokens. They used to be offered in rolls for commuters at a discounted rate, but now they're sold as commemoratives or in rolls for full fare price. ("Mackinac Bridge Authority Commemorative Tokens Available", "Mackinac Bridge commemorative token gift packs")

[BamaZeus]

somewhere at home, I still have a $.35 CT Turnpike token from right before the tolls came down.   I think it was one of those deals where my father found it vacuuming out the car, and since it wasn't worth anything, I kept it as a souvenir.

[Alps]

I collect coins - if anyone has any tokens they're not keen on, let me know... (I have very few tokens - and they may all be from the MTA in NY)

[agentsteel53]

In the northeast during the 1930's-50's there were bus tokens that were roughly the size of dimes with an "H" or "Y" punched through both sides of it; there's probably hundreds of varieties from the past.

do you know why that shape was chosen as a punch-out?  I have always wondered.

somewhere I think I have some 1980s tokens from the T - Boston's public transit system.  they say "ONE FARE" instead of the 90s design which had a large "T" on it.

[Scott5114]

Possibly something to do with the machinery used to verify the tokens? a Y shape comes to three points, an H shape to four...

[formulanone]

I would imagine that die punching equipment deals with certain letters better.

It could never punch a perfect "A", "B", "O", "R", as examples.

[1995hoo]

Prior to the advent of E-ZPass, the Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority facilities used tokens in addition to cash. Occasional users could buy "return trip express" where you paid double the cash toll on your way out and were given a token for the return trip so you could go through the faster Toll Machine lane (I believe all such lanes are now E-ZPass lanes). I used to do the "return trip express" all the time over the Marine Parkway Bridge when visiting relatives at Breezy Point.

[vdeane]

I believe the Thruway Authority had some type of system before E-ZPass as well, which is one reason why my parents won't get E-ZPass; they think it's just an electronic version of the old commuter system and that it makes no sense for anyone else to get E-ZPass.