Toll Booths

[US 41]

I am going to vote yes, because I believe having toll booths keeps people employed. Cameras help no one.
I also like just paying on the road and getting it over with.

[hotdogPi]

If you don't have EZPass (or whatever thing the state uses that is incompatible), it is much easier if there is someone there than if a camera is used.

[Pete from Boston]

Before I got EZPass, I still felt sentimentality for the idle chit-chat with the toll collectors.  Not seven years later, I can't believe how quaint that seems.

I'd prefer an account that didn't hold onto an interestless balance of my money, which discouraged me initially.  I guess credit card transactions are still too slow and expensive, even though LevelUp seems able to sell me coffee more or less instantly. 

[theline]

You can have a toll booth without having an attendant. Some Indiana Toll Road collection points are like that. If you don't have an EZ-Pass or compatible unit, you can pull up to a ATM-like structure that will gladly accept your credit card, bank card, or good-old dollars. I preferred the live attendants, but the owners of the concession don't like paying real people.

[jeffandnicole]

Electronic toll lanes & cameras create jobs too. People need to review tag numbers, process payments, run machines, maintain the equipment, etc. And I'd argue that for most of them, they work in much better conditions than in a toll booth.

At toll plazas with humans, there's no guarantee the patron will drive into a manned lane. Even worse, these people that have no clue what EZ Pass is, will pull over and walk across the toll lanes, including across the lanes where drivers don't need to stop.

[Laura]

You can have a toll booth without having an attendant. Some Indiana Toll Road collection points are like that. If you don't have an EZ-Pass or compatible unit, you can pull up to a ATM-like structure that will gladly accept your credit card, bank card, or good-old dollars. I preferred the live attendants, but the owners of the concession don't like paying real people.

I wish all toll facilities took credit cards. Seriously, the technology has been around far longer than EZ Pass and camera tolls. There's no excuse.

[theline]

Accepting credit and debit cards makes financial sense, I'd think. You have a lot better chance of collecting if you give the user multiple ways of paying right on the spot. If state or toll road operator sends a bill based on a camera or even hands the driver an envelope, there has to be a fair percentage of folks who never pay or only pay after a lengthy and costly collection effort.

[Pete from Boston]

I think the likely reasons against would mainly involve time.  As it stands, you can pay with a credit card -- you just have to use the toll road's method and equipment to do so.

You can pay for the subway here with a credit card, but it doesn't mean you don't have to buy a card/ticket.  EZPass is the toll road's ticket, its credit card machine you keep in your car.

[US81]

Accepting credit and debit cards makes financial sense, I'd think. You have a lot better chance of collecting if you give the user multiple ways of paying right on the spot. If state or toll road operator sends a bill based on a camera or even hands the driver an envelope, there has to be a fair percentage of folks who never pay or only pay after a lengthy and costly collection effort.

Also, if a toll road operator sends a bill based on a camera, there are ample opportunities to add on fees that folks have were not informed about prior to incurring the bill but have no recourse except to pay.

[1995hoo]

I suspect, but do not know for sure, that one reason some toll roads don't take credit cards is due to the interchange fee. This is the same reason why you have to pay a service charge if your charge your income tax: the government isn't going to give a cut of your taxes to American Express (or whomever), so the payment processing company charges a fee to cover that. Some tolling agencies presumably have no interest in giving part of the toll to the card issuers. Others, obviously, have no qualms.

BTW, regarding envelopes, I believe I read the Delaware Turnpike once tried that and found it failed miserably.

[Pete from Boston]

The Garden State Parkway long had envelopes at the exact change baskets.  I grabbed one once as a souvenir, but have surely lost it.

[Brandon]

You used to be able to get envelopes at ISTHA toll plazas by asking the attendant in the manual lanes.  Now, it's all online (no penalty within 7 days).  With the combination of being able to pay online within 7 days, and I-Pass, there's not much point to the old automatic (coin basket) lanes anymore.  There's also now a limited number of manual lanes at the mainline toll plazas.  As 75-80% of tollway users have an I-Pass or equivalent, that only leaves 20% max who need these other ways to pay.

[vdeane]

I suspect, but do not know for sure, that one reason some toll roads don't take credit cards is due to the interchange fee. This is the same reason why you have to pay a service charge if your charge your income tax: the government isn't going to give a cut of your taxes to American Express (or whomever), so the payment processing company charges a fee to cover that. Some tolling agencies presumably have no interest in giving part of the toll to the card issuers. Others, obviously, have no qualms.

BTW, regarding envelopes, I believe I read the Delaware Turnpike once tried that and found it failed miserably.

Businesses get around that by charging everyone more since it's illegal for them to add on credit card fees.  Maybe the toll roads do this too.

[roadman65]

I think cash up front is the answer.  When we have the money in our hands, we can see where its going as well as delegate where it goes (budget).  True if you look each day on the internet where you expenditures goes, however it still is better if you have the money in your hand literally than using the credit system.

I believe that is why this society is in the trouble it is because we rely to much on credit and electronic money transactions.  I like the older days with paychecks and money received from it over direct deposit as well as mailing in checks for bill paying and getting the cancelled checks back.  It was all easier.  Maybe inconvenient, but now we see money as credit or credits and the same on the roads.  Sure its nice to whiz by the toll booths at highways speeds, but you do not see the money in hand still for you mind to process.

[cpzilliacus]

No, no, no, NO ... ten thousand times NO!

Toll booths and toll barriers are an icon of the 19th (yes, there were toll roads prior to 1900 in the U.S.) and 20th Centuries.

Ontario's Highway 407 ETR (regardless of what people think about the high tolls charged by its private-sector owners), and then the HOV/Toll lanes on Ca. 91 in Orange County; Maryland's Route 200 (ICC) and North Carolina's Route 540 (TriEx) are the way of the future, and all toll roads and toll crossings should convert to all-electronic cashless toll collection as soon as possible. 

[wxfree]

I like the idea of having all the options available.  You can pay with cash or a card, use a pre-paid account, or just drive through and get a bill in the mail.  The main lanes would have full-speed operation for electronic collection, and the cash collection or card payments would be off to the side.  If there are long lines in the cash/card lanes, you can just drive through and wait for the bill.  If you're in a borrowed or rental car, you can stop and pay and not incur the rental toll fees or surprise the owner of the borrowed car with a bill.  TxDOT toll roads near Austin were like that until last year, minus the credit cards.

I see no need to hire people for toll booths.  Machines can collect bills and coins or run credit cards.  One thing I'd do is make the machines interactive, so you can select your exit point and pay the toll for all future toll points at once.  The system would get your license plate number and you'd drive through the full-speed lanes after that.

[Pete from Boston]

I suspect, but do not know for sure, that one reason some toll roads don't take credit cards is due to the interchange fee. This is the same reason why you have to pay a service charge if your charge your income tax: the government isn't going to give a cut of your taxes to American Express (or whomever), so the payment processing company charges a fee to cover that. Some tolling agencies presumably have no interest in giving part of the toll to the card issuers. Others, obviously, have no qualms.

BTW, regarding envelopes, I believe I read the Delaware Turnpike once tried that and found it failed miserably.

Businesses get around that by charging everyone more since it's illegal for them to add on credit card fees.  Maybe the toll roads do this too.

On the contrary, credit card users — meaning electronic toll collection users — are usually charged a lower price than cash payers. This is because the infrastructure to collect and handle cash is much more expensive than the same required for credit card payments. Nobody has to be paid to stand around all night and wait for you to hand them money, nobody has to count your money, and your money doesn't actually have to be kept anywhere.  Never mind the silly building out on the highway interrupting the flow of traffic, sometimes creating miles-long backups and tempting the manipulative little hands of vindictive politicians.

[agentsteel53]

I am to this day astonished that a lot of services process a check for free, but require a fee for electronic funds transfer.  (see: my monthly mortgage payment.)

[Alps]

People are always resistant to change. At first, it may make sense (manuals vs. early automatics), but after awhile, the new way is so clearly better that the only reason not to move forward is nostalgia. We're getting to that point on toll roads.

[kendancy66]

No, no, no, NO ... ten thousand times NO!

Toll booths and toll barriers are an icon of the 19th (yes, there were toll roads prior to 1900 in the U.S.) and 20th Centuries.

Back when turnpikes actually turned

Ontario's Highway 407 ETR (regardless of what people think about the high tolls charged by its private-sector owners), and then the HOV/Toll lanes on Ca. 91 in Orange County; Maryland's Route 200 (ICC) and North Carolina's Route 540 (TriEx) are the way of the future, and all toll roads and toll crossings should convert to all-electronic cashless toll collection as soon as possible.

I understand that after 6-30-2014 there will be no more toll booths on any of the Orange County toll roads.  All tolls will be paid with transponder , prepaid with expressaccount or billed by a photo license plate identification method.

[on_wisconsin]

To the ATM card thing: What's if the card is declined? (happens all the time in the real world)

[Duke87]

I am to this day astonished that a lot of services process a check for free, but require a fee for electronic funds transfer.  (see: my monthly mortgage payment.)

My local utility recently had an ad campaign encouraging people to switch to paperless billing. Rather than handling said paperless billing in house, they outsourced it to a firm which charges customers a $5 a month fee for the convenience of receiving their bill electronically rather than in the mail.

Naturally, I didn't sign up. Way to kill your campaign, eh?

As for toll booths, I would have to agree that all-electronic is the future. That said, there really should be one standard transponder valid throughout North America for said purpose.

[Laura]

To the ATM card thing: What's if the card is declined? (happens all the time in the real world)

The same thing that happens when someone doesn't have enough change: they are forced to run the toll and get charged the toll bill plus administrative fees in the mail.

I wouldn't mind being charged 50 cents or a dollar more to use a credit or debit card because its still cheaper than being mailed the toll with a two or three dollar administrative fee.

Taking credit cards doesn't need to be a service offered in all toll lanes; there could be a couple of full service ones off to the side so that the cash in hand people aren't slowed down.


iPhone

[roadman65]

Sort of like now dialing a business you get that "Listen closely to the following menu options; Press 1 for ..., press 2 for..., Press 3 for.... etc to only have you press the number to give you more options to the point when you think that a human will have to answer they find another set of options.  Customer service is a thing of the past just like manned toll lanes were.

I do agree, we should at least have options.  I was mad back in the 80's when the record companies forced the public to buy compact discs after all retro 70s and before were finally redone to that concept.  Me I liked having the choices of cassette tapes, 12 inch LPs, and CDs.  If I liked the sound of a group I would have bought the CD, if it was not that great the vinyl worked.  Basically I would give myself that extra treat once in a while as when CDs were new they were the new age of course, so you would wait for a band like Rush, or Pink Floyd to have it on CD, but the rest were okay and did not matter.

I think the day of choice is gone, but like I said it is why the average Joe is in debt because we do not physically see money anymore.  John Tesh had results of a study done on why its still important to pay with cash over credit and his findings seem to make sense.

[seicer]

I think cash up front is the answer.  When we have the money in our hands, we can see where its going as well as delegate where it goes (budget).  True if you look each day on the internet where you expenditures goes, however it still is better if you have the money in your hand literally than using the credit system.

I believe that is why this society is in the trouble it is because we rely to much on credit and electronic money transactions.  I like the older days with paychecks and money received from it over direct deposit as well as mailing in checks for bill paying and getting the cancelled checks back.  It was all easier.  Maybe inconvenient, but now we see money as credit or credits and the same on the roads.  Sure its nice to whiz by the toll booths at highways speeds, but you do not see the money in hand still for you mind to process.

I would disagree - having been in both environments of dealing both paper and electronic payments and statements for almost all of my transactions.

What would be easier:

1. Paying your mortgage by driving or taking the bus to the local Savings & Loan (only 5 locations in the metro), walking inside, writing a check, filling out a form and then submitting it to the teller?
2. Inputting the amount owed, date and pressing submit on PNC Virtual Wallet, a process that takes no more than 3 minutes from going to the website, logging in and making the payment. I have now automatically done - which saves me on days and weeks when I'm on the road or out of service.

1. Mailing in checks for bills and receiving a cancelled check.
2. Making a payment online.

1. Fumbling for cash and change - and then having excess change (which then needs to be rolled and deposited or exchanged for gift cards).
2. Swiping or waving a card. I have many of my loyalty cards on my iPhone now - so in some instances, I no longer need to bring my debit/credit card. I use my iPhone to pay for Starbucks and to have it deposit money on the account when it runs low. It also tracks my loyalty and keeps my points accurate - eliminating punch cards.

1. Having to find an ATM, keeping change and then finding it all while driving to pay tolls. And then waiting in queues to pay an overpaid teller.
2. Driving at 70 MPH through an electronic lane without stopping and having it either photograph your plate or deduct it from your account automatically.