I-294 Tollway Cops

[Truvelo]

Last night I flew into O'Hare and drove along I-294 to Crestwood. About 90% of the journey involved a 45mph speed limit for construction but it appears everything is complete as the asphalt and striping is all new. I was appalled to see the road crawling with cops at 8pm under cover of darkness. I spotted at least 6 of them. Most were on the shoulder with lights flashing and a 'customer' parked in front. One was parked in the median with no lights on at all waiting for the next customer to come flashing past. Another was in an SUV which suddenly put it's reds and blues on making the car in front pull over. It seems they're milking every last penny out of this speed limit which is simply a painful crawl should anyone stick to it which no one was. I was reluctantly doing 50 yet everything else was zooming past. Fortunately my return journey will take me along a different route which hopefully will be free of cops if they're all busy milking the tollway.

Rant over

[hbelkins]

My wife was in Chicago yesterday. She was on the I-294 tollway. She said she was driving 72 mph in the second-to-right lane and was being passed like she was sitting still.

[mgk920]

Amazing, given that in normal conditions, the Tri State Tollway, especially the I-94 part in Lake County, drives like a German autobahn.



They are pretty strict in construction zones.  Also, over the past couple of decades, most (or all by now) states have adopted laws that levy double the normal fines in marked construction zones.

Mike

[StogieGuy7]

Amazing, given that in normal conditions, the Tri State Tollway, especially the I-94 part in Lake County, drives like a German autobahn.

You are so right about that!  Yesterday, I journeyed from Gurnee to the SW suburbs at about 7 am and did 61 miles in 53 minutes!  And that included some time dealing with the inferior south-side style driving (drivers going 50 in the left lane, no signalling, etc.) on I-55!   

My average speed on the Tri-State was around 80 mph and I was NOT the fastest car on the road.  Not by any means - mine was more like average speed.  Fine with me, by the way.     

[Brandon]

Last night I flew into O'Hare and drove along I-294 to Crestwood. About 90% of the journey involved a 45mph speed limit for construction but it appears everything is complete as the asphalt and striping is all new. I was appalled to see the road crawling with cops at 8pm under cover of darkness. I spotted at least 6 of them. Most were on the shoulder with lights flashing and a 'customer' parked in front. One was parked in the median with no lights on at all waiting for the next customer to come flashing past. Another was in an SUV which suddenly put it's reds and blues on making the car in front pull over. It seems they're milking every last penny out of this speed limit which is simply a painful crawl should anyone stick to it which no one was. I was reluctantly doing 50 yet everything else was zooming past. Fortunately my return journey will take me along a different route which hopefully will be free of cops if they're all busy milking the tollway.

Rant over

Sounds like you met the Wolf Pack.  ISP District 15 (the Tollway ISP district) has a wolf pack that patrols every so often on a given stretch of tollway.

[hobsini2]

And the Wolf Pack shifts from one day to the next. A couple of days ago, they were out on 88 at Highland. Last night, they were on 355 at Maple.

[Truvelo]

It appears there's a Wolf Pack in Indiana too. US-30 near Warsaw was full of cops pulling people over.

[NWI_Irish96]

It appears there's a Wolf Pack in Indiana too. US-30 near Warsaw was full of cops pulling people over.

May have been my cousin!

[agentsteel53]

And the Wolf Pack shifts from one day to the next. A couple of days ago, they were out on 88 at Highland. Last night, they were on 355 at Maple.

who wants to develop an app that broadcasts its location on any given day?

[JamesT4]

And the Wolf Pack shifts from one day to the next. A couple of days ago, they were out on 88 at Highland. Last night, they were on 355 at Maple.

who wants to develop an app that broadcasts its location on any given day?

I would love that app.

Also on occasions with ISP district 15 cops, I been seeing Cook County Sheriff(In the Cook County Section of the Tri-State) pulling over, or already puled over people on the tollway, & seen them doing speed traps also, I thought it was only ISP #15 suppose to patrol 294. I been seeing CCS at least 3 to 4 times a month on it, & Increasing.

[wh15395]

And the Wolf Pack shifts from one day to the next. A couple of days ago, they were out on 88 at Highland. Last night, they were on 355 at Maple.

who wants to develop an app that broadcasts its location on any given day?

That'd be a great app, but I would recommend the WAZE navigation app. It's a social networking navigation app where users report cops, accidents, etc while they are driving. In larger cities it seems to work pretty well.

[Brandon]

And the Wolf Pack shifts from one day to the next. A couple of days ago, they were out on 88 at Highland. Last night, they were on 355 at Maple.

who wants to develop an app that broadcasts its location on any given day?

They used to post the location at the Tollway's webpage: http://www.illinoistollway.com/  Not sure if they still do.

[Truvelo]

On a different topic I would like some advice on the following.

Last night I had to use the tollway to reach O'Hare due to other routes being gridlocked. I had plenty of paper bills but not many coins. The toll plazas on the mainline have an attendent who give change but this one at the airport doesn't. Therefore I had to wait several minutes for a car to pull up behind to get some change. When I put the required amount into the bin the green light failed to illuminate so I put the last two quarters I had in and still no green light. With two hours before my flight departs I decided to proceed. I have studied the tollway's website about 7 days to pay missing tolls but it gives an impression that it doesn't apply to rental cars. There is also something about proceeding if the green light doesn't come on. What I want to know is the chance of receiving a bill from the rental car company together with a $25 admin fee for processing violations.

[StogieGuy7]

On a different topic I would like some advice on the following.

Last night I had to use the tollway to reach O'Hare due to other routes being gridlocked. I had plenty of paper bills but not many coins. The toll plazas on the mainline have an attendent who give change but this one at the airport doesn't. Therefore I had to wait several minutes for a car to pull up behind to get some change. When I put the required amount into the bin the green light failed to illuminate so I put the last two quarters I had in and still no green light. With two hours before my flight departs I decided to proceed. I have studied the tollway's website about 7 days to pay missing tolls but it gives an impression that it doesn't apply to rental cars. There is also something about proceeding if the green light doesn't come on. What I want to know is the chance of receiving a bill from the rental car company together with a $25 admin fee for processing violations.

You can pay on line at the Illinois Tollway website.  However, you will need to have the rental car's license plate number (make and model too, I believe).  Try to recall the date and time as well, IIRC.   Otherwise, the rental agency will get a violation notice in the mail and you will get their bill with the violation - and a bill that will be significantly higher still, including markups.  It could easily be a $100 bill for you.

If the light did not go on, then the rental car's "etoll" or other pre-installed transponder (if they had one) did not connect.  And coins could have been stuck in the gullet of the basket, which blocks the coins from triggering the "paid" light.  Either way, you did not get credit for paying.   So, I'd recommend that you pay the tab on-line and be done with it.  Print the receipt when done and document EVERYTHING.       

[vdeane]

And coins could have been stuck in the gullet of the basket, which blocks the coins from triggering the "paid" light.  Either way, you did not get credit for paying.

Looks like it would be better to just pay online than to ever attempt to use the coin machines then.

[Brandon]

On a different topic I would like some advice on the following.

Last night I had to use the tollway to reach O'Hare due to other routes being gridlocked. I had plenty of paper bills but not many coins. The toll plazas on the mainline have an attendent who give change but this one at the airport doesn't. Therefore I had to wait several minutes for a car to pull up behind to get some change. When I put the required amount into the bin the green light failed to illuminate so I put the last two quarters I had in and still no green light. With two hours before my flight departs I decided to proceed. I have studied the tollway's website about 7 days to pay missing tolls but it gives an impression that it doesn't apply to rental cars. There is also something about proceeding if the green light doesn't come on. What I want to know is the chance of receiving a bill from the rental car company together with a $25 admin fee for processing violations.

Just go through the toll plaza, remember which number plaza it is, or the location (I think you went through either O'Hare West or O'Hare East).  Pay directly on-line with the Tollway: http://www.illinoistollway.com/ within 7 days.  It applies to all vehicles from rental cars to semis.

[StogieGuy7]

And coins could have been stuck in the gullet of the basket, which blocks the coins from triggering the "paid" light.  Either way, you did not get credit for paying.

Looks like it would be better to just pay online than to ever attempt to use the coin machines then.

No, they usually work.  You just had bad luck.  But they will bust you, so I would recommend paying online this time.

[Truvelo]

Online payment is only available to US residents. A violation is $20 plus $25 what the rental company calls a 'processing' fee. Two days have now passed and I'm not sure if mailing the payment will arrive in time.

With hindsight I should have obscured the rear license plate. The car is from PA so doesn't have a front plate.

[StogieGuy7]

Online payment is only available to US residents. A violation is $20 plus $25 what the rental company calls a 'processing' fee. Two days have now passed and I'm not sure if mailing the payment will arrive in time.

With hindsight I should have obscured the rear license plate. The car is from PA so doesn't have a front plate.

Sorry, I did not realize that you were from abroad!  Yes, I'm afraid that makes a difference. 

Oh what a mess; please accept my apologies on behalf of my fellow Illini because this was not fair!

[vdeane]

And coins could have been stuck in the gullet of the basket, which blocks the coins from triggering the "paid" light.  Either way, you did not get credit for paying.

Looks like it would be better to just pay online than to ever attempt to use the coin machines then.

No, they usually work.  You just had bad luck.  But they will bust you, so I would recommend paying online this time.

Do I look like Truvelo?

[agentsteel53]

Do I look like Truvelo?

I dunno.  have the two of you ever been seen in the same room together?

[Brandon]

Online payment is only available to US residents. A violation is $20 plus $25 what the rental company calls a 'processing' fee. Two days have now passed and I'm not sure if mailing the payment will arrive in time.

With hindsight I should have obscured the rear license plate. The car is from PA so doesn't have a front plate.

Email them or call them and explain the situation.  Hopefully you have the license plate number on the rental form.

[Alps]

Do I look like Truvelo?

Yes.

[Truvelo]

Do I look like Truvelo?

Yes.

How do you know how I look

[agentsteel53]

Do I look like Truvelo?

Yes.

How do you know how I look

he's met deanej.