That's why I may ending up stopping this series, although I must admit it is tremendously popular.
"Florida a model for plans for toll roads in Mass.; Makes buying transponders easy, convenient" by Martine Powers | Globe Staff, December 08, 2013
MIAMI — All-electronic, cash-free tolling —
Sounds good, right?
Related: Turning Around on the Tobin Bridge
They REALLY WANT ANY LOOT they can GET!
And as Massachusetts readies for the switch to cash-free toll plazas statewide, there remains a long way to go to prepare for the logistical challenges of the new system.
Let's hope it works like a bank ATM and not health and unemployment sites that are such pieces of shit.
Related: Consulting giant becomes a State House fixture
I'm not very hopeful now.
The biggest issue is accurately identifying and billing those without transponders, and the key there is minimizing the ranks of these outliers....
Of course, the TRANSPONDERS will also TRACK EVERYWHERE YOU DRIVE!
Most important, it’s safer:
“It created a much safer environment,” said Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti, executive director and chief executive officer of Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise, the organization that manages toll roads in Florida.
Yes, $elf-$erving government tyranny is always, always for our own safety and protection.
But the success of the system depends on limiting the number of people who choose to take advantage of the toll-by-plate option, which is costly and time-intensive for staff.
High-speed cameras affixed to toll gantries take photos of each car, sending them for identification if the car is not matched by a SunPass transponder. But problems can arise.
Sometimes, cameras are out-of-focus or lenses are blurry, which prevent them from reading a slew of license plates in a row. In other instances, motorists cover their license plate with tape, or smear the numbers with mud, in an effort to prevent them from being detected by the cameras, Gutierrez-Scaccetti said.
(Blog editor smiles)
Once license plates are identified, the process of tracking down motorists and sending them multiple bills can be a significant challenge, Gray said — especially if they’re out-of-staters.
(Blog editor smiles again; I hope all you visitors a) stay the hell out of Massachusetts at all costs and b) don't pay one stinking toll)
States with their own toll roads are generally amenable to helping track down drivers who try to evade a toll in another state.
I encourage it. Gum up the works of tyranny any way you can. Make it unweildy and too large. F*** 'em!
Massachusetts has a reciprocity agreement with New Hampshire and Maine to ensure that each state can go after toll violators. But some states without tolls have strict rules protecting the privacy of their residents, and are wary of sharing contact information with another state’s transportation department.
God bless 'em (I'll bet they are in the South).
“Getting the technology right is plenty hard,” Gray said....
And even when people are tracked down, they often don’t care. The cost of bringing violators to court can far outweigh the value of the toll itself.
Yeah, they are going to let johns go but bring you back for a moving violation where you were only a$$erting your freedom.
“If I live in another state and I’m never going back to Massachusetts, they can bill me all they want and I’m going to ignore it,” Gray said, describing the common reaction.
(Blog editor smiles again)
At Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise, officials accept that 5 percent of their tolls will go unpaid. Any more than that, they say, and they’re in trouble.
How do they ensure that doesn’t happen? They sell SunPasses like crazy, and they make the transponders available everywhere.
You $hould be eager to en$lave your$elf!
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation has opened four locations where E-ZPasses may be purchased in person — including one that opened last week in Square One Mall in Saugus— and the transponders are also available at AAA locations and a few car dealerships.
It’s a great deal less than Florida, where the state’s most popular grocery store, Publix, as well as CVS, other pharmacies, and gas stations sell the devices.
Also, at highway service centers, SunPasses are sold from vending machines — right there, alongside the sour gummy worms and cheese-flavored crackers.
What kind of food are they eating in Florida?
In addition to toll discounts, SunPasses offer an extra perk: They can be used to pay for parking at the state’s major airports, where they have their own designated entrance and exit into airport parking lots.
Pfft!
“Florida went over and above what I would say most states have done to create this network for customer convenience,” Gutierrez-Scaccetti.
Oh, i$ that what it i$ all for?
MassDOT spokeswoman Sara Lavoie said that the state’s privacy laws protecting consumer information makes it difficult to establish partnerships with outside retailers.
“We have an obligation to make sure that information remains secure,” she said. “This is a factor to consider as we explore adding new locations.”
Christopher Zegras, an associate professor of transportation and urban planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said that 70 percent of toll transactions on Massachusetts roads occurring electronically is a number that must be improved if the switch to all-electronic tolling will be effective.
Zegras said MassDOT should establish stiffer requirements to ensure that nearly 100 percent of car owners in Massachusetts own an E-ZPass.
“There should be a very strong push to get most every vehicle in Massachusetts equipped with transponders,” Zegras said.
Still, all-electronic tolling is a technology that has taken some drivers, especially older Florida residents, time to become accustomed to. Even with the slew of signs warning drivers that they will be passing underneath a toll, many fail to understand the concept — until a surprise bill shows up in the mail.
Late, I'll bet.
“There are bumps and bruises,” Gutierrez-Scaccetti said. “People don’t understand that they’ve got to pay attention to the mail.”
Did the camera also catch the accident?
--more--"
Related:
Slow Saturday Special: My Baby Takes the Morning Train
My Baby Takes the Late Night Train
Bidding Farewell to the T
Time for the bike.
