Stay the FUCK out of my EZ-PASS lane.

[Trunk]

OK you motherfuckers. . .stay the FUCK out of my EZ-PASS lane.

First of all, the lane starts when those giant 8 foot tall letters you're driving over spell out




EZ
PASS
ONLY



At this point, you should start moving to a normal travel lane because you don't have EZ-PASS.

Typically, that writing doesn't seem to be enough to clue you in though. You usually get the hint about the time the yellow flashing lights are 20 feet in front of you.

So, what are your options now?

Well, there's a few things you can try. . .

1) Merging back in with the other people who don't have EZ-PASS. . .those who actually understand, "well, sometimes toll booths take a while, but since I haven't purchased EZ-PASS, I'm going to have to wait my turn." But, wait a minute. . .those 150 people you just zoomed by don't seem to be very understanding of your desire to cut back into line. So, you can sit there, blocking EZ-PASS lane trying to inch your way into bumper-to-bumper traffic, OR

2) You can drive right up to the EZ-PASS window anyway and start waving a 5 dollar bill out your window and honking. What's this supposed to do anyway. . .get one of the toll booth attendants (who is servicing the people who aren't morons) to run out of her booth and take your money? Nope. Maybe the lady from the grocery store who helps you with self checkout will come help you -- you know, that lady that had to show you that "dinner rolls" is in the "bakery" section of the touch screen, not the "produce" section. But really, you're going to sit there for a minute until the horns from the people behind you make it clear in your stupid fuckin' head that no one is coming to bail you out of your latest stupidity and you better drive off and face the consequences, OR

3) You could just sit there in the booth talking on your cell phone like you were doing this weekend. Perhaps the best option of all. Perhaps you think you're just waiting for a toll-booth attendant to rap on your window. Perhaps you can't hear the horns behind you. Perhaps you think you're in line at the post office and you're waiting for someone to say "37 Cents Please" and hand you your change from a dollar. Perhaps, you just don't fuckin' care because you don't notice what's happening because you're brain-deep in a conversation about how big your Ford Expedition is compared to the cars around you.

Wake up, folks! It's 2005. EZ-PASS has been around for years and it's here to stay. Get it. It's cheaper. It's easier. It's faster. And when most of us have it, they can get around to building the scanners on the overpasses so we don't all have to sit in traffic for 45 minutes on a 1 hour drive to pay a toll.

[Tabby_Cat]

'course, then the gub'mint 'll tracker down yer ev'ry move! Ya'll don't unnerstand them satlites gettn' them EZ PASS tracking systems! GUBMINT FOLLOWIN YALL MOVEMENTS!!

[Finagle]

Reserve some irritation for the jamokes who can't understand that a "2 Right Lanes Closed Ahead, Merge Left" sign does NOT mean "Let everyone ahead of you merge left and then use the deserted lane as your personal highway until you reach the barrier and then get pissed off when no one lets you merge back in."

[neuroman]

And while you're at it, stay off the fucking tollway alltogether if you don't have any money on you.

[jayjay]

Reserve some irritation for the jamokes who can't understand that a "2 Right Lanes Closed Ahead, Merge Left" sign does NOT mean "Let everyone ahead of you merge left and then use the deserted lane as your personal highway until you reach the barrier and then get pissed off when no one lets you merge back in."

You may be surprised at the response to this one. There appears to be a sizeable contingent of the "use both lanes until the merge point" school of thought here.

I, personally, generally try to get in the lane I need to be in as early as possible.

[JohnBckWLD]

Wake up, folks! It's 2005. EZ-PASS has been around for years and it's here to stay. Get it. It's cheaper. It's easier. It's faster. And when most of us have it, they can get around to building the scanners on the overpasses so we don't all have to sit in traffic for 45 minutes on a 1 hour drive to pay a toll.
Wake up folks. Fight EZ-Pass. Don't become a UPC code to used and abused by money grubbing bureacrats who hide behind bridge & tunnel authorities who now have this need to pre-charge your credit card or checking account. Tell the powers that be, 'queueing up to pay $9 per day in tolls is unjust, no matter how fast their scanners work'. Demand they tear these god-damn toll plazas down & shove their rectangular EZ Pass tags up into their round assholes.

[furt]

As an addendum to the OP:

If you get up to any toll both and suddenly realize you have no money, just go through. They will not track you down and shoot you. They will not give you a ticket, assuming this is your first time in awhile. This is in fact exactly what the Highway authorities say to do: JUST GO THE FUCK THROUGH!

[furt]

Fight EZ-Pass. Don't become a UPC code to used and abused by money grubbing bureacrats who hide behind bridge & tunnel authorities who now have this need to pre-charge your credit card or checking account. Tell the powers that be, 'queueing up to pay $9 per day in tolls is unjust, no matter how fast their scanners work'. Demand they tear these god-damn toll plazas down & shove their rectangular EZ Pass tags up into their round assholes.YMMV. I have open-lane tolling on my way to work, and it beats hell out throwing quarters in.

[Who_me?]

Wake up folks. Fight EZ-Pass. Don't become a UPC code to used and abused by money grubbing bureacrats who hide behind bridge & tunnel authorities who now have this need to pre-charge your credit card or checking account. Tell the powers that be, 'queueing up to pay $9 per day in tolls is unjust, no matter how fast their scanners work'. Demand they tear these god-damn toll plazas down & shove their rectangular EZ Pass tags up into their round assholes.


I Love EZ-Pass. In Baltimore, the Harbor and Fort McHenry tunnels, as well as the Francis Scott Key Bridge are $2.00 one way tolls for cash and $0.40 for one way EZ-Pass. To save $3.20 a day, I'll let them track me and pre-charge my accounts.

[Excalibre]

Wake up folks. Fight EZ-Pass. Don't become a UPC code to used and abused by money grubbing bureacrats who hide behind bridge & tunnel authorities who now have this need to pre-charge your credit card or checking account. Tell the powers that be, 'queueing up to pay $9 per day in tolls is unjust, no matter how fast their scanners work'. Demand they tear these god-damn toll plazas down & shove their rectangular EZ Pass tags up into their round assholes.
Huh? This isn't serious, is it?


As an addendum to the OP:

If you get up to any toll both and suddenly realize you have no money, just go through. They will not track you down and shoot you. They will not give you a ticket, assuming this is your first time in awhile. This is in fact exactly what the Highway authorities say to do: JUST GO THE FUCK THROUGH!
Is that really what you're supposed to do? Learn something new every day . . .

[Trunk]

As an addendum to the OP:

If you get up to any toll both and suddenly realize you have no money, just go through. They will not track you down and shoot you. They will not give you a ticket, assuming this is your first time in awhile. This is in fact exactly what the Highway authorities say to do: JUST GO THE FUCK THROUGH!

Right.

IF they send you a bill, I think it's normally for the amount of the toll.

I doubt they even track habitual offenders, but don't send me the bill when they prove me wrong.

[jayjay]

Right.

IF they send you a bill, I think it's normally for the amount of the toll.


That's the way it works on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. My mother (who, in all fairness, hadn't even been a passenger in a car on the Turnpike in something like 20 years) took the Turnpike to visit my brother and I (I live in Lancaster, he's in Limerick) here near Philly last summer. She accidentally got off in the EZ Pass lane and figured out to just keep driving through. They sent her a bill for the toll (which, because it's the TP and a progressive toll, and they didn't know for sure where she got on, was $32-odd, the toll for the whole length).

[Cheesesteak]

Huh? This isn't serious, is it?Yeah, he's serious. I kind of figure if they're going to be banging me in the ass anyway (and they are) I'll get nicely lubed up with EZPass, rather than take the dry humping of the cash lanes.

[Anaamika]

I stay well away from your EZPass lanes. In return, could you please tell people that Exact Change means whatever you've got in your wallet of course. Now is exactly the time to go fishing for money and hand him a $20. :smack:

[Cemetery Savior]

Ours is called "I-Pass" in Illinois, and we appear to share the same problems.

My favorite (read: least) is when someone about 200 yards from the IPass booth realizes that they in fact do NOT possess an IPass transmitter. At that point, the car begins to sway gently back ad forth, signalling the indecision. At that point, the people in the "to be merged into" lane begin to bunch up the cars, as they don't want the idiot cutting in line.

When the decision is reached, it's usually to floor the accelerator, flying though the IPass lane.

At least in IL, I know that Richie Daley's eyes are upon you if you blow through the IPass lane. There's the cost of the toll, and a slight fine ($50, I think)!

[jayjay]

At least in IL, I know that Richie Daley's eyes are upon you if you blow through the IPass lane.

o/` The eyes of Daley are upon you
all the live-long day!
The eyes of Daley are upon you
as you pass your life away!
Can't you hear the dozers roaring
fired up so early in the morn?
Don't you hear the pilots moaning
as Daley blows his horn? o/`

[danceswithcats]

That's the way it works on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. My mother (who, in all fairness, hadn't even been a passenger in a car on the Turnpike in something like 20 years) took the Turnpike to visit my brother and I (I live in Lancaster, he's in Limerick) here near Philly last summer. She accidentally got off in the EZ Pass lane and figured out to just keep driving through. They sent her a bill for the toll (which, because it's the TP and a progressive toll, and they didn't know for sure where she got on, was $32-odd, the toll for the whole length).

They handled it the same as if she'd gotten on at Morgantown, traveled to Reading/Denver and said she'd lost her ticket. It would have been full fare from the Ohio gateway, PA/Jersey bridge plaza, or northern terminus at Clark's Summit, whichever is greater. Hey, how do you think they pay for a crew of six trucks and twenty-three men to watch one putz pour tar in a hole, after 19 miles of single lane traffic? :dubious:

[friedo]

Huh? This isn't serious, is it?


Yep. Johnny is a deranged nut who hates convenience. Of course, you'd have to be to live in Seaford and work in Yonkers.

[pulykamell]

You may be surprised at the response to this one. There appears to be a sizeable contingent of the "use both lanes until the merge point" school of thought here.

I, personally, generally try to get in the lane I need to be in as early as possible.

I used to be of your persuation, but after thinking about this, I've decided the correct course of action is to merge when the lanes naturally come together at the merge, and not merge early. I've never had problems people letting me in.

[ParentalAdvisory]

I Love EZ-Pass.

Unfortunately JohnBckWLD, this is what we're up against. People love their UPC status. I understand that it's cheaper to get one of these things, but I still feel people should fight it instead of dealing with it. The potential for abuse is high with these things.

[sunfish]

As an addendum to the OP:

If you get up to any toll both and suddenly realize you have no money, just go through. They will not track you down and shoot you. They will not give you a ticket, assuming this is your first time in awhile. This is in fact exactly what the Highway authorities say to do: JUST GO THE FUCK THROUGH!
Except that you can't do that in some places, like MTA bridges, where there is a physical barrier that won't go up unless you have an EZPass or one of the bridge employees ambles over to hit the switch, and it's a 2-point penalty on your license for trying to back up to move over to a cash lane. Then us EZPass folks who are in the right place get stuck behind the jamokes (love that word, haven't heard it in a long time) that can't read.

I don't love my "UPC status," but I do love the convenience of being able to fly past all the other folks shelling out cash, especially when I go to visit my family on the Island on holiday weekends. I was one of the early adopters when EZPass first started, and I've never regretted having it.

I also think the potential for abuse is overblown. The bridge and tunnel authorities have benefitted hugely from the better traffic flow that's possible with EZPass; I daresay they can't afford pissing all those EZPass holders off to the point of giving up the passes. Besides, who wants to deal with the lawsuit that would immediately follow if some new traffic enforcement measure, say, were applied only to EZPass holders (e.g., speeding tickets issued on the basis of transit time between two tolls)?

[lee]

In Illinois, the correct thing to do if you can't pay a toll, is within the next 4 business days mail them a letter explaining and a check or money order with the missed toll amounts.

[lee]

They have made it clear they will and have used the ipass information to assist police in their efforts. I will not be surprised if they start issuing speeding tickets based on times you pass certain points.

It does piss me off that they could have designed the system to work without the transponder give out identifying information, but chose not to. But not having one was unsafe. The exit and entrance lanes for non-ipass users are downright dangerous. Being in the middle lane at a stop and merging with traffic already doing +55 mph despite the 15 mph signs flying past is not for me.

[Who_me?]

Unfortunately JohnBckWLD, this is what we're up against. People love their UPC status. I understand that it's cheaper to get one of these things, but I still feel people should fight it instead of dealing with it. The potential for abuse is high with these things.

I don't understand why people are against EZ-Pass and the like. Why should I fight it? The only thing that they can tell is what times I used the EZ-Pass lane and where I was. Big deal, the only time I would have an issue with this may be if I was on the Pennsylvania or New Jersey turnpike, then I can see it being used to give me a speeding ticket if I went too far too fast between getting on and getting off the highway. If I decide I want to be sneaky, I'll take the thing and throw it in the trunk.

I save time and I save money. It's a win/win situation in my book.

[UncleBeer]

Ours is called "I-Pass" in Illinois, and we appear to share the same problems.

My favorite (read: least) is when someone about 200 yards from the IPass booth realizes that they in fact do NOT possess an IPass transmitter. At that point, the car begins to sway gently back ad forth, signalling the indecision. At that point, the people in the "to be merged into" lane begin to bunch up the cars, as they don't want the idiot cutting in line.[/quote]
But these guys are just dumbfucks - and apparently illiterate - and as such are perhaps excusable. It's the assholes who who're zipping along in the adjacent cash lanes and wait until the last fucking second to jump over to the I-Pass lanes, cutting me off in the process, that really chap my ass. Fuck, I'm from goddamned Ohio, and I figgered out how to use the I-Pass lanes in about two seconds without causing a potential pile-up. (Yeah, I drive a lot in the Chicago area, so I have an I-Pass transponder. And since they just doubled the tolls for cash payers, I'm glad I have it. Even tho' it kinda bugs me that all the information they collect seems to be kept in perpetuity. First time they write me a speeding ticket for passing through two toll plazas too quickly is the day it goes away, tho.)

And the Illinoistollway (http://www.illinoistollway.com/portal/page?_pageid=53,179442,53_179445:53_179478&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL) site says they're going after people who have accumulated 5 or more violations.

[Frank]

They sent her a bill for the toll (which, because it's the TP and a progressive toll, and they didn't know for sure where she got on, was $32-odd, the toll for the whole length).
I did that on the New York State Thruway once. They had me mail in my toll ticket and the amount to the farthest exit from where I got on (which was actually what I owed), and a token fine ($10, I think).

[bouv]

I used to be of your persuation, but after thinking about this, I've decided the correct course of action is to merge when the lanes naturally come together at the merge, and not merge early. I've never had problems people letting me in.

Even though you may not have had problems, this is the wrong way to do it. You should alwatys merge as early as possible. When they let you in, they have to slow down, and the car bwhind them slows down more, and behind them ven more, and then you're the cause of a traffic jam.

[JohnBckWLD]

Why should I fight it? I save time and I save money. It's a win/win situation in my book.I'm not gonna further hijack this 'learn how to merge' rant & I apologize for doing so originally.

Here's an old Garden State Pkwy (http://users.nac.net/jmp/tollfree/debate.html) toll debate, between Paul Mulshine and Phil Beachem - with commentary by Citizens Against Tolls.

[KeithT]

My favorite (read: least) is when someone about 200 yards from the IPass booth realizes that they in fact do NOT possess an IPass transmitter. At that point, the car begins to sway gently back ad forth, signalling the indecision. At that point, the people in the "to be merged into" lane begin to bunch up the cars, as they don't want the idiot cutting in line.Ooo! I can top that! The South Beloit plaza on the Northwest Tollway has a 5-mph I-Pass Only lane between the manual and automatic lanes, originally dedicated to truck traffic, but now open to all I-Pass users. Unlike the car-only I-Pass lanes, there are physical barriers (knockdown hazard signs) marking the lane for about 50-100 yards ahead of the sensors. On at least two occasions, I've been stuck behind an out-of-region driver who make its about halfway through the barriers before the light comes on in their heads. It's too late to switch lanes, so he stops and begins to back up! Meanwhile, a line is forming, there's no place for him to go, and it usually takes a blast of horn to nudge the idiot through the plaza.



Who was the fucking genius who decided to funnel three lanes of westbound I-90 traffic on the New York Thruway through seven lanes of manual tollbooths at Buffalo? It took me well over twenty minutes to get through that logjam yesterday.

[Big_Norse]

And the Illinoistollway (http://www.illinoistollway.com/portal/page?_pageid=53,179442,53_179445:53_179478&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL) site says they're going after people who have accumulated 5 or more violations.This fits with my experience. Twice I've been caught at toll plazas (getting off the highway with no attendant - not I-Pass) without change and have driven through expecting some sort of ticket to be mailed to me eventually. So far, no word from the state about paying up.

[lee]

It was on the news that they are going after some with even one toll violation and what is more they tried to go after one woman who had a current working ipass unit for a single toll violation. There was a lot of flack about that on the news radio a while ago.

[tremorviolet]

Even though you may not have had problems, this is the wrong way to do it. You should alwatys merge as early as possible. When they let you in, they have to slow down, and the car bwhind them slows down more, and behind them ven more, and then you're the cause of a traffic jam.

When the traffic engineers design the traffic control for construction, they figure full capacity up until the point where the merge happens. If everyone merges early, it can create a much longer back-up than originally planned for. This happened here in Austin when they were working on Lamar. They actually had to bring in signs saying "occupy both lanes until merge point" because early mergers were seriously disrupting traffic flow.

[Bongmaster]

I don't understand why people are against EZ-Pass and the like. Why should I fight it?

The quick answer is that because authorities will use the information against you. Its very easy to caculate your average speed between tolls and determine if you have exceeded the speed limit. In fact the police have issued speeding tickets based on the E-ZPass system in the past. Divorce laywers want the data to prove where someone was at a particular time. E-ZPass readers are installed along highways, not just at tolls, to gather information about who is going where and how quickly. As it stands now personal data is supossedly not being kept but I think we all know what happens over time with systems like these. At first they are not abused, but in time it becomes routine. Its the battle of the information age. Shortly someone will come along and state that if you are not doing anything wrong than you have nothing to worry about. Hmmm...where have I heard that argument before? ;)

http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/12/11/1611251

[Anaamika]

When the traffic engineers design the traffic control for construction, they figure full capacity up until the point where the merge happens. If everyone merges early, it can create a much longer back-up than originally planned for. This happened here in Austin when they were working on Lamar. They actually had to bring in signs saying "occupy both lanes until merge point" because early mergers were seriously disrupting traffic flow.
I really don't want to turn this into a merging argument, we've had those on the Dope before. But I've seen it both ways.

If the traffic is moving at a decent clip, you get in early, while matching speeds; that moves faster. If the traffic is moving at this speed, though, nearly every time we hit the merge we slow down to a crawl because of the people trying to shoot in at the last moment and the people in this lane who can't seem to comprehend the other person's lane has ended.

If the traffic is already moving slow, better to shift over at the merge point because chances are you're not going to be allowed in before that anyway, or people won't see your turn signal. Then, at the merge signal, each person should let one person go, and it would run much smoother.

[danceswithcats]

My my. That tinfoil hat becomes you! When I stop posting, you'll be able to smugly enjoy the knowledge that the EZ-Pass Nazis came for me in the night. :rolleyes:

[tremorviolet]

I really don't want to turn this into a merging argument, we've had those on the Dope before. But I've seen it both ways.

If the traffic is moving at a decent clip, you get in early, while matching speeds; that moves faster. If the traffic is moving at this speed, though, nearly every time we hit the merge we slow down to a crawl because of the people trying to shoot in at the last moment and the people in this lane who can't seem to comprehend the other person's lane has ended.

If the traffic is already moving slow, better to shift over at the merge point because chances are you're not going to be allowed in before that anyway, or people won't see your turn signal. Then, at the merge signal, each person should let one person go, and it would run much smoother.

I'm not going to argue, I'm just telling you as an engineer how the traffic control is designed to work. The problemis that not many people know that's how it's supposed to work (I didn't know it before I got into engineering) and get cranky when they think someone is waiting til the last second to get in.

[Jurph]

My my. That tinfoil hat becomes you! When I stop posting, you'll be able to smugly enjoy the knowledge that the EZ-Pass Nazis came for me in the night. :rolleyes:

It turns out that wrapping your EZ-Pass in tinfoil does work -- in fact, question 7 in the FAQ (https://smart-tag.com/faqpf.htm) here recommends using your tinfoil hat to wrap up your EZ-Pass if, for some reason, you want to pay cash. I can see how the paranoid among us might enjoy bringing a roll of foil along, getting onto a limited access road like the Turnpike, activate the jamming envelope, and then de-cloak right before the exit point.

I can even conceive of someone making a little box, lined with foil, into which someone could toss the EZ-Pass during long drives. An interesting side-effect of this would be to (ahem) foil the people trying to establish your travel patterns using just toll info. Drive north through a toll booth, drop the pass in a jammer box, and go back southbound paying cash all the way. Retrace your path in reverse, and EZ-Pass becomes an alibi that you were at a show in New York while you were committing the murders in Norfolk.

...what?

[Trunk]

In fact the police have issued speeding tickets based on the E-ZPass system in the past.

That's GOTTA require a cite.

Put the bong down, champ.

Anyway, good for you and your attitude. The more people with completely irrational fears about the "OOOH, BIG SCARY GOVERNMENT" the better.

Quicker lane for me.

[Bongmaster]

That's GOTTA require a cite.

Put the bong down, champ.

Anyway, good for you and your attitude. The more people with completely irrational fears about the "OOOH, BIG SCARY GOVERNMENT" the better.

Quicker lane for me.

The bong is in the corner and there IS a cite in my post, check again "champ"

[Trunk]

The bong is in the corner and there IS a cite in my post, check again "champ"

Oh, you mean that slash dot link that didn't say ANYTHING WHATSOEVER ABOUT POLICE ISSUING TICKETS BASED ON EZ PASS?

Or perhaps when you wrote, "In fact the police have issued speeding tickets based on the E-ZPass system in the past," what you really meant was

"in my made-up fictional paranoid world, the police have issued speeding tickets based on the E-ZPass system in the past."

[Who_me?]

The bong is in the corner and there IS a cite in my post, check again "champ"

Yeah, but unfortunately the cite is Slashdot (and says that someone claims it to be true) and the cite within the cite goes nowhere. I don't care whether you get an EZ-Pass or not, I like mine and I'll deal with any problems that may arise from its use.

[Bongmaster]

The link to the AP article I intended to use is not working any longer, my apologies for that. But to curb your ignorance and stop your silly ranting here are more:

Cite 1 shows how E-ZPass info IS being used to track drivers
“A recent review of E-ZPass records and reports from toll collectors
indicate that some motorists are exceeding the 5 mph speed limit through the “E-ZPass Only” lanes, which
creates a significant risk for themselves, other motorists, and toll collectors,”
http://www.drba.net/press/releases/view_release.php?release=20050526

Cite 2 Is another version of the original article and really makes my point. Police are using the information from the E-ZPass system to track people's whereabouts
http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/2003/11/21/business/7466389.htm

Cite 3 Shows how the system was used against the cops when they were claiming to be working (about half way down the page)
http://www.phillyburbs.com/pb-dyn/news/103-12112003-211370.html

I am looking for another article from back when they first started using the system and issued speeding tickets in my area. Give me some time to find it (all the links I had are dead now).


Like any other information application it can be used for good or bad. Do you honestly think we, as a society, are ready to trust people in authority to always use information properly? Do you want to live in a surveillance society where the authorities know where you are at all times? I know, I know...if I haven't done anything wrong I have nothing to worry about, right? :rolleyes:

[Bongmaster]

Ok, I pretty much suck at google research. I have found some non-cite-worthy pages claiming that people have gotten tickets in the past but none I'd feel comfortable linking here. My memory is from when they first started using E-ZPass in the Philadelphia area of the PA Turnpike, I will keep looking for a reliable cite. As far as my original argument goes, the jist of it regarded the use of the information gathered with the toll system and I think I have shown with my prior cites what they are doing these days. Does anyone honestly think that in 10-20 years when all roads are E-ZPass that law enforcement won't use it to issue tickets and track where people have been? The only reason they hold back now is because they want people to sign up for it. When that motivator goes away there is nothing stopping people in authority and people who know how to manipulate information (hackers etc) from using the information against you.

[Who_me?]

And the problem is? I was aware of the problem of possibly getting a ticket on a toll road such as the Pa. turnpike when I got it. The thought does not bother me because I can take it out of the window and not use it if I choose.

[Cheesesteak]

Guess what... when you make a phone call the EEEEEVIL police can get a record of it to find out who you called. Oh no! I'm never using a phone again 'cause the cops use it to spy on me.

61 times in 7 years the EZPass people of NYS responded to a request for info, of the millions of people who use them every single day. Color me unimpressed.

And don't even TRY to suggest that their radar guns at the tollbooths are somehow inappropriate. There are people walking back and forth through those booths, you can't have people zooming through at 30mph with no visibility. Note that it isn't the EZPass tag that trips the ticket, it's a radar gun.

I recall a story from an old timer about a trip on the NJ turnpike, pre EZ pass. Toll taker looked at the timestamp that is on every single toll ticket issued and knew the person had been speeding something fierce. Had the guy sit off to the side until enough time had passed that he wasn't "speeding" anymore. Connecting a timestamped paper ticket to speed is certainly doable, if the authorities want to. They don't.

The EZPass folks should NOT be using the tags to issue speeding tickets, because it's just another incentive for people to avoid the technology. I've not heard any reliable cites that there is any attempt by law enforcement to use them that way, but am willing to listen

[sunfish]

Speeding tickets for going through the toll too fast, no problem. Speeding tickets for transit time between tolls (for example, going south on the NYS Thruway, Tappan Zee Bridge to Ardsley), I just don't see happening without a huge fuss. I can't find an online cite for this, but I remember well AAA-NY commenting that they would fight any such action tooth and nail as discriminatory against EZPass holders. I certainly have yet to be ticketed for having a, ahem, slightly leaden foot between tolls. :P

[Bongmaster]

Cheesesteak, your sarcasm is not necessary. I don't think the police are evil. I do, however, think that people in authority will abuse their power if they are given too much. You have heard absolute power corrupts absolutely, right? Of course this is not absolute power, rather a stepping stone on the path to it. The more information authorities are provided to control the people the more power they will have. I know how much people like you enjoy making reference to tinfoil hats and such so have at it, but I stand by my statements. I will continue to look for a cite to my speeding ticket claim. If anyone with actual research skills could help me out here I would appreciate it. I am certain there have been speeding tickets issued in the past using the E-ZPass system.

[Bongmaster]

Speeding tickets for going through the toll too fast, no problem. Speeding tickets for transit time between tolls (for example, going south on the NYS Thruway, Tappan Zee Bridge to Ardsley), I just don't see happening without a huge fuss. I can't find an online cite for this, but I remember well AAA-NY commenting that they would fight any such action tooth and nail as discriminatory against EZPass holders. I certainly have yet to be ticketed for having a, ahem, slightly leaden foot between tolls. :P

Most of what I have been reading this morning mirrors what you are saying. I can't find anywhere they are ticketing people using the system now because it would make it so unpopular. My recollection was from when they first started using it here in the philly area...they quickly stopped doing it when people reacted.

Its not much, but here is a start. A proposal on how the E-ZPass system can be used to track driver speed:
www.math.uchicago.edu/~blumberg/driving.pdf

[UncleBeer]

It turns out that wrapping your EZ-Pass in tinfoil does work -- in fact, question 7 in the FAQ here recommends using your tinfoil hat to wrap up your EZ-Pass if, for some reason, you want to pay cash.
Right. Obviously, this is the reason they're wrapped in foil for shipping. They don't want a whole boxful of 'em to trigger debits on all those accounts while they're in the back of a Post Office vehicle.

[Weirddave]

I am currently on hold with the EZ-PASS center because I got a notice of warning for a speed violation at the Harbor Tunnel tolls. It seems that I was clocked going through the toll plaza at..

*ahem*


67 MPH.

During rush hour.

Anyone who drives in Baltimore knows that this is flat out impossible. Methinks there is a technical glitch in the system.


Personally, my biggest pet peeve is people with EZ-PASSES fucking STOP in the EZ-PASS lane instead of coasting through.

DON'T FUCKING STOP, YOU LOSER! THAT'S WHY WE PAY FOR THESE THINGS, SO WE DON'T HAVE TO STOP AT THE TOLLS WITH THE IDIOTS WHO DON'T HAVE EZ-PASS! GAH!

There is an EZ-PASS station on the Garden State Parkway that you can go through at speed. Nirvana! Oh, how I yearn for the day they install those down here.

[gonzoron]

Soo.... the problem with (hypothetically) issuing speeding tickets because you got from point A to point B faster than you're supposed to is.......... what exactly? You broke the law. Suck it up and pay the fine. Yes, I speed too. And when I was caught once, I deserved it. Lucky me only got a warning. But someday I'll surely get a ticket, and I'll deserve that too. If I didn't want to risk a ticket... I wouldn't speed. Very simple.

The time I save with ezpass in a year is probably more than I would save speeding anyway.

EZpass is a dream come true. EZPass Express is heaven on earth.

[Cheesesteak]

You have heard absolute power corrupts absolutely, right? Of course this is not absolute power, rather a stepping stone on the path to it.Man, that stepping stone is a half mile behind you on the route to absolute power. You realize that every single telephone call you have ever made in your entire life was logged in a database the police could subpoena? If you used a cellphone, they could even track where you were when you made the call. Every single financial transaction you have ever made with an institution is logged. Every single credit card purchase, every loan, every deposit and withdrawal logged with times, dates, locations and amounts. Got cash from an ATM? They took a video of you doing it.

The authorities have a mountain of information at their disposal regarding your activities and you think EZPass is paving the way to them having too much power? Get some perspective, they are already there. If they wanted to fuck your shit up, they don't need EZPass, all they need is to decide to do it.

[Bongmaster]

Man, that stepping stone is a half mile behind you on the route to absolute power. You realize that every single telephone call you have ever made in your entire life was logged in a database the police could subpoena? If you used a cellphone, they could even track where you were when you made the call. Every single financial transaction you have ever made with an institution is logged. Every single credit card purchase, every loan, every deposit and withdrawal logged with times, dates, locations and amounts. Got cash from an ATM? They took a video of you doing it.

The authorities have a mountain of information at their disposal regarding your activities and you think EZPass is paving the way to them having too much power? Get some perspective, they are already there. If they wanted to fuck your shit up, they don't need EZPass, all they need is to decide to do it.

Its exactly the kind of things you mention that worry me. Of course I know how much of a survalience society we are becoming...why make it any easier? Too may people think about this the same way you too. Its convenient, its easier...but it leads to bad things in time. Did you ever read 1984? Its a model for the world we are creating. Its easy to accept new forms of information technology because of the huge short term benefits yet we rarely consider the long term consenquences. I don't seriously expect people to stop using information technology (I'm in the field myself) but I do want to make people more aware of what can happen. Its an uphill battle! ;)

[Cheesesteak]

Why make it easier? I think I don't mind making it easier because ease and difficulty are not factors in the decision to violate a persons rights. You do not need computers to commit genocide, enslave populations, or just thoroughly harass a person. All of these things were done during times with zero information technology, and I don't think that any ancient ruler thought "Well, it's just too hard to oppress these peasants, I won't bother troubling them." If the people in charge decide to screw with you, they will, regardless of whether or not they can track you with ezpass.

If making it easier provides me with a tangible benefit, I'm generally OK with it.