### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [March 31, 2015, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsdot-cant-tell-the-difference-between-motorcycles-and-cars/716413/1 "2015-03-31T14:23:49Z")
[Link](http://www.king5.com/story/news/local/2015/03/31/motorcycle-tolls/70707396/)
Motorcycles use HOV lanes free under federal law. The State of Washington says, OK; but motorcyclists who want to use the new HOV lane on the 405 need to buy a Good To Go! transponder so they don’t get charged.
> [@](#):
>
> WSDOT’s director of toll operations, Patty Rubstello said the change is largely due to equipment.
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> \
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> “When the system takes a picture of the license plate we don’t know if you are a motorcycle or a carpooler so that is why we are requiring those who don’t need to pay the toll to have a transponder,” Rubstello said.
OK, I can understand that a vehicle detector can’t tell what kind of vehicle it detects, so it takes a picture of every one. But motorcycle plates and car plates (and truck plates) have different formats. Motorcycle plates are about half the size of other plates. And it’s not as if the vehicle detector zooms in on _just_ the license plate of a vehicle traveling 60 or 70 mph before taking the picture.
Here’s a hint, WSDOT: Motorcycle plates are surrounded by, you know, _motorcycles!_ :eek: It should be fairly easy for someone to decide whether they need to send a bill to the owner.
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### Author:  [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)
#### Post date: [March 31, 2015, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsdot-cant-tell-the-difference-between-motorcycles-and-cars/716413/2 "2015-03-31T14:32:48Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#):
>
> Motorcycle plates are about half the size of other plates. And it’s not as if the vehicle detector zooms in on _just_ the license plate of a vehicle traveling 60 or 70 mph before taking the picture.
Do you know that they don’t?
But, agreed. Sometime between “_red light_ let’s issue this guy a ticket” and “This ticket is for the following vehicle using the HOV lane” there should be a “whoops _green light_ that’s a motorcycle, son” moment.
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### Author:  [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)
#### Post date: [March 31, 2015, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsdot-cant-tell-the-difference-between-motorcycles-and-cars/716413/3 "2015-03-31T22:07:47Z")
Just to ask, what’s the point of the federal law? I thought the purpose of HOV lanes was to encourage multiple people in one vehicle. What stops a motorcycle with just a driver from being a single occupancy vehicle? Seems to me that replacing all the cars on a road with an equal number of motorcycles doesn’t change the traffic all that much.
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [March 31, 2015, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsdot-cant-tell-the-difference-between-motorcycles-and-cars/716413/4 "2015-03-31T22:52:59Z")
> [@Leaper](#):
>
> Just to ask, what’s the point of the federal law? I thought the purpose of HOV lanes was to encourage multiple people in one vehicle. What stops a motorcycle with just a driver from being a single occupancy vehicle? Seems to me that replacing all the cars on a road with an equal number of motorcycles doesn’t change the traffic all that much.
Motorcycles are usually single-occupant. Some are not suited for riders, and those would be at 100% capacity. Allowing motorcycles in HOV lanes is safer for the riders. Motorcycles take up less space than cars, so more motorcycles means less traffic. It really does help traffic. When I’m driving a car, I like not having a motorcycle in front of me or behind me, so it’s nice to have them in the HOV lane – or splitting lanes, so they (formerly, we) are out of the way. Motorcyclists tend to be extremely vigilant, unlike car drivers, and car drivers will often fly up on their six. It’s better to keep them moving, as they are in a better position to avoid being killed.
There are still some air-cooled motorcycles on the road, too. They need the airflow to avoid overheating. My ride is liquid-cooled, but it will overheat if it sits. Allowing motorcycles in HOV lanes keeps them cool.
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### Author:  [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)
#### Post date: [March 31, 2015, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsdot-cant-tell-the-difference-between-motorcycles-and-cars/716413/5 "2015-03-31T22:55:32Z")
Motorcycles use a fraction of the fuel of a car (50+ mpg is common), are easier on the roads, pollute less and are just plain fuckin’ _cooler!_
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### Author:  [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)
#### Post date: [April 1, 2015, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsdot-cant-tell-the-difference-between-motorcycles-and-cars/716413/6 "2015-04-01T12:50:45Z")
They also take up much less parking space so you can fit more of them into a city.
A buddy of mine (who had just been almost run off the road by a car driver who didn’t notice him on his bike) thought that it would help if we could make everybody ride a motorcycle for a month in rotation. It’d get more people riding bikes in the long run, save a lot of gas, teach people to keep an eye out for motorcycles, and kill of a lot of stupid people.
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### Author:  [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)
#### Post date: [April 1, 2015, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsdot-cant-tell-the-difference-between-motorcycles-and-cars/716413/7 "2015-04-01T13:02:21Z")
It’s probably a money saving thing on their end. If they have to have someone look at every photo that doesn’t have a transponder it takes time. Having the computer throw out the need to look at photos would save time and money.
I believe that bikes in Virginia need to have a transponder too to ride in the HOV/HOT lanes they have.
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### Author:  [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)
#### Post date: [April 1, 2015, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsdot-cant-tell-the-difference-between-motorcycles-and-cars/716413/8 "2015-04-01T13:11:11Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#):
>
> Motorcycles use a fraction of the fuel of a car (50+ mpg is common), are easier on the roads, pollute less and are just plain fuckin’ _cooler!_
Plus, they’re vital for the donation of much-needed organs. Don’t forget that.
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### Author:  [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)
#### Post date: [April 1, 2015, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsdot-cant-tell-the-difference-between-motorcycles-and-cars/716413/9 "2015-04-01T13:11:38Z")
Why is it WSDOT and not WADOT?
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### Author:  [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)
#### Post date: [April 1, 2015, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsdot-cant-tell-the-difference-between-motorcycles-and-cars/716413/10 "2015-04-01T13:47:36Z")
> [@Alessan](#):
>
> Plus, they’re vital for the donation of much-needed organs. Don’t forget that.
I got an organ right here for you.
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### Author:  [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)
#### Post date: [April 1, 2015, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsdot-cant-tell-the-difference-between-motorcycles-and-cars/716413/11 "2015-04-01T14:21:32Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#):
>
> A buddy of mine (who had just been almost run off the road by a car driver who didn’t notice him on his bike) thought that it would help if we could make everybody ride a motorcycle for a month in rotation. It’d get more people riding bikes in the long run, save a lot of gas, teach people to keep an eye out for motorcycles, and kill of a lot of stupid people.
They should put that to a vote and everyone who votes in favor of it, and the legislators that pass the law, can be the people in the rotation. That way anyone killed is by definition stupid.
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### Author:  [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)
#### Post date: [April 1, 2015, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsdot-cant-tell-the-difference-between-motorcycles-and-cars/716413/12 "2015-04-01T14:33:20Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#):
>
> Why is it WSDOT and not WADOT?
Washington State DOT. If you go anywhere beyond the NW, you have to specify Washington State or they assume you are talking about DC. 😃
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### Author:  [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)
#### Post date: [April 1, 2015, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsdot-cant-tell-the-difference-between-motorcycles-and-cars/716413/13 "2015-04-01T17:21:05Z")
> [@Edward\_The\_Head](#):
>
> It’s probably a money saving thing on their end. If they have to have someone look at every photo that doesn’t have a transponder it takes time. Having the computer throw out the need to look at photos would save time and money.
You don’t have to have a person look at each photo. In order to look up who to send the ticket to, the computer must be able to read the license plate. If it can read the license plate and find the owner in the database, it can look up the type of vehicle, too.
They’re telling all motorcycle owners to get transponders rather than changing one line of code in their broken ticket-mailing system.
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### Author:  [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)
#### Post date: [April 1, 2015, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsdot-cant-tell-the-difference-between-motorcycles-and-cars/716413/14 "2015-04-01T17:37:59Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#):
>
> Motorcycles use a fraction of the fuel of a car (50+ mpg is common), are easier on the roads, pollute less and are just plain fuckin’ _cooler!_
Motorcycle exhaust can be worse than car exhaust.
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### Author:  [@leftfield6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leftfield6)
#### Post date: [April 1, 2015, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsdot-cant-tell-the-difference-between-motorcycles-and-cars/716413/15 "2015-04-01T19:16:07Z")
Georgia’s PeachPass system also requires a transponder for motorcycles, and I use the heck out of mine. A great perk for riding my bike to work.
And, I guess I can kind of see why. I did get a toll violation notice in the mail when the system did not detect the transponder in my CAR one day, so it dinged me as illegally using the toll lane. The notification I received in the mail showed a copy of my license plate image as captured by the system camera. It showed my license plate, plus maybe a 4 inch area around the plate on all sides. But, still, anyone would have been able to see that this was a car plate, and not a motorcycle plate.
And yes, motorcycle emissions can be, and frequently are, more polluting than car exhaust. It’s a trade off, they get way better gas mileage, which is good for the planet. But they can have high hydrocarbons and oxides of nitrate levels, which are known to contribute to smog.
At the same time it’s not an absolute. My bike is a modern 600cc bike with fuel injection, and catalytic convertors. I have not done an emissions measurement, but I’d be willing to bet it’s a pretty clean burning engine. Now the guy behind me in the HOV lane on his 15 year old Harley, he likely is not running as clean. Or the kid on the Hayabusa popping wheelies, he is for sure not clean.
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### Author:  [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)
#### Post date: [April 1, 2015, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsdot-cant-tell-the-difference-between-motorcycles-and-cars/716413/16 "2015-04-01T20:36:05Z")
> [@Alessan](#):
>
> Plus, they’re vital for the donation of much-needed organs. Don’t forget that.
Cell phones got that covered. No worries.
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### Author:  [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)
#### Post date: [April 1, 2015, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsdot-cant-tell-the-difference-between-motorcycles-and-cars/716413/17 "2015-04-01T20:46:16Z")
> [@Alessan](#):
>
> Plus, they’re vital for the donation of much-needed organs. Don’t forget that.
Way more people die in automobiles and I bet they have more intact organs. Keep on driving your car. 😃
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### Author:  [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)
#### Post date: [April 2, 2015, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsdot-cant-tell-the-difference-between-motorcycles-and-cars/716413/18 "2015-04-02T02:40:55Z")
Motorcycle tags are issued to motorcycles and standard tags are issued to cars and trucks. They’re in this massive database with a field indicating the type of vehicle they’re hanging on…
I’m going to need someone from the enforcement side to explain the disconnect. Especially since they already have to access the database to know who to send the ticket to.
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### Author:  [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)
#### Post date: [April 2, 2015, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsdot-cant-tell-the-difference-between-motorcycles-and-cars/716413/19 "2015-04-02T03:21:07Z")
I’m not one to make political rants, but in this case I’ll just say that this is more Democrat revenue-grabbing.
I only say this after my 70-year-old dad ranting to me about Washington making him pay money for new license plates every seven years. The “reason” the lady at the DOL gave him had to do with the reflective coating on the plates wearing off: “The Washington State Patrol needs it to be able to read the plates at night!” My dad’s response, “Lady, I WAS Washington State Patrol for 36 years [he started with them in 1969], and I never had any problems reading plates before that reflective coating was added!” (The real reason for that coating is so that traffic cameras can read the damned plates.)
Sure, Washington has the highest minimum wage in the nation, but the government in Olympia does everything it can to suck it right back out of us at every opportunity. Highest gas tax in the country, highest tobacco taxes in the country (they’re currently trying add yet another .50/pack tax), thinking up every possible thing they can fine us for …
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [April 2, 2015, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wsdot-cant-tell-the-difference-between-motorcycles-and-cars/716413/20 "2015-04-02T03:38:25Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#):
>
> I only say this after my 70-year-old dad ranting to me about Washington making him pay money for new license plates every seven years. The “reason” the lady at the DOL gave him had to do with the reflective coating on the plates wearing off
I suspect kickbacks from 3M.
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