Toll roads and bikes

West Virginia just raised there toll to $4.25 from 2.25, bikes included! 3 booths, $12.75 for 88 miles. This road, I-77 is hard to avoid going N/S . Are there similar toll roads where you ride?

The Massachusetts Turnpike is a clever example-

https://ww2.motorists.org/blog/a-permanent-temporary-source/

Things are mostly likely going to a “pay by mile” system as well. The growth of electric vehicles, not paying gas/road tax will be the reason.
New electronic vehicle tolling has been great until there is an error.
OM

I have no idea where the toll road nearest our place is located, but I suspect it is very far away. As maddening and inconvenient as the unavoidable and regular use of a toll road must be, just imagine what it is like when a yokel like me unexpectedly stumbles upon a toll road. When first encountered on a motorcycle, toll road signage can be very confusing.

Or…..receiving an invoice in the mail from a place you happened to ride through a few weeks back
OM

Considering just how little wear we on two wheels apply to the roads, it's silly that we have to pay anywhere near what cars pay to drive them.

akbeemer said:

I have no idea where the toll road nearest our place is located, but I suspect it is very far away. As maddening and inconvenient as the unavoidable and regular use of a toll road must be, just imagine what it is like when a yokel like me unexpectedly stumbles upon a toll road. When first encountered on a motorcycle, toll road signage can be very confusing.

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Oklahoma used to have - and probably still has - some exits off the Turnpike that require "exact change only" to be tossed into the belly of the machine beside the road. So an uninformed rider from Kansas (just inquiring for a friend you know) takes the exit and arrives at the roadside attraction without the required three quarters. A car could not have done it but a slim fellow on a motorcycle could go around the end of the cross arm gate. Thus the most serious "theft of service" for 75 cents worth of toll road might have been committed (or so the friend says). This was before the days of omnipresent spy cameras so no subsequent ticket was received if I understand correctly.

PGlaves said:

Oklahoma used to have - and probably still has - some exits off the Turnpike that require "exact change only" to be tossed into the belly of the machine beside the road. So an uninformed rider from Kansas (just inquiring for a friend you know) takes the exit and arrives at the roadside attraction without the required three quarters. A car could not have done it but a slim fellow on a motorcycle could go around the end of the cross arm gate. Thus the most serious "theft of service" for 75 cents worth of toll road might have been committed (or so the friend says). This was before the days of omnipresent spy cameras so no subsequent ticket was received if I understand correctly.

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Oklahoma, indeed! We rode across Oklahoma after a Blitz To Branson. We were going to visit a Professor we both had in college who now lives in Texhoma. That is where we last encountered a toll road and the demand for change I did not have. Just so you know, one does not need to be all that slim to squeeze by the gate.

senseamidmadness said:

Considering just how little wear we on two wheels apply to the roads, it's silly that we have to pay anywhere near what cars pay to drive them.

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Remembrances from 2007; Phil & Karen are traveling 2-up eastward along a big elevated turnpike from Spain through France overlooking the Sea headed for the special Cinque Terre Nat'l Park east of Genoa. Upon exiting the highway, we encountered a small toll booth (two automated toll machines in each direction, of course all in Italian). While we're fumbling to figure out how & what to pay, an irate attendant appears out of nowhere cussing me out. After much gesturing, he points me to the right hand toll booth, the one with the 3/4 length toll-arm and yellow paint on the ground with a motoman along the outside. I was relieved to learn the right side allows motorcycles and scooters to easily bypass the taking of tolls. Such a simple concept - for those in on the secret! After pushing the loaded GS around a couple of stopped cars, we were greatly relieved to be on our way...

When we arrived at the car park in Vernazza at the edge of town, we tucked the bike into a corner and carried our luggage to our hotel down by the beach (No traffic in the village except delivery trucks in the mornings - perhaps 0.75 mile downhill). Upon checking in, we were given instructions to find our room perhaps four flights up the steep hillside thru narrow pathways. We even had to climb four steps into the 'en-suite' bathroom (which included another two steps up to the raised toilet - quite the Italian Throne)... After making a second trip back to the bike, we were then ready to enjoy two memorable nights along this beautiful stretch of the Mediterranean coast! At this point in our first European holiday, we were now considering ourselves Engaged! We later left the park to go tour the Tower of Pisa before heading back to Milan and our return to the US. All worth the effort!

Happy Trails whenever & wherever U can - Ciao!
HSV-Karen & HSV-Phil
USN-Ret'd —&— USAF-Ret’d
'09 650GS-twin — '14 K-GT
'82 R100CS ——— '75 R90S
'16 R1200RS —-— ’05 Vespa 200L

Had a friend who thought he was gonna be a permanent resident of Arlington Nat. cemetery when the detector wouldn't recognize the bike, so he waited for the next cager to tailgate his way free! Probably on a camera somewhere.

In the ‘99 IBR I pulled a ticket at the booth to get on the Ohio Turnpike, on the clock and pressed for time. Less than a mile later, coming around a sweeping curve, I could see ahead a just-rolled semi and all traffic at a dead stop. The median had continuous fencing to prevent vehicles from crossing to the other side and heading the other direction, but I spotted a break in the fence a hundred yards or so down the road so shouldered my way there, dropped into the median and through the fence, and headed back to the exit where I’d just gotten on. Pulled up to the opposite end of the same tollbooth complex I’d just passed through to get on the turnpike and handed the collector my ticket and a couple of bucks. She was still puzzling over the time and booth location shown as entrance information when I dropped the clutch and motored off.

Fortunately, the fencing in Ohio was not as aggressive as the concertina wire that Maine used at the I-95 on-ramps to prevent turn-arounds by lost or toll-dodging motorists…

Best,
DeVern

Omega Man said:

Or…..receiving an invoice in the mail from a place you happened to ride through a few weeks back
OM

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And asking the other when were we on a toll road

Going across Golden Gate headed south on a rainy day and realizing your wallet and any possible change is two layers deep under rain suit and having to dig it out while happy motorists are parked on your fender
Who put a toll here!

Once when encountering a toll booth somewhere in the sw US, i became confused as to which lane I was to enter and went a past the correct one. Parked the bike on the shoulder and walked back to the booth. An angry operator refused to take my money; hence I checked the mail for the next five or six weeks expecting a major invoice but none arrived.

Although I do not often use toll roads,(exception: Ontario's 407) removing gloves to dig out out money is always problematic,at least for me. Most toll operators will not take my wallet to remove the fee. For the last number of years I use an Easy Pass in order to seamlessly ride through or pass tolls.

After riding/driving on the 407 to bypass thick Toronto traffic, I can say that I have yet to encounter any America toll fee that is even remotely close to our exorbitant fees charged by this operation. Your US toll fees are are very reasonable by comparison.

PGlaves said:

This was before the days of omnipresent spy cameras so no subsequent ticket was received if I understand correctly.

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A friend told me about the time he did not have enough change when on a bike. He threw in what he had, looked up at the camera, shrugged and proceeded down the road.

Tolls are a pain on a bike if you don't have a easy pass. I carry Toll money in a tin I keep in the top on my tank bag. I can get at the tin and hand the tin to the toll person without taking off my gloves.
One time I knew how much was in the tin and latter in the day after going through a toll I checked the tin and saw the guy only took out money for me but not Debbie's bike.
We never got a bill in the mail.

One time going through Chicago in a pouring rain the toll lady leaned out and told Debbie " Honey you shouldn't be out in a rain like this on a motorcycle. That's my car over there. Go sit in it until the rain lets up"
Debbie thanked her but we kept going

I think most of my car/bike road toll /ferry experiences have been less $ for bikes. But the legislature must have used the "2 axle" reasoning and charged the same. It could be interesting this spring when the first platoons of bikers head south and string out the traffic forever. Sounds like the idea of a toll purse/tin is a great idea, as I have found the multiple lane choice confusing also when going from road speed to stop amongst 18 wheelers.

Paul_F said:

Once when encountering a toll booth somewhere in the sw US, i became confused as to which lane I was to enter and went a past the correct one. Parked the bike on the shoulder and walked back to the booth. An angry operator refused to take my money; hence I checked the mail for the next five or six weeks expecting a major invoice but none arrived.

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I did about the same thing, went in to pay when I realized the mistake. Toll personnel were not interested in the money

They told me it happens all the time....vehicles in the wrong lane. This was in the early stages of the EZ-Pass buildout. I did get a note with a picture advising me not to do it again....

After riding/driving on the 407 to bypass thick Toronto traffic, I can say that I have yet to encounter any America toll fee that is even remotely close to our exorbitant fees charged by this operation. Your US toll fees are are very reasonable by comparison.

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I actually don't mind paying tolls in New Hampshire. The "booth" operators are pleasant and they keep the roads in great shape.

OM

I was once staying at a downtown hotel in Atlanta. Valet parking was the only option because the cars were parked in a building several blocks away. The valets were all Somali men. A few months after getting back home in Fairbanks I got mail from the City of Atlanta. It informed me that I owed them $70 for running a red light. Enclosed was a picture of my rental car in an intersection, red light displayed and being driven by a grinning, very thin black man.

akbeemer said:

I was once staying at a downtown hotel in Atlanta. Valet parking was the only option because the cars were parked in a building several blocks away. The valets were all Somali men. A few months after getting back home in Fairbanks I got mail from the City of Atlanta. It informed me that I owed them $70 for running a red light. Enclosed was a picture of my rental car in an intersection, red light displayed and being driven by a grinning, very thin black man.

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Shades of Ferris Bueller!
OM

I have E-Zpass on all of my vehicles and I like it best on my motorcycles. I never did get a bill when I rode on the Toll roads in Austin Texas this past July.

Those Toll Bills in thee mail

I have a 1983 R80ST I bought from a friend a few years ago. I tagged it here in Indiana with a personalized tag celebrating another BMW Airhead fan Rhyder McClure. In 2014 I purchased an Airstream from Rhyder's widow. My personalized tag is an Indiana motorcycle tag "RHYDER". Here is a photo of my Airhead with the RHYDER tags (and coincidentally the Airstream in the background).


Three times in the past year I have received a toll road bill from the Central Texas Regional Mobility Authority notifying me of outstanding toll charges. The problem is the vehicle in the toll road photo is clearly a Chevy sedan that also has a tag that reads RHYDER. The previous instances I call their toll-free number and spoke with pleasant and helpful personnel who entered the information and said they would make notes to prevent this from continuing. This is not working because I received a third toll bill this month ($2.88 = .88 toll and 2.00 processing fees). After the third instance I decided to escalate and sent an email to the agency Director. A friendly staffer replied after a couple of weeks and assures me it won't happen again. Below that is the grainy photo of the Chevy that is the toll road scofflaw.



BTW, I changed that rear tire shortly after this rally...