Interesting EZ-PASS reading

[darsben]

https://www.syracuse.com/state/2019/06/paying-a-toll-with-e-zpass-you-might-not-get-the-cheaper-rate.html

 

[NY_Dutch]

I've known about the rate differences for awhile, but my take is that I'm not paying more with E-ZPass than I would be with cash, so I just accept the convenience as still making it worthwhile. And the difference isn't great enough to warrant multiple passes for my usage.

 

[RVMommaTo6]

I read this right after ordering my EZ pass lol

 

[John From Detroit]

I avoid toll roads whenever possible. 

 

[NY_Dutch]

I avoid toll roads whenever possible. 

It's pretty much always possible, just not always practical or economical. 

 

[HappyWanderer]

I know a guy that would detour 100 miles to avoid a 50 cent toll.

 

[darsben]

I know a guy that would detour 100 miles to avoid a 50 cent toll.

Three posts above?

 

[NY_Dutch]

I know a guy that would detour 100 miles to avoid a 50 cent toll.

Yep, including a friend of mine that thinks I'm nuts whenever we head south from our NY cottage to pay a $0.95 cent I-90 toll for the motorhome and toad instead of taking the 10 mile longer toll free winding back road he uses to get to toll free I-88.

 

[Matt_C]

"Thanks to the Interstate Highway System, it is now possible to travel across the country from coast to coast without seeing anything." Charles Kuralt

Most of the toll roads are also part of the federal interstate aka defense highway system. 
These roads were largely funded with tax payer money that and are now collecting tolls that go the states and seldom to the road maintenance.  But the top line is why we try to avoid them.  Unless we have to travel fast, then maybe.  There is a lot of America to see and the interstates avoid most of the good parts.

Matt

 

[LarsMac]

I have an EZ Pass, a Florida SunPass, and Colorado expressToll pass.

I like toll-roads, for the most part, when trying to get from point -A to point - B in a hurry.
However, we have now declared ourselves "Interstate Free"
We are not going anywhere fast.
to prove it, we have been driving north since Sunday, and still haven't made it out of Florida. 

 

[Joezeppy]

I travel from Utica NY to Boston MA a couple times a year for business and I love the recent automatic toll upgrades to the MA Pike. Glad to see NY is in the process of changing, too. I still like the convenience of EZ Pass, even if I don't get a discount out of state.

And although I agree there is much to see on the back roads, not all of us have the convenience of using them for pleasure. Like many here, we are "vacationers" and I'll usually choose the quickest route to our destination which often involves interstates, with or without tolls.

 

[NY_Dutch]

"Thanks to the Interstate Highway System, it is now possible to travel across the country from coast to coast without seeing anything." Charles Kuralt

Most of the toll roads are also part of the federal interstate aka defense highway system. 
These roads were largely funded with tax payer money that and are now collecting tolls that go the states and seldom to the road maintenance.  But the top line is why we try to avoid them.  Unless we have to travel fast, then maybe.  There is a lot of America to see and the interstates avoid most of the good parts.

Matt

The NYS Thruway (part of I-87 & I-90) was financed with bonds and built as a toll road before the Interstate system existed. Originally, only roadways that were toll roads before joining the Interstate system were allowed to continue collecting tolls. The Thruway is primarily toll supported and receives no tax money, although in recent years the state has given the Thruway Authority grants paid from a settlement with financial institutions to be used to stabilize tolls and partially fund the Tappan Zee bridge replacement.