Toll Booth Money Exchange

[The Dude!]

Well, RFID is a little more advanced than that. There's a tuned coil attached to a small chip. The toolboth has a transmitter that bombards the area with RF radiation, then listens. It does this a couple hundred times a sec. The coil, when bombarded with this radiation, stores it up then unleashes in in short bursts, translating into anywhere from 1 digit to nearly 1000 at this point in time. Some chips are actually capable of storing lists of numbers and transmitting them based on the "request" from the transmitter/reader. The Air Force uses these to track the contents of pallets for example. My dog has an RFID chip in her, so when she rode in the car thru the EZPass it never caught the pass's number. Got a ticket in the mail that took a little while to sorty outy.

Sidenote, I'm always thinking, when I got my first motorcycle the ignition switch was bad and I started thinking about rigging it to read the RFID tag in my wallet (or implanted in my ass by the local vetrenarian (that's what animal microchips are) so my bike wouldn't need a key.

[BchrisL]

Count your coin out in advance, and place it in a 35mm film can. Store several of them wherever...

[lionlady]

I was told by the EZ pass people ...

Just my experience.

Chris Zink

Hi Chris,

Why don't you go ahead and register? That way we can see your profile, and get to know you!

Welcome to the DB!

Jim

Umm. ChrisZ is a member and is registered. My guess is that she just forgot to log in or was at a different computer than her 'usual one.'

P

[JimVonBaden]

I was told by the EZ pass people ...

Just my experience.

Chris Zink

Hi Chris,

Why don't you go ahead and register? That way we can see your profile, and get to know you!

Welcome to the DB!

Jim

Umm. ChrisZ is a member and is registered. My guess is that she just forgot to log in or was at a different computer than her 'usual one.'

P

A little behind the 8-ball there Pam? That post is over a year old.

Jim

PS No one can post as a guest anymore, not for the last several months.

[wiredcur]

EZ Pass in the map section of my tank bag works every time. It's a godsend for bikes -- right up there with the cell phone as a safety + convenience item.

I use SmartTag almost daily on my commute if I take the Dulles Greenway. It works great mounted under the windscreen.

I'll be glad when SmartTag and EZ-Pass play nice together.

If you don't already know by now... but some headway has been made. You can use EZ-Pass on all VA toll roads now but I don't know if the reverse is true.

[MrE]

EZ Pass in the map section of my tank bag works every time. It's a godsend for bikes -- right up there with the cell phone as a safety + convenience item.

I use SmartTag almost daily on my commute if I take the Dulles Greenway. It works great mounted under the windscreen.

I'll be glad when SmartTag and EZ-Pass play nice together.

If you don't already know by now... but some headway has been made. You can use EZ-Pass on all VA toll roads now but I don't know if the reverse is true.

Yep. I believe they are interchangable. Now. But not in July of 2004

[wiredcur]

... But not in July of 2004

Hey... I'm just working towards my 4000th post.

[JimVonBaden]

... But not in July of 2004

Hey... I'm just working towards my 4000th post.

Nearly 4600!

Jim

[ebolean]

what if I use the one registered for my cage on my motorcycle? will i get a nasty gram?

[MrE]

what if I use the one registered for my cage on my motorcycle? will i get a nasty gram?

WRT SmartTag in VA, you will not. I have one I move back and forth between bike and truck.

[Maria V]

EZ Pass has the ability to register more than one vehicle to the pass. I have the Forester & the bike on mine. However, I tried to add Andi's plate, in case we switched passes. "They" knew that tag was already registered to another EZ Pass.

What I have run into is that sometimes on the bike, the tag is not read and I look like a toll slacker. However, the magic of technology (or the curse of Big Brother) allows the tag to be run and matched against my ez pass account, and it appears on my statement as if everything worked hunky-dory. Versus not having the bike on the pass at all, and getting a bill for the toll PLUS the "admin fees".

[MrE]

EZ Pass has the ability to register more than one vehicle to the pass. I have the Forester & the bike on mine. However, I tried to add Andi's plate, in case we switched passes. "They" knew that tag was already registered to another EZ Pass.

What I have run into is that sometimes on the bike, the tag is not read and I look loke a toll slacker. However, the magic of technology (or the curse of Big Brother) allows the tag to be run and matched against my ez pass account, and it appears on my statement as if everything worked hunky-dory. Versus not having the bike on the pass at all, and getting a bill for the toll PLUS the "admin fees".

In VA, you don't want to get the "admin fees". Saw an article that it can be something like a $200 fine by the time penalities add up if you ignore the notices.

[ebolean]

Yikes! I will add my bike plate to my ez pass registration. thanks for the heads up.

Bob

[Anton]

I travel on very few toll roads. I sometimes use my dad's EZ-Pass if I'm in the car, but on the bike I do a Higdon. Stop, turn off the engine, take off gloves. Dig out wallet, hand over some bills, look in rearview mirror to see how much traffic has backed up. Stow the change, make sure pockets are zipped, gloves on (make sure to get the layering correct if it's raining), start bike and leave.

You folks with toll passes are ruining it for those of us working towards the elimination of MC tolls!!

[Chiba]

I tried to add my bike plate to my EZ-Pass and the lady on the phone said I had to have a separate unit because in lots of places the m/c toll is different than the car toll - which was news to me. At any rate, she said that using my car unit on my m/c (or vice-versa) could earn me a ticket/fine.

Didn't cost me anything for the 2nd unit, but now my "recharge amount" is $20 instead of $10 and it charges me $70 to re-up instead of $35.

--chiba