Tolls (in the DC area)

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Tolls (in the DC area)

Postby PhilAger » Tue May 08, 2012 9:31 pm

Can I express my frustration in the fact that motorcyclists have to pay the same 'Bloody' fees as automobiles on our local bridges, highways, and tunnels? :roll:

What with VDOT putting in HOT lanes on the Beltway & I-95, you think any Bikers are gonna get a break? NOTTA CHANCE! This really irks me... :evil:

I know Bob Higdon helped win the battle concerning allowing motorcycles in the I-95 HOV lanes a few years back. Can this topic be added to the list of Transportation Aggravations that this club is willing to pick a fight with our local & federal legislators on??? I believe me and Karen got a free ride on some highway up in NY, as well as on the Autostrada in Italy (Not in FRANCE)...

GO AHEAD -- Anyone else want to vent?

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Re: Tolls (in the DC area)

Postby STATMATT » Fri May 11, 2012 4:36 pm

I'm working on a license plate cover to cover my plate when I zoom through the toll booths!

:evil:
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Re: Tolls (in the DC area)

Postby tatort » Sun May 13, 2012 12:03 am

STATMATT wrote:I'm working on a license plate cover to cover my plate when I zoom through the toll booths!

:evil:


just get one of these:
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Re: Tolls (in the DC area)

Postby Chiba » Sun May 13, 2012 10:35 am

I too find it frustrating that - unless we're on the ground due to a crash/collision or in a giant parade - motorcycles are never what's holding up traffic. We put much less wear & tear on the road surface. IMO we should pay less in toll fees as a result.
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Re: Tolls (in the DC area)

Postby JSWillis » Mon May 14, 2012 1:49 pm

See http://virginiahotlanes.com/i95/project-info/faq.php


Will all travelers be able to use the HOV/HOT Lanes outside rush hour and on weekends?

Unlike the existing HOV Lanes, the new HOV/HOT Lanes will be in effect at all times and on weekends. High occupancy vehicles (HOV-3+), motorcycles and transit will have free access at all times; drivers with fewer than three occupants can choose to pay a variable toll to use the Lanes on occasions when they need to get somewhere on time.


What will the toll be on HOT Lanes

….HOV-3+, vanpools, motorcycles and buses travel free.

I think someone posted in one of the forums that motorcycles will not need an EZPass - but I have not found anything definitive to that effect. The website contains statements to the effect an EZPass is not required for M/Cs and statements that it is required.



PhilAger wrote:Can I express my frustration in the fact that motorcyclists have to pay the same 'Bloody' fees as automobiles on our local bridges, highways, and tunnels? :roll:

What with VDOT putting in HOT lanes on the Beltway & I-95, you think any Bikers are gonna get a break? NOTTA CHANCE! This really irks me... :evil:

I know Bob Higdon helped win the battle concerning allowing motorcycles in the I-95 HOV lanes a few years back. Can this topic be added to the list of Transportation Aggravations that this club is willing to pick a fight with our local & federal legislators on??? I believe me and Karen got a free ride on some highway up in NY, as well as on the Autostrada in Italy (Not in FRANCE)...

GO AHEAD -- Anyone else want to vent?

Ciao!
Phil & Karen

2010 F800GS,
2009 F650GS,
2009 Kawasaki KLX250S,
2008 Honda CRF230L, and
1975 R90S.
RIP, 2003 K1200LT w/129,124 mi.
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
"…And pray that there’s intelligent life somewhere up in space,
‘Cause there’s bugger all down here on Earth.”
Eric Idle’s The Galaxy Song
Check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23Dm7sQ1C1E&feature=related
+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+-+
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Re: Tolls (in the DC area)

Postby dgraling » Tue May 15, 2012 2:39 pm

Interesting article in the Post on 5/9 that I read and just re-found details from Dr. Gridlock. Looks like they are at least thinking about how to handle motorcycles on the 495 Express Lanes:

Beltway drivers ask whether 495 Express Lanes will suit them
By Robert Thomson
Many drivers know the basic idea of the high-occupancy toll lanes: When they open late this year on the Capital Beltway under the name 495 Express Lanes, motorists will pay a variable toll, unless they have three people in the vehicle or they’re driving motorcycles.

But the experience is near enough that many drivers are starting to think about the details. Several questions came up during my online chat Monday. Here are a couple that I didn’t get a chance to publish for that discussion.

Q. HOT lanes for motorcycles

Dr. Gridlock, The HOT lanes Web page says motorcycles will be allowed on the HOT lanes for free with no E-ZPass required. But my trip includes the Dulles Toll Road where E-ZPass is required and a toll charged. Will I need to get a new switchable E-ZPass transponder that can be shut off when I access the HOT lanes to ensure I am charged only on the Dulles Toll Road and not also the HOT lanes?

DG: No. Transurban, the company that will operate the 495 Express Lanes, says you can leave your current transponder where it is for your entire trip.

Motorcyclists won’t need an E-ZPass of any sort to drive in the express lanes. But if they do have one already, they don’t have to hide it to avoid being charged a toll. The express lanes’ vehicle detection system will recognize that it’s a motorcycle and override the E-ZPass signal, so the operator will not be charged a toll, Transurban says.
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Re: Tolls (in the DC area)

Postby radon222 » Tue May 15, 2012 2:59 pm

The express lanes’ vehicle detection system will recognize that it’s a motorcycle and override the E-ZPass signal, so the operator will not be charged a toll, Transurban says.


Ok... so who's going to volunteer to be the first guinea pig :oops:
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Re: Tolls (in the DC area)

Postby Chiba » Tue May 15, 2012 4:13 pm

I'll do it - and in my sidecar rig, which is almost as wide as a (small) car :)
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Re: Tolls (in the DC area)

Postby Georgeinva » Wed May 16, 2012 7:44 am

T.Wesley wrote:I'll do it - and in my sidecar rig, which is almost as wide as a (small) car :)

Your rig (72") is wider than my BMW 600 (56"). :lol:
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Re: Tolls (in the DC area)

Postby Hello Kitty » Wed May 16, 2012 8:43 pm

George, just want to ensure I understand you correctly. You are conceding that Chiba's is bigger? :lol:
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Re: Tolls (in the DC area)

Postby dcgsrider » Mon May 21, 2012 1:56 pm

radon222 wrote:
The express lanes’ vehicle detection system will recognize that it’s a motorcycle and override the E-ZPass signal, so the operator will not be charged a toll, Transurban says.


Ok... so who's going to volunteer to be the first guinea pig :oops:


Well, since Fluor-Transurban is a VDOT contractor--well, actually, concessionaire is more accurate--what could possibly go wrong? :wink:
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Re: Tolls (in the DC area)

Postby eap » Sat Dec 08, 2012 11:06 pm

dgraling wrote:Interesting article in the Post on 5/9 that I read and just re-found details from Dr. Gridlock. Looks like they are at least thinking about how to handle motorcycles on the 495 Express Lanes:... SNIP


It's rather confusing but "Express Lanes" and "HOT" lanes are different - VA will be using HOT lanes while MD will be using the "Express LAnes"... My understanding that motocycles will pay tolls to use MD Express Lanes - not sure about I 495 though...

According to M-DOT

Q: How does Maryland's Express Toll Lanes Initiative differ from the HOT lanes approach being pursued in Virginia?
A: HOT is an acronym for High Occupancy/Toll. On HOT lanes, a solo driver can pay a fee to access High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes normally reserved for transit buses and carpools. HOVs generally are allowed to use HOT lanes at a discount or free of charge. HOT lanes are being pursued in Virginia for portions of the Capital Beltway and I-95.
The HOT lanes approach is not under consideration in Maryland. Primarily, this is because of limitations on the ability to enforce lane restrictions and occupancy requirements. The highways for which Express Toll Lanes are being considered generally cannot support physically separated lanes and enforcement of access restrictions on those lanes.
Q: Will the Express Toll Lanes affect currently existing HOV lanes?
A: It is possible. The role and potential parallel use of HOV and Express Toll Lanes will vary by project and be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.


According to V-DOT, they are now using the "Express Lane" terminology for their HOT lanes but unlike MD, they definitively state:

Do all vehicles have to pay a toll to use the Express Lanes?
Buses, carpools (HOV-3+), motorcycles and emergency vehicles can use the lanes without paying a toll. If you have fewer than three people in your car, you will pay a toll to use the lanes.
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Re: Tolls (in the DC area)

Postby dcgsrider » Thu Dec 13, 2012 1:37 pm

Sadly, the Dulles Toll Road is a cash cow, being milked to pay for the Silver Line, so I doubt we'll see any rollback of tolls for motorcyclists there. :x

It will be interesting to see what MD does with their "express" lane program. Sounds like the "east side" people need to get busy lobbying in Annapolis. :) In Virginia, the Beltway HOT lanes don't really do much for me, but the I-95 lanes I would use regularly for trips south.
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Re: Tolls (in the DC area)

Postby howardenichols » Sat Aug 29, 2015 3:36 pm

Phil,
I understand you frustration but there is not issue with the HOT lanes for us. Motorcycles ride free in the HOT lanes with or without a transponder. AND i loved them last year when I routinely rode to Hannover, MD. They are sure nice.
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Re: Tolls (in the DC area)

Postby howardenichols » Sat Aug 29, 2015 3:38 pm

Motorcycles have no fee with or without a transponder
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