8/17/2007

DALLAS NEWS DOES STORY ON NTTA MOVE TO ALL ELECTRONIC TOLLS, INCLUDES QUOTES FROM ME, AND SURVEY

at 8/17/2007

3 comments:

Sal Costello said...

SURVEY TO DATE:


How do you feel about electronic toll collection?


Love it -- It will speed up traffic.
149 votes


Seeing red -- What's wrong with cash?
118 votes


Indifferent -- I am still paying the toll.
33 votes


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Here's what other people are saying:
August 15, 2007 04:48 p.m.

For people who do not use it often, it would be a pain to get a bill for a 40 cents or so. (I'm thinking the George Bush Tollway.)

August 15, 2007 04:43 p.m.

Great. Now I get stuck paying for my kids driving 2 blocks on the tollway instead of using the service road. Now that they have to dole out the cash, they think about it. When this goes live, instead of them paying $0.50 - $0.75 out of their pockets, I get to pay the $0.75 - $1 (plus the outragous billing fee) to save them from sitting at one red light!

August 15, 2007 04:41 p.m.

for myself, it's a great idea. i have a toll tag and travel the tollway nearly every day, either for work or errands. i do, however, wonder about those people who do not have a tag, that will receive a bill, and fail to pay it. what happens then?

August 15, 2007 04:40 p.m.

What about the processing fee. Instead of paying .75 you will pay 1.75.

August 15, 2007 04:40 p.m.

What about all of the temporary tags I see every day?

August 15, 2007 04:27 p.m.

I never use tollroads, but if I did would prefer cash instead of paying from a bill I receive in the mail. There is no reason for me to get a tolltag either.

August 15, 2007 04:25 p.m.

I don't go thru the toll very often and who on earth want to send toll money thru the mail. This idea just don't sound very good to me.

August 15, 2007 04:17 p.m.

Excellent idea. This way there should be little delay at the toll booths.

August 15, 2007 04:16 p.m.

I very seldom ever use any of the tollways if i can go around I think it's a shame that those of us that do not use the tollway will be billed I prefer to use cash Also they have more than 400 employees on the whole system I do not see them placing these people with jobs in other areas Where will they put them If there will be no more booths what jobs are there That leaves only inside jobs Most of them will end up without a job Its a dirty shame that the real workers on the tollway will pay a price for progress being replaced by machines

August 15, 2007 04:16 p.m.

I think that this it the dumbest solution imaginable. Further more if the NTTA wanted more money from toll fees then why didnt they just go up on the toll amounts? They dont really care about making the toll road convenient as much as they due with generating profits from its usage. The real issue here is money. Now a normal $.75 trip will cost you $2.00.

August 15, 2007 04:15 p.m.

I think it's a great idea. Maybe this will eliminate the 45mph speed zones on approach to some of the toll plazas (even for the Express lanes) that have snared many unsuspecting drivers, like my wife.

August 15, 2007 04:13 p.m.

Not a good plan. Electronic tag readers (gateless) are great for those that wish to keep moving, but a cash option should still be available. Doesn't make sense for someone to spend 1st class postage to send a check for 75 cents!

August 15, 2007 04:10 p.m.

So since NTTA is no longer going to have toll both employees NTTA is obligated by law to reduce the fare. It is stated in the law when the toll concept was approved. Look in to that. Plus cash is still a legal tender for all debts incurred by one. You can not legally outlaw cash. Cash by law must still remain an option of mode of payment. Exact change lanes does not requir or need a person to man the booth.

August 15, 2007 04:06 p.m.

No cash payments would be an inconvenience to travelers who rarely use the tollway. Also, what if the license info isn't up to date on the car and the bill is sent to the incorrect address or the previous owner of the car?

August 15, 2007 04:04 p.m.

If the current system is not broken, then it should not be mess with. This will cause increase traffic jammed, and this new technology will have problems. I do not want a bill sent to my home, let me pay cash and be on my way.

August 15, 2007 04:02 p.m.

I still haven't gotten the bill for the 40c toll I incurred a few weeks ago. Postage to bill me is 41c and it will be 41c to return a check in that amount. Plus processing costs for the check. Seems ridiculous to me.

August 15, 2007 03:58 p.m.

I travel to Dallas from Houton several times per year and the last time I did not travel on the toll road but I got a bill for $1.40 anyway.Plano toll road. This makes three times that I have had trouble with the cameras. If they don't get there act together it will be a real mess.When you write to the Authority telling them the problem they don't respond they just keep sending another bill.

August 15, 2007 03:58 p.m.

If you only use it occasionly the cost is more than the Toll with all the handling expense and postage to mail it in. If they would let you pay with a credit card it would be OK.

August 15, 2007 03:53 p.m.

I like the idea....except for the people that won't have a job....and having to start all over somewhere new and lose all their time they have into NTTA....

August 15, 2007 03:50 p.m.

There will be challenges about this new system. How often will they send the bill? What if the customer can't pay for the full bill? What if the customer is just passing by the state? What if there is a malfunction of the system? Will it catch those customers without insurance?

August 15, 2007 03:49 p.m.

I love it as it will speed up the traffic, however, I guess they haven't thought about all the out of state drivers and rental cars out there. Plus, when the charge is mailed, they charge even more as a processing fee and that's just unfair for the out of state people who are just visiting for a brief period... plus, all the people who have cars in the shop and need to rent a car for a couple of days since the tolltag is nontransferable to another vehicle.

August 15, 2007 03:48 p.m.

What will be the administrative cost to send billings to people for a small toll? I am an occasional visitor to Dallas, and have never minded throwing in my 75 cents as I drive through a booth. Now they will have to look up my address and send me a bill? Sounds stupid to me.

August 15, 2007 03:47 p.m.

Anything to speed up traffic. And the people that worry about a camera and a bill need to grow up and realize that the government is no longer out to "get" them.

August 15, 2007 03:47 p.m.

why should they find people more government jobs those jobs are being eliminated so thats that

August 15, 2007 03:47 p.m.

Anybody who thinks this is a bad idea never spent time in line trying to pay tolls before.

August 15, 2007 03:46 p.m.

What mail out a bill for 1.50 or so and the cost of postage .41 plus cost of envelopes etc. real cost effective.

August 15, 2007 03:45 p.m.

what happens to all the folks in rental cars and cars with dealer temporary tags who want to use the toll road system?

August 15, 2007 03:41 p.m.

It is robbery to charge 40 cents for the toll and a dollar service charge. They are basically sticking their hand in your pocket and stealing the money. I have had out of town visitors as well as local friends billed for the 121 toll road. They do not warn you and you do not even know your on it until your billed. And they are aggressive about collecting it too

August 15, 2007 03:37 p.m.

And I say, buy a tolltag if you don't like it. Even if you rarely use the TollWay, having a Tag is beneficial.

August 15, 2007 03:34 p.m.

Tolltags are the only way to go.

August 15, 2007 03:24 p.m.

I prefer to stay in Tarrant county, where freeways are still free.

August 15, 2007 03:20 p.m.

oh thats right they want to charge me an invoice fee too!!

August 15, 2007 03:18 p.m.

I'm sick of the traffic jams caused by the folks who don't have a toll tag.

August 15, 2007 03:18 p.m.

I love the Idea, as someone who doesnt use the toll enough to purchase a toll tag, but has found herself in sticky situations where I thought I had cash but didnt, and then OOPS, its too late. I would love to be billed! that way I'm not an unintentional criminal.

August 15, 2007 03:18 p.m.

This is a bad idea. What about all of the drivers that are in rental cars? Who will pay for those tolls? If the toll is $.75 will they just send a bill for that amount or will there be a processing fee?

August 15, 2007 03:17 p.m.

The advantage is to NTTA, because if you don't pay the amounts owed in a certain amount of time, NTTA adds a $25 charge to each $.75 toll ride. Why not continue the "pay as you go"?

August 15, 2007 03:16 p.m.

They fail to tell you that the fees are higher when you get the bill in the mail as well as you have to pay postage to send your payment in. This is totally not fair to us out of towners who only go on the toll roads occasionally, but are forced to pay higher tolls since you can no longer pay at a booth. Hiway 121 is already like that and it is just not fair.

August 15, 2007 03:06 p.m.

What I don't like is the fact that if you don't have a toll tag, you are charged a higher fee. I don't travel these roads very often so I don't have a tag and the fees are too high!

August 15, 2007 03:05 p.m.

You are opening a can of worms that will stink to high heaven. When people refuse to pay their billed tolls, you won't have adequate means of enforcement. You will just go up on tolls so the honest people will be paying for themselves and the dishonest people. Chalk this up as another win for the criminals.

August 15, 2007 03:01 p.m.

I believe on one hand that non-cash payments would not be smart. There are those people who do not have a current address on their drivers license plates. Won't this cost more money and man power to locate the address? On the other hand, for the safety of toll booth workers this will cut crime such as theft and insure safety for employees. As far as speeding up traffic, i am not too concerned with that. The toll boothes probably are a good way to keep traffic flowing at a much safer speed.Sort of a speed regulator.

August 15, 2007 03:00 p.m.

I think sending a bill for 25 cents is sort of stupid!!!! My niece received one!!!

August 15, 2007 03:00 p.m.

It isn't that the electronic toll is so bad what is bad is ther service charge attached to the bill received.

August 15, 2007 02:59 p.m.

sign of the times... but now the crooks can really get away with it by stealing license plates from honest people and using them for the toll.... I hope it speeds up the booths.. but won't matter,, after the booth the traffic will back up to the booths.. anyway

August 15, 2007 02:58 p.m.

Not only do they send you a "video" bill - but they charge you an additional fee on top of the toll. Unless this fee is going to be waived - I won't use the toll at all now.

August 15, 2007 02:57 p.m.

Good luck collecting from out of state drivers! You may send a bill but how are you going to enforce compliance and how much will you spend on collections?

August 15, 2007 02:52 p.m.

There willl be many, many that don't pay a toll fee ever, their cars don't have the correct license plate, and it goes on and on. It is rather insulting to those of us that have the tags, pay by credit card and try to do the right thing. I see cars on the tollway these days, that i am not sure will make it to the next exit, and I know tracking them down to pay monies would be a lost cause!

August 15, 2007 02:52 p.m.

Biggest question I have is if someone only uses the tollway a few times a month. Then NTTA is going to send them a bill for $2-3. I would think it costs NTTA much more than that to identify service user, track charges, draft the bill, and mail it out.

August 15, 2007 02:51 p.m.

I only use several times a year and it seems like a waste of money and postage to mail out a bill!!

August 15, 2007 02:51 p.m.

Cash users slow down the system too much.

August 15, 2007 02:49 p.m.

Great idea.....just don't know how they're going to qwork it out with the rental car companies....

August 15, 2007 02:47 p.m.

Nothing irritates me more than getting on the tollway during rush hour and having to wait for the driver in front of me to get pay the toll.

August 15, 2007 02:44 p.m.

We already use one (121) everyday. We love it because traffic doesn't slow down! We're just sent a bill every month. They haven't bee wrong yet.

August 15, 2007 02:43 p.m.

Anything to speed traffic. Maybe they can do away with those ridiculous 45 mph speed traps.

August 15, 2007 02:43 p.m.

I don't use the tollway that often... nothing like having to write a check or pay with my debit card for $.75... depending on the charges...

August 15, 2007 02:43 p.m.

I have been using the toll tag since it was first offered. What about rental cars? Seems like they would now get a free ride?

August 15, 2007 02:41 p.m.

I do not use it that often, I wld rather pay the change when I do use it. Also, what about the people who lend their vehicles out to others for business purpose and then wld get a bill in the mail, and not know what it was for.

August 15, 2007 02:38 p.m.

There are not many things that are worse than having to wait on ramps for people paying with cash when you have a TollTag.

August 15, 2007 02:37 p.m.

This situation is similar to the concept of requiring pre-payment at the gas pump. People aren't going to pay the bills they receive in the mail and the transition of vehicle registration when vehicles are sold leaves too much room for error. Someone driving a vehicle that is not registered to them will not receive the bill and the registered owner may contest or refuse to pay the toll bill. I see nothing but major headaches! Mike Scott Richardson, TX mike.j.scott@sbcglobal.net

August 15, 2007 02:35 p.m.

How are they going to handle: (1) Rental cars. (2) Out of state (or even country) cars visiting the area where the other jurisdiction won't share the billing address with us? (3) Folks who move and forget to update their home address with the state license bureau for years? (I once completely forgot until I realized my license was over a year out of date since I never got the notice).

August 15, 2007 02:33 p.m.

It's a load of crap that we're still paying for these roads in the first place! Once the road is paid for there should be NO MORE TOLL!!!!

August 15, 2007 02:31 p.m.

I THINK ITS CRAZY AS WELL BEACUSE I DON'T USE THE TOLL AND WHEN I DO I WOULD PREFER TO PAY CASH BECAUSE GETTING A BILL IS CRAZY BECUASE THAT BILL MAY BE IGNORED BECAUSE IT IS NOT GONNA BE A BIG AMOUNT AND IT IS A WASTE OF A CHECK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

August 15, 2007 02:29 p.m.

IT WOULDN'T BE SO BAD, BUT THEY ADD AN ADDITIONAL CHARGE FOR SENDING YOU THE BILL. BASICALLY, IF YOU DON'T OWN A TOLL TAG, YOU GET PENALIZED.

August 15, 2007 02:28 p.m.

As one who lives out of state and travels to Dallas on many occasions, I don't like the idea of eliminating the cash booths. I understand it speeds up traffic, but the idea of being billed for it does not bode well with me.

August 15, 2007 02:25 p.m.

Based on the back ups at the 114 exit on GBT due to cash payers, I'm for cashless. I have a toll tag, but 50% of the time I must wait behind a cash customer. I also use 121 every day. It is cashless. Never have to guess which pay lane is moving.

August 15, 2007 02:22 p.m.

What if the car is sold or stolen and the regsistion is never changed

August 15, 2007 02:20 p.m.

Now that is so Dallas !!

August 15, 2007 02:19 p.m.

Addresses might be old and wrong. Mail gets overlooked and doesnt help if your kid is driving or someone using your car. cash should still be accepted

August 15, 2007 02:16 p.m.

Bad idea. Guess all the out of state people using the roads won't get billed. How about the cars that the new owners don't bother to get registred in their names.

August 15, 2007 02:16 p.m.

i have no reason to have a toll tag for my 1 or 2 times a year i use the toll road. I know that when they send a bill it will be for more than the .40 or .75 ??? this is almost as stupid an idea of charging people to use HOV lanes- isn't the purpose of the HOV is to reward/encourage people to carpool. Now they are saying go through the hassle of carpooling AND pay us to do it. Makes a lot of sence huh? Some damn yankee must of thought of these "bright" ideas...

August 15, 2007 02:11 p.m.

What about out of state plates?

August 15, 2007 02:05 p.m.

I predice NTTA will have difficulty collecting the tolls that it sends bill for. Who's going to write a check for a few bucks when there is effectively no penalty if you don't pay.

August 15, 2007 02:03 p.m.

Long overdue -- This is a great move that will make traffic flow more smoothly and help prevent accidents because drivers will no longer be switching lanes and jocking for position around tollboths. Kudos to the NTTA for making this decision.

August 15, 2007 02:01 p.m.

I use the tollbooth almost everyday but I like paying the cash and not having to worry about a bill and I don't like the fact that someone is using the camera to take a picture of my license. If I wanted to go electronic I would have put my credit card on file with the NTTA.

August 15, 2007 01:59 p.m.

Bring it on. Anything to speed up the tollway.

August 15, 2007 01:59 p.m.

Since I rarely use the toll roads sometimes because I rarely carry cash any more. I might use them more often as far as your options above none fit my thoughts

August 15, 2007 01:56 p.m.

Makes no difference to me really - I use a TollTag all the time, anyway. But hopefully the elimination of cash booths will eliminate the bottlenecks at the toll plazas during rush hour.

August 15, 2007 01:52 p.m.

I don't really care, but speeding up traffic on the President George Bush Turnpike is asking for trouble. People already go way too fast. With no cash there is nothing to slow down the idiots that think the whole world revolves around their schedules and drive accordingly.

August 15, 2007 01:52 p.m.

I almost never use the tollway, but a couple of weeks ago I had to go on it to a doctor on Maple Avenue. As an older driver, getting out the exact change as you are coming up to the booth, or making people wait impatiently while cou count it up is a horrible experience. Add to that the fact that when I got there, I did not have enough money to take the tollway back and the access road was not in evidence all the way, I would have LOVED to have a bill come in the mail! instead.

August 15, 2007 01:51 p.m.

This was perks of purchasing a toll tag you didn't have to wait in line. If people do not want to wait in line let them purchase a toll tag. How would one person dispute a extremely high bill when he didn't drive on the toll way. It could happen as mistakes happen all the time. It made be cleared up eventually but the customer is the one who would be out of money until the time it was cleared.

August 15, 2007 01:51 p.m.

I've been a TollTag user for years, so all this will do for me is help speed up things in the toll lanes. Woohoo!

August 15, 2007 01:50 p.m.

What about those motorists who are driving a rental or leased vehicle?

August 15, 2007 01:50 p.m.

The cashless system worked so well at the south end, I think this is a great idea.

August 15, 2007 01:48 p.m.

It is about time. If you don't have a toll tag, nor do not want your license plate photographed, then don't use the toll road.

August 15, 2007 01:43 p.m.

If it is anything like the toll cameras on Hwy 121 then the NTTA is going to royally screw it up. They cannot get the billing correct and it is just a mess.

August 15, 2007 01:42 p.m.

I have a toll tag, but you should not force people to have one. If you want to pay cash it should be an option. It also allows people from out of state to drive for free as they can not track the out of state license plates. Just ask people who drive on the new 121 tollway. They never receive a bill.

August 15, 2007 01:39 p.m.

I use the Dallas North Tollway just a few times a year, so I want to know whether I can let the bills accumulate for a year before paying the fee, or will the Tollway Authority expect me to cut a check for 75 cents to cover each bill?

August 15, 2007 01:37 p.m.

The people that do not like the "camera's" probably run the booths anyway!

August 15, 2007 01:35 p.m.

I think cash should still be an option for those drivers who use the tollway so little. I'm curious if they will still charge the $1.00 "service charge" for mailing you the bill. I guess they've been taking lessons from TicketMaster.

August 15, 2007 01:32 p.m.

It's about time! Nothing frustrates those of us with a TollTag more than sitting behind someone who is digging through every corner of their car looking for spare change. I take the tollway every day and I cannot tell you how many times I see people holding up traffic because they were too ignorant to plan in advance. I only with the NTTA ran the rest of the highways in this city. They do a great job!

7:04 AM, August 16, 2007
Anonymous said...

We bought a toll tag, and still got
billed by mail.

9:44 PM, August 20, 2007
Anonymous said...

My personal problem with the NTTA is this: I’ve had a tolltag for years that on a monthly basis I toss the needed amount of cash at but wait… I’m also getting this damned ZipCash bill in the mail??? To NOT have to screw with this very sort of BS is exactly why I have the tolltag in the first place.

The NTTA drone explains: “Once your tolltag balance drops to zero then it goes to ZipCash.” Again, that’s the whole purpose of having the damned tolltag account in the first place. Yes, the balance dropped to zero and now I add money to that account to cover that and the tolls I expect to rack up in the next month.

Even after adding funds to the account the NTTA refuses to apply that towards the ZipCash charges they say I’ve incurred. And yes, ZipCash is the NTTA. It’s not a separate company or billing service.

This escalates to letters claiming $25 “administrative fees” per “violation” and threats of citations, court costs, etc. Somehow the NTTA has the insane idea that I owe them over $1000 is tolls and “administrative fees” in less than a 1 month period. I pick up my son every 2 weeks for a weekend visit in which I pass through 4 toll stations 1 way. 1 round trip=8 tolls. 1 weekend visit=2 round trips, (16 tolls), 2 weekend visits= 32 tolls. Do the math & you’ll come up a little short of $1000.

Next the NTTA drone informs me, “… but if you just pay the tolls now, (some forty odd dollars), we can just wave the other fees.” No company just “waves” $1000 dollars that they’re legitimately owed and it’s on THIS mentally insulting, playground bully tactic that I call bull on.

Again, there’s a positive balance on my tolltag account and they refuse to apply those funds to what they claim I owe and the threatening letters continue. NTTA’s internal billing problems are theirs and I’m not going to let them make them mine. Is this really how they think they can continue to treat their so called “customers”? They have no right to call anyone a customer. “Extortion victim” is more accurate.

8:46 PM, August 25, 2011

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