[Picture of summons] I was driving on the Parkway in the morning, passing exit 91. Being that I don’t have EZ-Pass, and had no exact change and nobody was there to collect my toll, with no choice, I went through the ‘exact change’ booth without paying the 50 cent toll.
Now with the new cameras, they caught my license plate and I received a ticket in the mail for $50.50 for going through the toll without paying.
I think this is outrageous. If they don’t have a toll collector there to take my payment, then I don’t think I should be responsible to pay a fine.
After calling them up and explaining my point, they let it go ‘this time’ but said in the future I better have change.
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It happens to be that toll Booth at night doesn’t do well. It doesn’t even cover the employee to work there. If it happens again, there’s a bunch of envelopes there, mail it in right away and you’ll be fine. Or even call toll agency next day and inform them, get a confirmation of the call via email and you’ll b fine. It’s a bit annoying but there’s much worser things to worry about
It happened to me, just reach down, there’s usually tons of change on the floor.
OK. So next time you’ll make sure to have change. Nice.
(What’s your point?)
Not only is there a problem with no one in the Cash lane, in case you have bills but no change, sometimes, when you have change that may be all in dimes or nickels and some pennies, many of the machines do not tabulate it and you keep throwing in extra money beyond what you counted, and still, you do not get the go ahead light.
TD bank has a change conversion machine that counts a whole bag of coins much faster than Parkway booth machines count up a few coins.
Get on it Mr Chrisit
Sorry for the typo..meant to tell Christie to fix it since we hired him to fix up our state.
envelopes to mail in toll are no more! either get EZ Pass or carry the correct change
Whoevere doesn’t have EZ-Pass should pay a fine.
This just proves that we (americans) nowadays have serious entitlement issues. If you know you will be travelling on the parkway and you do not take advantage of the ezpass system, you need to have cash and change. Why would it occur to someone that they are not responsible to pay if it is not 100 percent convenient for them??? Why should a toll collector have to be paid salary, benefits, and insurance and be available 24 hours a day because you won’t bring change with you on your trip? Then you complain that the toll prices are too high and the potholes are too big and the traffic is too heavy…
They leave them unattended so they can make more money on fines.
Quote “They leave them unattended so they can make more money on fines.”
The whole world is out to get me syndrome!
Anyone notice the progression of events with the ez-pass program..
First, they introduce it as a simple convenience, then they start billing us a monthly maintenance fee for the convenience, then they allow for only one cash-lane, then they slowly start removing the cash-lane toll collectors at certain hours and leave no instructions about envelopes if you chalilah fail to have ‘exact’ change (and btw, they also often ‘forget’ to place any envelopes at the booth) and before you know it, this “convenient” program ends up costing us alot more than we originally bargained for..
Sadly, this is not the first time this scheme has been used against the populace..
I don’t have EZ pass either and don’t plan on getting it in the near future. – How about this – I by mistake put $1.50 instead of .50 in the entrance to exit 98 and at the next toll I asked, if I could just pay .50 instead of $1.50. The clerk said I couldn’t because then her count would be off but, she told me to call the toll admin. which I did. They told me they could not refund the $1.00. I said that’s not fair, if we don’t pay we get fined but, if they owe us they don’t have to pay back? Anyway, after I was told that, I just put in a quarter less for the next 4 tolls so now we’re even.
This whole toll business is a big racket any way. How much does it cost them to keep changing the system, and the machines to collect the tolls every time there is a change? And how much does it cost to maintain the toll booths and pay the collectors? The GSP was supposed to be free once it was paid off, which was supposed to be years ago. Instead they keep raising the tolls. How come hwy 295, Rte. 87 (Northway) etc., which are excellent roads by the way, can be free and not the GSP or the NJ Tnpk.?
Get EZ pass!!!
They don’t even put envelopes out anymore.
That really is a shame. Question though, did you have any intention on paying the toll later on? Did you call them that day, and explain your issue? Perhaps if they were informed about it soon after the incident took place, you may have been able to prevent getting a fine in the mail. (P.S. There have been cameras at the toll booth for several years now.)
Be grateful that you were given a break. Since this was a warning, you will not be given any break in the future.
I asked last week a toll collector at exit 98, what should i so at night when theres no toll collector there and i dont have a ez pass or exact change. She told me when u get the fine in the mail just send the money (50 cents) for the toll and write there that there was no toll collector and they should dismiss the fine.
The Parkway is slush fund for the unions and politicians get to give their friends and large fund raisers thank you jobs. There should be an audit to see how much toll money goes to road repair and how much goes to overpaid supervisors and management.
If you want to dance, you must pay the piper. If you are not prepared to enter a tole road with the proper amount, then do not enter it. It is called self responsibility.
the whole world is out to get us syndrome being played out here by some ! what would you people do if had real problems
the whole world “HAS” out to get me syndrome?
They should have someone to collect the toll
Maybe they should get Larry Loiman to be commissioner of the EZPASS system and let him audit the whole thing. I’ll bet he finds a surplus!!
there are entitlement issues, but those issue belong to the orinary ezpass customer service center workers. “we’ll let it go this time”. who do they think they are? if someone chooses not to get ezpass the should not be penalized for it. EZ PASS IS A PRIVATE COMPANY, but they think they’re the government.
If you’re know that you will be travelling on the Park Way make sure you have the change to pay for the road.
I travel on the ParkWay alot, without the EZpass, and I ALWAYS make sure I have some kind of change to pay for the tools.
why don’t they have machines that except dollar bills
From the story it seems that you went thru the exact change by mistake, agav there was no one at the cash lane.
to maskim says:
Yes but they are an authorized agent for the state ! tell the whole story not only what you want to hear !
Just tape a piece of cardboard over your license plate, they won’t bother you.
It’s even harder for us Canadians visiting Lakewood, including exits off GSP that have no human at night. We can’t have change since our currency differs and not eligible for EZ Pass.
Huh?Expecting change from a toll booth collector is an entitlement attitude?Which business doesn’t give change and tells you if you want to buy form us come with exact change.Even vending machines give change.
so go back to canada. dont complain.
CBS 2 Investigates: Living Through An E-ZPass Nightmare >>
http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/02/29/cbs-2-investigates-living-through-an-e-zpass-nightmare/