Can you Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> JustSayin' Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > found the answer Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Sorry. I did not see the previous past on
> this.
> >
> > What is this...your first time on an internet
> > forum? Rule #1...before you make a new post in
> an
> > existing thread read all of the other posts. If
> > you don't see the answer to your question,
> > then...and ONLY then should you go ahead and
> post.
>
>
> Can you use an existing ez pass, or do you need to
> get a flex pass?


You can use your existing ezpass. It just defaults to the "always on mode". If you never plan to have 3+ in the car to utilize the HOV benefit, then you don't need the ability to turn off the transponder.

Super Trooper Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Quite a few people on them tonight between 66 and
> Braddock. No reason to be. Guess they're just
> trying them out for the 'thrill.'
>
> Lowest/highest that I saw tonight was 35 cents to
> go from Gallows to 66 and $1.70 to go end-to-end.
>
> I'm sticking with my prediction that these things
> are going to end up being a complete clusterfuck.


Except in the decades long deal VA taxpayer pays a guaranteed profit to Transurban

JustanFYI Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Can you Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > JustSayin' Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > found the answer Wrote:
> > >
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> >
> > > -----
> > > > Sorry. I did not see the previous past on
> > this.
> > >
> > > What is this...your first time on an internet
> > > forum? Rule #1...before you make a new post
> in
> > an
> > > existing thread read all of the other posts.
> If
> > > you don't see the answer to your question,
> > > then...and ONLY then should you go ahead and
> > post.
> >
> >
> > Can you use an existing ez pass, or do you need
> to
> > get a flex pass?
>
>
> You can use your existing ezpass. It just
> defaults to the "always on mode". If you never
> plan to have 3+ in the car to utilize the HOV
> benefit, then you don't need the ability to turn
> off the transponder.

The transponder doesn't turn off, the Flex sends a signal that you are Hov3+. If the sensors don't get the Hov3+ signal you will get nailed for evasion of toll. Someone pointed it out earlier, always leave it on Hov3+, if you get caught say your forgot, even with the fines you should come out ahead, until they increase the fines or get the thermal imaging. But trust me, a ton of people are going to forget to switch it from 3+ to base all the time.

Leave the EZPASS on HOV mode.

you can see what the lanes look like here - this is a video that I produced of them:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkUpOsjwaPg

feelitmore Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> The transponder doesn't turn off, the Flex sends a
> signal that you are Hov3+. If the sensors don't
> get the Hov3+ signal you will get nailed for
> evasion of toll. Someone pointed it out earlier,
> always leave it on Hov3+, if you get caught say
> your forgot, even with the fines you should come
> out ahead, until they increase the fines or get
> the thermal imaging. But trust me, a ton of people
> are going to forget to switch it from 3+ to base
> all the time.


I'm sure it will be the most common thing the cops hear when they pull people over. It'll probably work for a while, but eventually the cops are just going to say "Too bad, here's your ticket. Next time make sure you have the switch in the proper position. Have a nice day."

There's so much room for abuse on both sides, so I'm sure the judges are not going to be very sympathetic towards people who get tickets and appear in court with all sorts of stories.

This is such a great thing...big accident Monday night on 495 and I flew right by doing 65 in the express lanes. Don't listen to any of these idiots claiming the toll is per mile. THE TOLL IS FLAT RATE NOT PER MILE. I called and verified this info and also checked my EZpass account and saw the charges.

express fan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This is such a great thing...big accident Monday
> night on 495 and I flew right by doing 65 in the
> express lanes. Don't listen to any of these
> idiots claiming the toll is per mile. THE TOLL IS
> FLAT RATE NOT PER MILE. I called and verified
> this info and also checked my EZpass account and
> saw the charges.

The confusion is because it actually is "per mile", but the posted amounts are the TOTAL for the listed exits.

The pricing is based on miles, but there is no sign anywhere that lists the cost per mile, only what it would cost to go to two "popular" exits and to the end of the express lanes. Which in itself is pretty dumb, because their FAQ says the price for other exits is "somewhere between the lowest price and the highest price on the signs".

I like $0.00, per mile or total.

Someone said to not get the EZpass if you do not use the toll lane that often. Can you get a ticket or extra fine for not having the EZpass?

Thanks!

Transurban confusion Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The confusion is because it actually is "per
> mile", but the posted amounts are the TOTAL for
> the listed exits.

There's no confusion except amongst morons who don't know how to read signs. And frankly, who cares about them?

Right, but that is one of the fundamental design issues with these lanes. You have to commit to entering at the beginning of the trip. Traveling north from Springfield, there was no hangup on the inner loop so most were staying on the normal lanes - then comes the delays around 66 or Tyson's and there is no way to bail off and pay the toll. The accidents at the entrances probably won't be as much about folks reading the signs, as it is the ones taking their eyes off the road looking at Google maps on their smartphones, to see if there is a jam later on before they commit going into the express lanes. On the days where there is a clear jam at the bowl or after the bridge, you might see the express getting more volume.

The other goofy design issue is it seems the leftmost lane of the inner loop gets "stolen" from the normal lanes to become the entrance to express; but coming from MD, the left lane is maintained and you have to deliberately shift out to enter the express. Probably the reason why the north end hasn't had the wrecks.

Also seems that enforcing the flex mode switch would be challeging since someone can just flip it to normal as they are being stopped - unless the trooper has some type of scanner that can tell?

I bet the new transponders have the equivalent of a black box which records the times when it is switched on and off. Atleast thats what I would do to combat that if I designed it

But then again I'm a real ahole

Track the records Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I bet the new transponders have the equivalent of
> a black box which records the times when it is
> switched on and off. Atleast thats what I would do
> to combat that if I designed it
>
> But then again I'm a real ahole


Open one up and put an oscilloscope on the circuitry.

The signs conveniently do not say "TOLL" on them like 267. Just "EZ Pass". Believe it or not, there are people who come to visit Washington DC who have no f'ing clue what EZ Pass is. Screw these guys for not just calling them what they are: TOLL.

beltway veteran Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Right, but that is one of the fundamental design
> issues with these lanes. You have to commit to
> entering at the beginning of the trip. Traveling
> north from Springfield, there was no hangup on the
> inner loop so most were staying on the normal
> lanes - then comes the delays around 66 or Tyson's
> and there is no way to bail off and pay the toll.
> The accidents at the entrances probably won't be
> as much about folks reading the signs, as it is
> the ones taking their eyes off the road looking at
> Google maps on their smartphones, to see if there
> is a jam later on before they commit going into
> the express lanes. On the days where there is a
> clear jam at the bowl or after the bridge, you
> might see the express getting more volume.
>
> The other goofy design issue is it seems the
> leftmost lane of the inner loop gets "stolen" from
> the normal lanes to become the entrance to
> express; but coming from MD, the left lane is
> maintained and you have to deliberately shift out
> to enter the express. Probably the reason why the
> north end hasn't had the wrecks.
>
> Also seems that enforcing the flex mode switch
> would be challeging since someone can just flip it
> to normal as they are being stopped - unless the
> trooper has some type of scanner that can tell?

There are three options to get into the express lanes past their origins. First, take the Gallows exit, turn left to go north, turn right to continue north on the toll road. Southbound, get off on 123 south and just keep turning right til you're on the bridge, left onto the Westpark connector, OR take the exit for 7 east and stay in the right lane, turning onto the express lane bridge.

Intentional Omission Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The signs conveniently do not say "TOLL" on them
> like 267. Just "EZ Pass". Believe it or not,
> there are people who come to visit Washington DC
> who have no f'ing clue what EZ Pass is. Screw
> these guys for not just calling them what they
> are: TOLL.

No dummy. "Toll" would imply that one can pay via cash, just like 267. So those innocent, clueless out-of-towners that you're so worried about would enter the express lanes expecting to pay with cash. They'd get pulled over for not having an EZPass and would be ticketed. Then you'd be here bitching about how confusing it is to put Toll on the signs for the express lanes.

This free HOV option seems like a major unenforceable loophole. If there is a major accident in the free lanes, the cops are going to be tied up with that and all the accidents that occur in the back up, taking resources away from HOV enforcement which is pretty spotty anyway, when they need it most. This will offer a real temptation to take the HOT lanes and "forget" to switch your EZ-pass over to non-HOV, avoiding the highest tolls. An even safer play is having someone in the passenger seat; I'm sure the cops will have no choice but to take their chances pulling over somebody else.

We all pay a ton in taxes. Fuck this shit. Free country my ass. What is Virginia doing? I will drive wherever I please.

JMV Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> you can see what the lanes look like here - this
> is a video that I produced of them:
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkUpOsjwaPg


Your video helps explain the accidents happening at the entrance before Braddock Road. Note the sudden change of lane markings as you cross over the concrete bridge near North Springfield ES. You only have 10-15 seconds to figure it out and change lanes before that point, and after that it's too late.

The design flaw might be that they they wanted the traffic coming from the I95N merge all the way to the right to have enough time to get all the way to the left to enter the express lanes. Meanwhile, the through lanes coming from the Wilson bridge have to make multiple lane changes to the right to avoid the express lanes. A recipe for disaster.

More signs won't help. Need a major restriping design to fix this mess.

At 0:35 the video driver crosses the wide solid white line and four lanes to get into the express lane entrance. He enters the express lanes at 0:54.

A driver coming from the far right lane has less than 19 seconds to make the six lane merge to the left. Good luck doing that.

Also, I've noticed that traffic has bottlenecked at the entrance to the Express lanes, causing long backups prior. I guess that everyone is still confused whether to ride/pay or bail. After the entrance, traffic moves quite good in the local lanes. I kindof feel bad for those guys that pay the $1.65, when local is moving faster than express.

http://www.ezpassva.com/

Here the link to EZ Pass to help you folks out. Better get one while the getting is good. It is better to have one than not. Pretty soon all of VA roads will be EZ Passed.

HI HO HI HO its off to the 495 express lane I Go

Anybody else wondering how Santa got his fat ass into a Lotus Exige?

The day before Thanksgiving early afternoon (2 pm), the beltway was a parking lot for the entire 14 mile stretch. I took the express lanes and flew right through for $1.65 the entire stretch. It was probably the best $1.65 I have ever spent since I would have burned at least that much in gas sitting in traffic for over an hour.

I will be taking these lanes all the time during rush hour for the full stretch as long as the price doesn't get out of hand.

Gordon Blvd Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> FUCK the Lexus Lanes


+1

JUST A QUESTION, BUT WHAT IF YOU FLICK TO HOV JUST PRIOR TO THE SENSORS. oNCE THROUGH, FLICK IT BACK.

Got EZ Pass Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> http://www.ezpassva.com/
>
> Here the link to EZ Pass to help you folks out.
> Better get one while the getting is good. It is
> better to have one than not. Pretty soon all of
> VA roads will be EZ Passed.
>
> HI HO HI HO its off to the 495 express lane I Go

Or, if you don't use the lanes very often, you can still use them without an EZPass. I might use them a couple time a year. If traffic is bad, take the HOT lanes and then within 5 days go here, pay the toll plus $1.50.

https://account.495expresslanes.com/violation/missedAToll.do?cmd=gotomat

just a question but ... Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> JUST A QUESTION, BUT WHAT IF YOU FLICK TO HOV JUST
> PRIOR TO THE SENSORS. oNCE THROUGH, FLICK IT
> BACK.
Then you will register as an HOV vehicle and the police will spot you and send one of the many waiting cruisers out to catch you. Or not.

"WHAT IF YOU FLICK TO HOV JUST PRIOR TO THE SENSORS. oNCE THROUGH, FLICK IT BACK."

You probably win unless a cop is notified that you are running HOV and stops you to verify. I went from the entrance before Braddock to 66 today and passed a cop hiding on the north side of Lee Hwy on the northbound HOT lanes and I was in HOV mode the whole time--all by myself--nothing happened. I'd love to see how thermal imaging holds up (if it ever comes to be) in court when I claim to have two children in the back seat.

Just as a reminder...if you do not have an EZPass and use the 405 Express Lanes, the only way to be charged the toll + the $1.95 admin fee is to pay this amount ON THEIR WEBSITE.

If you simply wait for them to mail you the bill, the admin fee will be SIGNIFICANTLY higher.

And if you own your car, be careful who you loan it to. If you loan your car to someone who takes the 495 Express Lanes without an EZPass, the bill is sent to the owner of the vehicle.

"405 Express Lanes"

Or the 495 Express Lanes even...

Toll Guy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Just as a reminder...if you do not have an EZPass
> and use the 405 Express Lanes, the only way to be
> charged the toll + the $1.95 admin fee is to pay
> this amount ON THEIR WEBSITE.
>
> If you simply wait for them to mail you the bill,
> the admin fee will be SIGNIFICANTLY higher.
>
> And if you own your car, be careful who you loan
> it to. If you loan your car to someone who takes
> the 495 Express Lanes without an EZPass, the bill
> is sent to the owner of the vehicle.


"The 405". I always take The 405.

I have verified that the toll rates displayed on the 495 express lane screens are absolutely the TOTAL amounts you will be charged. How did I do it? I have an EZ-pass and thus an account with VDOT. I logged into my account today I saw the 2 charges on the day that I took the express lanes, each with an amount exactly the same as that displayed on the screen.

California Dreamin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Toll Guy Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Just as a reminder...if you do not have an
> EZPass
> > and use the 405 Express Lanes, the only way to
> be
> > charged the toll + the $1.95 admin fee is to
> pay
> > this amount ON THEIR WEBSITE.
> >
> > If you simply wait for them to mail you the
> bill,
> > the admin fee will be SIGNIFICANTLY higher.
> >
> > And if you own your car, be careful who you
> loan
> > it to. If you loan your car to someone who
> takes
> > the 495 Express Lanes without an EZPass, the
> bill
> > is sent to the owner of the vehicle.
>
>
> "The 405". I always take The 405.

If someone corrects their post before you get your flamethrower operational then you get to STFU.

Spelling Five-Oh Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> California Dreamin Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Toll Guy Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Just as a reminder...if you do not have an
> > EZPass
> > > and use the 405 Express Lanes, the only way
> to
> > be
> > > charged the toll + the $1.95 admin fee is to
> > pay
> > > this amount ON THEIR WEBSITE.
> > >
> > > If you simply wait for them to mail you the
> > bill,
> > > the admin fee will be SIGNIFICANTLY higher.
> > >
> > > And if you own your car, be careful who you
> > loan
> > > it to. If you loan your car to someone who
> > takes
> > > the 495 Express Lanes without an EZPass, the
> > bill
> > > is sent to the owner of the vehicle.
> >
> >
> > "The 405". I always take The 405.
>
> If someone corrects their post before you get your
> flamethrower operational then you get to STFU.


I wasn't flaming. Just wondering if the guy is from California. So STFU.

@405&495 - calm down ladies - y'all both pretty enough to go to the prom, ok?

XZ Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have verified that the toll rates displayed on
> the 495 express lane screens are absolutely the
> TOTAL amounts you will be charged. How did I do
> it? I have an EZ-pass and thus an account with
> VDOT. I logged into my account today I saw the 2
> charges on the day that I took the express lanes,
> each with an amount exactly the same as that
> displayed on the screen.

Great work "verifying" something that everyone already knew.

Can you do us a favor tomorrow morning and verify that the sun rises in the east?

Kilton Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> Great work "verifying" something that everyone
> already knew.
>
> Can you do us a favor tomorrow morning and verify
> that the sun rises in the east?


The earth is a sphere. It all depends on where you consider "North" to be. duh. Don't believe the liberal media!

LoLz

only someone who would use the term "liberal media " would

a) think because the Earth is a sphere, points of geography on it are subjective to whim.........
and
b) be confused by where the sun is going to rise tomorrow

Gordon Blvd Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> LoLz
>
> only someone who would use the term "liberal media
> " would
>
> a) think because the Earth is a sphere, points of
> geography on it are subjective to whim.........
> and
> b) be confused by where the sun is going to rise
> tomorrow


:)

Spelling Five-Doh Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Spelling Five-Oh Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > California Dreamin Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Toll Guy Wrote:
> > >
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> >
> > > -----
> > > > Just as a reminder...if you do not have an
> > > EZPass
> > > > and use the 405 Express Lanes, the only way
> > to
> > > be
> > > > charged the toll + the $1.95 admin fee is
> to
> > > pay
> > > > this amount ON THEIR WEBSITE.
> > > >
> > > > If you simply wait for them to mail you the
> > > bill,
> > > > the admin fee will be SIGNIFICANTLY higher.
> > > >
> > > > And if you own your car, be careful who you
> > > loan
> > > > it to. If you loan your car to someone who
> > > takes
> > > > the 495 Express Lanes without an EZPass,
> the
> > > bill
> > > > is sent to the owner of the vehicle.
> > >
> > >
> > > "The 405". I always take The 405.
> >
> > If someone corrects their post before you get
> your
> > flamethrower operational then you get to STFU.
>
>
> I wasn't flaming. Just wondering if the guy is
> from California. So STFU.

You flamed him. Now STFU.

Swingy McDick Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> You flamed him. Now STFU.


He didn't just flame him. He nuked that fucker. Now all of you STFU.