Going To SFGAdv To Be More Expensive..Well, Sorta...

Although this is only loosely tied to GAdv, it's information that may come in handy to any CoasterBuzzers who regularly drive to the park. I debated posting it to News, but I'm sure I'll find out if it was improper to post here on General Buzz.

Get ready to pay more, depending which way you come to the park. On January 1, tolls on the NJ Turnpike and Garden State Parkway will increase by up to 53%.

When I'm riding to the park WITH somebody, whether driving or as a passenger, one or both of those roads are usually in play. When I drive by myself, I'm more likely to take non-toll roads. Takes a bit longer (15 minutes or so) but to me the little bit of extra driving and small amount of gas offsets what will now be up to $10 or more in tolls.

Here's an article:

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/12/parkway_turnpike_commuters_bra.html[url][url]

Incidentally, I was about 15 minutes from GAdv yesterday. I loathe being that close and not being able to ride Kin..I mean, El Toro.
But the food and company were good.

Mike

Looks like it is going to cost me around $1.50 extra each time I go to the park now.

I saw signs on the NJ Turnpike yesterday saying rates were changing, I didn't know they would be increasing that much.

SFGAm went through the same situation about 5 years back. All tolls in the Chicago area doubled for non-IPASS holders.

^ When I went to SFGAm this year, there was one gate where my E-ZPass didn't work for some reason, so we just paid cash, something like $7.30. A few days later I checked my E-ZPass account and saw that the same stretch of road on the return trip only cost $4.10. Not a big deal since we were splitting 4 ways, but still a surprise to us.

I also learned the hard way that taking I-80 across Pennsylvania to get to Great Adventure from Cleveland is much cheaper than the more southern I-76 route, and it only takes a few minutes longer to get there. Our trip to SFGAd, Dorney, and Knoebels cost $48 this year by taking I-76, compared to $23 taking I-80 last year -- more than double.

I-Pass/E-Z Pass and cash prices for tolls in IL are going to be going up nearly 50% as of January 1, 2012. FYI for all of the out of state people. It still is about 50% cheaper to use I-Pass/E-Z Pass rather than cash to pay for tolls in IL

Tolls on the PA turnpike are going up January 1, 2012 also. However EZPass customers will see no increase. I don't care how much you use it, you might as well get the EZPass. You'll make up the $35 initial cost in no time with the money you save from discounted toll rates.

I love my EZ Pass. It's just one more win for those of us who never carry cash.

I really need to get one of those things. It isn't that difficult to avoid the toll roads, but when I want to see my family in Lady Lake when I'm in the Orlando area, US27 is a royal pain from 192 compared to the $1.50 to take the turnpike. 417 is also growing on me, and once I move down for good I'll likely give in and get a SunPass.

EZ Pass is the bomb, but I always seem to leave it in the other car when we travel north where we hit most of the toll plazas.

I love EZ Pass, but do feel bad when driving past the toll collectors, who are increasingly losing their jobs to them. Only thing I hate, and it's my fault for not researching it first, is I got one from Ohio which charges 75 cents a month in "maintenance fees" and charged me $3 to ship it to me. Last time I looked, getting one from Illinois would carry no monthly fees, no cost to ship it to you, and no deposits. I also hate when people without them pull into the very clearly marked EZ pass lane and block traffic until a toll collector notices them. Those are the kinds of people that should be banned from ever driving again.

Rates on the Ohio turnpike also go up January 1, although it's a fairly tiny hike. So tiny that there's no raise at all in my Toledo-Sandusky trips (exit 64 to exit 110.)

Yeah, my E-ZPass is from Massachusetts for that reason: the transponder is free and there's no monthly or annual fee. Plus, it only replenishes to $20 so there's less electronic money tied up with the account (I forget what Ohio's minimum is... I think $30?). The only hitch is that it takes a few days for non-Massachusetts tolls to show up on the account, if that matters.

What I don't understand is why there is ever a closed lane anymore. I'll exit at Strongsville and see 2 ticket lanes, 2 E-ZPass, and 1 closed in both directions. Why? Can't that last one also be E-ZPass just for the heck of it?

Yeah, I found that odd too (same exit). The Web site says they'll open more as it becomes more widely used, which doesn't make sense. Seems to me you want to turn every non-staffed lane into E-ZPass to encourage sales. I'm planning to get one this year. We go to CP and see the PA Turnpike enough to make it worth it.

I love my EZ-Pass... I never knew other states had different fee's though, that would of been great to know ahead of time... But the 75 cents I pay per month are easily saved in toll discounts and such by not using cash.

I didn't think of the closed lanes, that annoys me too. The worst is the multiple times I've come up on the Rt. 4 exit to find one lane that is cash/EZ Pass and the other lane closed in both directions. I understand the need to occasionally have all lanes open to cash in some of the smaller toll plazas like that one, but there should never be a lane closed like that.

Oh, and the minimum replenishment on the Ohio EZ Pass is $25, which wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have two transponders.

I paid $5 for my SunPass, and if I recall correctly, it came with $5 in free tolls with first...replenishment (plenishment?) of funds. I drive through all the backed-up toll lanes, saving time, gas, and money (we get discounts on many tolls around FL).

Seriously, *everyone* should have a transponder if they live in FL - there just aren't enough free roads that aren't either out-of-the-way, completely glutted with stoplights, or clogged with traffic.