$14.75 toll? Anyone get this?

[TMG51]

I guess I'm going to have to start avoiding toll roads... cruising south I went through a few at a couple bucks each until one hit me with a fee of $14.75. I asked why and although the lady in the booth was not well versed in English she said "because" and pointed to my fiberglass high top and pointed again towards the back of the van. I don't get it, my van is registered as a personal vehicle, does not exceed any weight class and at 19' long fits in any parking space and legally parks on any street. But I'm going to get hit with truck fees at toll booths? Or did it just look big to her and she didn't know what she was doing? Didn't seem I had much choice to argue the point at the time. Has this been a problem for anyone else?

 

[Almost There]

That doesn't sound right to me!

I'd be appealing that to headquarters!

Send a copy of the receipt and a photo of the van and explain that due to language difficulties with the toll collector you opted to pay and appeal later.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

You didn't say where this happened.  Was this a state highway authority?  A bridge authority?

You should be able to go to their website and see their fare schedule, which will let you figure out exactly what the idiot decided your vehicle was.

Regards
John

 

[SoulRaven]

In PA a truck is registered by weight class, class 1=5kGVW, class 2=7kGVW, class3=9kGVW and up.
And class 1 and above there is a windshield sticker with the number of the class of truck affixed to the windshield by the state inspection sticker.

From this website that controls the tolls on the Ben Franklin and Walt Whitman bridges in Philadelphia.

http://www.drpa.org/travel/bridge_fares.html

Vehicle Classification Toll
Passenger vehicles, including motorcycles & small trucks 7,000 lbs. and less gross vehicle weight (Class 1 & 2) $5.00
Trucks, mobile homes and recreation vehicles- gross vehicle weight 7,001 lbs. and up per axle $7.50
2 axles $15.00
3 axles $22.50

 

[TMG51]

You didn't say where this happened.  Was this a state highway authority?  A bridge authority?

You should be able to go to their website and see their fare schedule, which will let you figure out exactly what the idiot decided your vehicle was.

Regards
John

I believe it was on 87 S through NY. The signage read passenger cars $4. So clearly she decided I was at least $10 bigger than a passenger car.

I'm just curious to hear if anyone else has had this been an issue as it wouldn't be worth the frustration of going through tolls to me.

 

[MikeRuth]

http://www.thruway.ny.gov/travelers/tolls/classes.html

Don't know if this will help.

 

[Almost There]

It sure helps me - NY rates toll fees not only by number of axles which I'm accustomed to, but also by height.

A standard van with 2 axles but over 7'6" in height pays double the fees.

Good thing to know when I'm planning my travels!

I wonder how many other states with toll roads do the same thing.

 

[offroad]

Ha ha ha. You are paying the govna money. That state will get their fees

 

[compassrose]

I try to avoid toll roads. I'm a bit biased against them since the FL turnpike was supposed to stop being a toll road once it got paid for. That time came and went. many, many years ago.

I look on maps and I will go out of my way to avoid a toll road. Sometimes you can find really neat places doing that.

 

[B and C]

I look on maps and I will go out of my way to avoid a toll road. Sometimes you can find really neat places doing that.

I think the term is shun-piking or following the blue line.

Brian

 

[ZoNiE]

I try to avoid toll roads. I'm a bit biased against them since the FL turnpike was supposed to stop being a toll road once it got paid for. That time came and went. many, many years ago.

I look on maps and I will go out of my way to avoid a toll road. Sometimes you can find really neat places doing that.

That was also supposed to be the case with the Maine Turnpike. Instead, they kept the toll to widen the road. It needed it.

On Tolls, When I was in the GMC motorhome crowd, it was really frustrating for folks on the east coast. A GMC has tandem axle, but only one tire per "axle" on each side (Not really an axle, they were bogeys that had no axle under the coach), so a 26' GMC still only has 6 wheels, but gets charged more than a 40' pusher with a Dually rear axle which weighs 2-3 times as much. Go figure. They gotta make it easy for the chimps in the booth.