Fast Trak, electronic tolls in CA, vvv sketchy!!!

[Wabbit]

Went to Irvine, CA to visit my mom. Turns out I prob broke the law. I have been thru tolls before, there's human being there and you give them money and you go on your way. I had no idea that driving down a HWY or Interstate and going thru an electric toll was breaking the law. I have never even heard of "Fast Trak" before. I tried this morning to pay the tolls and one company thetollroads.com set up an account for me but they had no record of me going through their tolls yet. Found out there's like 5-6 different toll road companies and they are each individually owned and operated with no "central" place to just pay the dam tolls. Talked to a second company LA Metro and they wanted $40 just to setup an account to pay a toll. To me this all seems super sketchy. I saw the signs saying it was illegal to go thru the tolls with an electronic ID, but the 6 lanes of traffic were jammed and crazy drivers all over the place. I really had no choice, the alternative was to brake and goto the side of the road(prob impossible with the traffic), and then what, drive against traffic??? I'm so upset that I "broke the law" and didn't know I was doing anything other than driving on a HWY or Interstate. No idea what this is going to cost me, but I went through at least 4 recognizable tolls. Not sure if any of them were Fast Trak or not. Then when I ask who has oversight so I can express my displeasure and let them know Cali can kiss my a$$ and I won't be back, they say they don't know. Grrrrrrr! What other states are doing this and how do you avoid breaking a law that you didn't even know existed. This seems like a complete setup and extortion to me. I tried to pay the tolls, one company will let me do that, the other company I already violated the law and will have to pay the fines. I don't mind paying the tolls, don't love it but whatever. But this new to me level of douchebaggery is b.s.

Running out of wind\rant... How do I protect myself from this in the future? I drive by GPS and go where it tells me. After doing this for 5 years I don't really even know what roads I am on. Don't judge that and no superior this is why whatever. Ahhh, screw it, judge away and patronize the hell out of the behavior, just add something that helps an intellectually lazy mind out. I'm to tired in life to think about everything possible in life.

P.S- I'm not going back to Cali, what other states have this "gotcha" bs? Thnx.

 

[John61CT]

This sort of thing will become much more common as the private sector gets handed more and more responsibility for maintaining what we used to call public infrastructure.

 

[firebob]

There is a good chance you will get a bill 90 days sent to the address from the license plat.

 

[hepcat]

I have gotten so fed up with toll roads that I just don't take them any more. With my big moho and towed, driving from Iowa to New Hampshire last Sept/Oct would have racked up over $100 in tolls each way through Indiana, Ohio, and PA. I just won't do it any more. I'm not in that big of a hurry. Frankly it frosts me that we pay general fund taxes, fuel road taxes, and pay vehicle licensing fees for our highways, and then to have a "use fee" on top of that for toll roads...

Your GPS has a setting buried deep down somewhere in the settings menus to "avoid toll roads." Turn it on and leave it on. You'll get to see some nice back-road country even though it may take a few more miles to get there, but it'll keep you off the toll roads.

 

[Queen]

FL has a similar setup, if you're going to bother with toll roads in FL just buy a SunPass, they're available pretty much everywhere (grocery stores, gas stations...), set up the online account and throw a few bucks in it. Works pretty well. There are still a few toll collectors though so you can pay a human at some or throw change at the basket at others.

 

[Wabbit]

If I understood correctly, its not a "bill" in terms of paying the toll. Its a fine for breaking the law. And as to sending it to the address on record for the vehicle...lol. That was a hotel we were staying at for the winter. That whole "residence" thing that gets talked about on here all the time. I guess I'll find out in 90 days. Just BS because it happened yesterday and I tried to pay it first thing this morning, but I couldn't.

I haven't seen this talked about here before, so is it that rare or am I just super hicksville? What do others do to prevent this? Study each states laws before entering it? All of them? Again thnx.

 

[Wabbit]

@Hepcat-will look into that on mine. Thnx!

 

[ZoNiE]

Here's a wrinkle. They bill based on axle count. I had a GMC motorhome that had three axles, one tire each side of each axle, six total, and a weight of about 14,000 lbs. BUT a dump Truck, or Big BUS with only two axles, same amount of tires (two on each side of the single rear axle) which weigh 2X or more than the GMC were billed LESS.

Talk about a ripoff...

Keep a record of contacting thetollroads.com. At least you tried. It also took a few days for that to register on their system for me when I went to OC from Phoenix a few years ago. Maybe try again in a week.

 

[highdesertranger]

it would help if you knew what highway you were on. my guess it was the CA 241 try this, https://www.thetollroads.com/ . if you go on the toll road and pay the toll in a few days it's no problem. if you wait until they send you a bill it's more money because now there is a fine included. highdesertranger

 

[Wabbit]

Yeah I signed up at that place with payment info. They said they hadn't gotten any info on the license plate yet, but if they do those will be paid. They mentioned the I10 and LA Metro, LA Metro told me if I used a Fast Team lane it was a violation. Those are usually far left(from what they said), I'm hoping that since I try to stay in the right lanes that I will not hear from them. The reason I try to stay in right lanes is because when I do the speed limit(65-70 depending), I am the guy holding up traffic. I'm getting old...lol.

 

[slynne]

I almost caused an accident crossing the Golden Gate Bridge because they do not even have humans accepting the toll anymore. It is all "fast pass" and if you don't have the fastpass, you have to go online and pay. I did that but I guess I am a moron and put in the wrong plate number. I can say this, the people at that organization have some pretty good customer service. I got a letter when I was back home in Michigan saying that I owed them some outrageous fine so I call them and explained. They fixed it all and I just ended up paying only the toll, which was 5 bucks I think. At any rate, I hope it turns out that the one web site is the one and they just didn't have your info yet or maybe the camera didn't catch you and they really do have no record of it? Good luck!

 

[OutdoorFT]

Free America isnt so free, now is it?

 

[Ballenxj]

Your GPS has a setting buried deep down somewhere in the settings menus to "avoid toll roads."  Turn it on and leave it on.  

Google maps has that feature as well. On the upper left when using google maps there is a pull down for options, click on that, then click on avoid toll roads.