Hardy Toll Road to Become EZ Tag Only (Houston, Dallas: rental car, rental)

[Scooby Snacks]

https://www.hctra.org/HardyTollRoad

Starting July 18, the Hardy Toll Road will become EZ Tag only, and no manned toll booths will be available to serve commuters traveling either direction. As a former toll collector of HCTRA, it saddens, but doesn't surprise me, to know that HCTRA is slowly phasing out our jobs. Although most Houston commuters probably have an EZ Tag, it's important to have manned toll booths available to those people who don't have them, particularly out of towners and people who drive rental cars. Houston doesn't accept all toll tags, rental cars automatically rack up violations, and many company vehicles do not have the tags either. We all know it can be difficult to find alternative routes, particularly in that area of town.

[gwarnecke]

I just wish HCTRA would run their toll roads like Dallas, Austin, and California - if you drive on a toll road without a tag, you receive a bill by mail that tacks on a very modest administrative fee, rather than the $20 or more punitive fine that HCTRA imposes. This simple change would eliminate the need for all toll booths and would make the system much more friendly to out-of-towners and rental car users.

[Texas Ag 93]

Originally Posted by gwarnecke

I just wish HCTRA would run their toll roads like Dallas, Austin, and California - if you drive on a toll road without a tag, you receive a bill by mail that tacks on a very modest administrative fee, rather than the $20 or more punitive fine that HCTRA imposes. This simple change would eliminate the need for all toll booths and would make the system much more friendly to out-of-towners and rental car users.

Agree. I have not seen another city that retains manned toll booths like Houston (except in various states where they have plunked down toll booths on existing Interstates, something I think is total BS). Using manned booths is archaic. It greatly slows down traffic flow and increases the potential for accidents and danger for all.

I seem to recall in a previous thread about Houston's toll roads someone postulated that the real reason the HCTRA doesn't want to eliminate the booths is because they don't want to lose revenue from the rather significant number of drivers who either won't (or legally can't) get toll tags. I don't know enough about use of the toll roads to say if I agree or disagree.

[DSL_PWR]

It's a step in the right direction for sure.

I wish all the toll roads would go strictly EZ-tag. It would make things so much easier and better for those that utilize the roadways.

[magni]

I believe the real problem is that each state or even some cities have their own toll-pass system. These are not necessarily compatible with each other and obviously you can not get a toll-pass for each city you visit.

I am not sure why we can not have a nation-wide system.

[astrohip]

Sorry about the job loss, but I would rather see progress made, than jobs kept for artificial reasons. And toll booths slow down traffic, create pollution, and are inefficient.

But agree with many other posters--we need a better system for handling those who don't have e-tags.

[Scooby Snacks]

Originally Posted by Texas Ag 93

Agree. I have not seen another city that retains manned toll booths like Houston (except in various states where they have plunked down toll booths on existing Interstates, something I think is total BS). Using manned booths is archaic. It greatly slows down traffic flow and increases the potential for accidents and danger for all.

I seem to recall in a previous thread about Houston's toll roads someone postulated that the real reason the HCTRA doesn't want to eliminate the booths is because they don't want to lose revenue from the rather significant number of drivers who either won't (or legally can't) get toll tags. I don't know enough about use of the toll roads to say if I agree or disagree.

I think it is a revenue thing. The fact is, when HCTRA goes all EZ Tag, they make a lot more money in two ways, by eliminating jobs, and by tolling more. People spend more money when items are automatically drafted from their account. The money isn't physically gone like paying cash is; they don't see the money disappearing like they do when they pull it out of their wallet. So people spend more that way. I wouldn't be one bit surprised if HCTRA eliminated the EZ Tag discount soon and makes every toll road EZ Tag.

As for accident reduction, all electronic lanes have plenty of accidents as well. People get distracted by the cameras and signage and their speed becomes more variable. I worked at night on the exit ramp as a toll collector, and I saw my fair share of accidents on the main lanes, and some of them were horrible accidents with fatalities.

I must admit I'm surprised by the support of all EZ Tag and lack of concern about people losing their jobs. I think it's because people who don't work for HCTRA don't understand the large numbers of people who will be unemployed. Even if only the Hardy Toll Road becomes EZ Tag, and they keep the others manned, which I doubt, many jobs will be lost.

Each toll plaza has a lot of personnel who works for them, many working behind the scenes. There are at least three toll collectors per mainlane each week, many ramp toll collectors all over the city, the van drivers who take change to the ramp toll collectors, relief toll collectors, lane supervisors, shift supervisors, lane changers, who work at the coin drop lanes, some of the people who work at the HCTRA offices, custodial and maintenance personnel, etc. . . But most of these employees work underground because the toll plazas are built in a subterranean fashion to avoid blocking the toll road itself. The benefits and pay of a city job were excellent. I only left after I had to take a long medical leave.

[DSL_PWR]

Originally Posted by astrohip

Sorry about the job loss, but I would rather see progress made, than jobs kept for artificial reasons. And toll booths slow down traffic, create pollution, and are inefficient.

But agree with many other posters--we need a better system for handling those who don't have e-tags.

it's very simple.. stay off of the toll roads.

[Scooby Snacks]

Originally Posted by astrohip

Sorry about the job loss, but I would rather see progress made, than jobs kept for artificial reasons. And toll booths slow down traffic, create pollution, and are inefficient.

But agree with many other posters--we need a better system for handling those who don't have e-tags.

What does "jobs kept for artificial reasons" even mean? The fact is, some people can't have EZ tags. That is a reason toll collectors are important. If HCTRA won't offer a pay-by-mail system, the jobs are still valuable. And how on earth does a toll booth create pollution? It creates no more pollution than stopping at a stoplight.

Originally Posted by DSL_PWR

it's very simple.. stay off of the toll roads.

People who say that usually don't understand the reality of Houston's atrocious traffic problems. I detest paying to drive on a road. The toll roads are extremely expensive when one uses them over and over again, but sitting in gridlock traffic is an even worse alternative.

[DSL_PWR]

Originally Posted by Scooby Snacks

People who say that usually don't understand the reality of Houston's atrocious traffic problems. I detest paying to drive on a road. The toll roads are extremely expensive when one uses them over and over again, but sitting in gridlock traffic is an even worse alternative.

I understand completely. If you don't want to pay then stay off the toll roads. Simple as that.

I guess I don't understand what is so hard about that. There are plenty of roadways with no tolls that can be utilized and even when you mapquest or googlemap something it will tell there are 'tolled routes' and 'non-tolled routes' that can be driven.

I use the toll roads daily, it's a tax write off for me, "business expense".