Anyone else disgusted with EZPass and Express Lanes - what's your story? (credit card, transfer)

[gomason]

Originally Posted by spencgr

My only issue is not completely understanding the rates on the HOT lanes on 495. I was coming from Alexandria on a Saturday afternoon and approached the entry to the HOT lanes. It said it would cost something like $7 to go to 66 in the HOT lanes (on a random Sat afternoon). So, I assumed there was an accident or something causing a lot of traffic up ahead, thus making the HOT lanes more expensive. Isn't that how it's supposed to work?

So, I jump into the HOT lanes and drove on. I kept waiting to see the traffic in the regular lanes. Waiting, waiting, waiting. Nothing.

I feel like they played me.

That is NOT how they work.

The toll varies based on the number of vehicles in the HOT lanes. It has nothing to do with the regular lanes. The more cars in the HOT lanes = higher toll. For example, the end of the HOT lanes on 95 near Garrisonville Road always has a huge backup because that's where the HOT lanes end, so they charge $10 to go like 2 miles between Quantico and Garrisonville to get cars to exit the HOT lanes. For some dumb reason, a lot of drivers stay in the HOT lanes.

For future reference, there is almost never traffic on 495 in the main lanes during the weekend, so there's really no reason to take the HOT lanes. The only reason I might use them on 495 during the weekend is to use one of their special exits like the one that goes to 29, so I can get to Merrifield.

[airjay75]

Express Lanes app will alert you to missed tolls before fees pile up - WTOP

Just saw this and downloaded the app myself. Perhaps it will be helpful.

[gomason]

And for the record, I was not a big fan of Bob McDonnell's HOT lanes, but I am a big fan of Terry McAuliffe's HOT Lanes. When Bobby was Governor, he and Transurban promised there would be transit improvements on 495 and 95 to give people options like more commuter buses. Pretty much the only transit improvements we have seen are express buses between Tysons and Springfield/Lorton.

On the other hand, here's what Terry McAuliffe will do on 66 with the HOT lanes money:

• Express buses between Fairfax and the Pentagon and Mark Center
• Express buses between One Loudoun Development and Metro Stations
• Express buses between Gainesville and the Pentagon
• More frequent Metrobus service between Falls Church and Arlington

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...r-i-66-travel/

The HOT lanes are a great way to give people an opportunity to get out of their car and carpool or use transit. HOV lanes on 66 right now are just a joke (actually slowest lane through Fairfax) and do a terrible job of incentivizing carpooling/bus use. I would have died to be able to take a bus down 66 in HOT lanes when I lived in Manassas.

[ChristineVA]

Originally Posted by airjay75

Express Lanes app will alert you to missed tolls before fees pile up - WTOP

Just saw this and downloaded the app myself. Perhaps it will be helpful.

Now I think we need this app and Waze to merge and have an app that tells us if, based on the price AND the reality, if it's worth it to pay or better to take regular lanes.

[gomason]

Originally Posted by ChristineVA

Now I think we need this app and Waze to merge and have an app that tells us if, based on the price AND the reality, if it's worth it to pay or better to take regular lanes.

Can't you just check your smart phone and see if traffic's bad? I don't know why more people don't use Google Maps for that. It's a million times easier than listening to WTOP.

[Forehead]

The only issue I've had with them is I got a letter in the mail recently stating that if we didn't use our Flex transponder within a certain amount of time, we'd be charged a one time fee of $10 because they cost more to keep active. When we got the transponder originally, we live in Lake Ridge, but moved to the Falls Church/McLean area last year, so we use it much less frequently, but we still use it.


Their letter claimed we hadn't used it in months.


So we called, and they determined that the battery might be going out on our transponder, and sent us a new one. I guess we were riding for free occasionally, though we would have been anyway since we almost always have our kids with us.


Otherwise, no issues.

[ChristineVA]

Originally Posted by gomason

Can't you just check your smart phone and see if traffic's bad? I don't know why more people don't use Google Maps for that. It's a million times easier than listening to WTOP.

Sure, I check Waze and Google all the time. It's not always accurate but it would be great to have an app to do a cost/benefit analysis of taking the regular lanes and sitting against how fast the HOT lanes are moving versus what they are charging at the moment.

[elias9193]

I live in Stafford so the EZ-Pass lanes have been very beneficial 80% of the time. When summer hits its not as good, especially on the weekends. The proposed extension to Courthouse rd will help a lot as the backup
will now be extended two more miles down the road. For the most part its improved my commute.

[ChristineVA]

Originally Posted by elias9193

I live in Stafford so the EZ-Pass lanes have been very beneficial 80% of the time. When summer hits its not as good, especially on the weekends. The proposed extension to Courthouse rd will help a lot as the backup
will now be extended two more miles down the road. For the most part its improved my commute.

Has it improved your commute because you are paying or HOV'ing or has it improved the flow in the regular lanes?

[elias9193]

Originally Posted by ChristineVA

Has it improved your commute because you are paying or HOV'ing or has it improved the flow in the regular lanes?

Going to work I take the regular lanes for free as I leave my house around 9:00 am, coming home I take
Easy-pass so its better going home because I pay for it. The stress reduction is worth it for me to pay for
Hov but others may not agree.