Do Canadians pay tolls?

[sam22]

Hey, hopefully this is the right spot to post this. I have a question about paying to use toll roads in the states if you're a Canadian. A few years ago I was in Washington state and drove a toll road and there was no booth (cameras?) and didn't pay anything. Last summer in Texas the same thing happened. Toll routes are a foreign concept where I'm from so I don't really get what I'm supposed to do. I'll be in New York/New England area next summer and see there are plenty of tolls and I don't mind paying them, but if there isn't an old fashion booth am I supposed to? How? Thanks for the help!

[John___Angela]

I don't know about tolls but we got home to BC this year and found a fine in our mail box for a rolling stop in Palm Springs california. Ouch. A picture of me at the wheel. Oops.

[VE3ESN]

Yeah, I refuse to support the conglomerate that obtained a 99-year lease when a previous provincial government stupidly "sold" the 407, and at far less than market value at that time. Besides, the 407 tolls are, IMHO, outrageously high, among the highest tolls in North America. So now I'll get down off my soapbox!

[shum02]

VE3ESN wrote:

shum02 wrote:

sch911 wrote:
Only those states who have DMV reciprocity agreements with your province could charge you. It definitely works across the border, as I drive the 407 around Toronto and I get a bill here in Michigan.

x2

NY State has a reciprocity agreement with Ontario so I have to pay NY tolls as well. No agreement? You could still get a bill but if you don't pay they won't hold your licence/tags hostage at the DMV/MOT.

We live in Ontario but have used an EZ-Pass transponder for years. We ordered ours on-line from New York State. Unlike Ontario's 407 transponder which we don't have and never will, EZ-Pass doesn't charge any fees except, of course, when you use a toll road in a state that uses EZ-Pass. It's really convenient to avoid fumbling for bills/change and not having to wait at the toll booths. We have a BMO US dollar MasterCard which EZ-Pass will use to fund the account. They take $25 when required.

I'll assume then you don't use the 407 then? Not having a transponder and paying a couple of "video" charges more than makes up for the yearly rental. If you don't use it, the 407, no worries.

[sam22]

Thanks for the info...I think I'll just take my chances next summer!

[marpel]

I routinely drive from British Columbia to Denver, Co and back, sometimes pulling our trailer, other times with just the truck.

In both Washington and Colorado, I have driven toll roads (not manned booths but auto-capture facilities). After about a year of this and not receiving a bill in the mail, I actually phoned the two agencies that manage the tolls for each state. I thought it was my responsibility to pay whatever was owing (and as well, I did not want to risk being stopped for a traffic violation and getting arrested when the officer ran my name and discovered that I had a warrant for unpaid monies owed to the state!!).

I actually spoke to a rep in each state and was informed that neither agency had any access to the computer records to enable any Canadian plates to provide registered owner details, so they do not even keep those toll records. In further conversation, they stated they did not think any state was capable of billing Canadian plates (they believed but were not absolutely certain, so the eastern states could be different).

Keep in mind, this is only related to tolls and traffic issues like photo radar may be different (although I used to be a cop and don't believe we had a reciprocal agreement with Washington state to share r.o. records for traffic matters either).

Marv

[VE3ESN]

Dutch_12078 wrote:

VE3ESN wrote:

We live in Ontario but have used an EZ-Pass transponder for years. We ordered ours on-line from New York State. Unlike Ontario's 407 transponder which we don't have and never will, EZ-Pass doesn't charge any fees except, of course, when you use a toll road in a state that uses EZ-Pass. It's really convenient to avoid fumbling for bills/change and not having to wait at the toll booths. We have a BMO US dollar MasterCard which EZ-Pass will use to fund the account. They take $25 when required.

Jerry, do you have the NYS Thruway's E-ZPass Motorhome Plan? We have it, and we pay standard E-ZPass passenger car per axle rates for our motorhome on the Thruway. There's also a discount plan for 5'vers.

E-ZPass Tag Order Form
Motorhome/Passenger Vehicle Towing Combinations

Yup, that's the plan we have. For our Roadtrek class B, we pay the car rate on the New York Thruway and other toll roads in states that accept EZ-Pass. The links you provided should certainly be of benefit to others.

[Dutch_12078]

VE3ESN wrote:

We live in Ontario but have used an EZ-Pass transponder for years. We ordered ours on-line from New York State. Unlike Ontario's 407 transponder which we don't have and never will, EZ-Pass doesn't charge any fees except, of course, when you use a toll road in a state that uses EZ-Pass. It's really convenient to avoid fumbling for bills/change and not having to wait at the toll booths. We have a BMO US dollar MasterCard which EZ-Pass will use to fund the account. They take $25 when required.

Jerry, do you have the NYS Thruway's E-ZPass Motorhome Plan? We have it, and we pay standard E-ZPass passenger car per axle rates for our motorhome on the Thruway. There's also a discount plan for 5'vers.

E-ZPass Tag Order Form
Motorhome/Passenger Vehicle Towing Combinations

[obgraham]

This works both ways: signs indicated a toll to cross the Fraser River Bridge on the #1 heading to North Vancouver, with warnings to get off before the toll if you didn't want to pay.

Never saw a toll booth. Figured I'd see some sort of overpriced bill in the mail later on, but never heard another thing about it.

They didn't bring out the cuffs next time I entered Canada, so who knows?

[Bumpyroad]

yep, it pays to shop around for ezpass cards. I chose Del. 20 or 25 deposit, only charge is if you use it.
bumpy

[VE3ESN]

shum02 wrote:

sch911 wrote:
Only those states who have DMV reciprocity agreements with your province could charge you. It definitely works across the border, as I drive the 407 around Toronto and I get a bill here in Michigan.

x2

NY State has a reciprocity agreement with Ontario so I have to pay NY tolls as well. No agreement? You could still get a bill but if you don't pay they won't hold your licence/tags hostage at the DMV/MOT.

We live in Ontario but have used an EZ-Pass transponder for years. We ordered ours on-line from New York State. Unlike Ontario's 407 transponder which we don't have and never will, EZ-Pass doesn't charge any fees except, of course, when you use a toll road in a state that uses EZ-Pass. It's really convenient to avoid fumbling for bills/change and not having to wait at the toll booths. We have a BMO US dollar MasterCard which EZ-Pass will use to fund the account. They take $25 when required.

[Bumpyroad]

years back I read an interesting article about unfounded/justified/etc. radar setups and one was used by a town that the interstate passed through. the town fuzz would set up radar, write a few tickets, which incidentally was a large percentage of the town's budget.
it seems that this was challenged and forced to end because there wasn't even an exit for the town. 🙂
but there is some interesting reading in the radar speed trap web site. there does seem to be a mix/confusion with a speed trap and strict enforcement.
bumpy

[OH48Lt]

and Toledo, Ohio, on I-75. Pure revenue generator, nothing else. They always set up the camera where the speed limit drops. Thing is, there's nothing they can do but rattle their sabre if you don't pay. The "citation" is not issued through a court, so Ohio BMV can't do anything to your plates or drivers license. They can't issue a warrant. The can't impound your vehicle if you're found later. The ordinance has no teeth. Still, they make millions of dollars a year on this from the uninformed that pay these things, and its now become a regular income line item in the city budget.

[Beerboy]

Bumpyroad wrote:

accsys wrote:

Bumpy, the beef is that the speed zone changes have no advanced warnings and the cameras get you before you have time to slow down. This normally only affects visitors as the locals know where the cameras are and where the speed changes. My daughter lives in Montgomery county and I know exactly what Flarpswitch is talking about.

I drove in Montgomery county for 45 years and never got a speeding ticket. now did the OP or your daughter ever enter any of these "speed traps" into the app? or were they already there.
bumpy

Lived there for 20. The speed cameras are required to be within a certain distance of a school and you only get a ticket if you are more than 10 mph over the limit. It's a safety measure. Plus the funds generated are required to be used for road/pedestrian safety purposes (lotta nice new sidewalks in Chevy Chase). The speed limit signs actually say "photo enforced" when you approach the camera. If you want to complain, look at DC, where it is a revenue generator. Or Cedar Rapids Iowa where they are on the interstate highway.

[Bumpyroad]

accsys wrote:

Bumpy, the beef is that the speed zone changes have no advanced warnings and the cameras get you before you have time to slow down. This normally only affects visitors as the locals know where the cameras are and where the speed changes. My daughter lives in Montgomery county and I know exactly what Flarpswitch is talking about.

I drove in Montgomery county for 45 years and never got a speeding ticket. now did the OP or your daughter ever enter any of these "speed traps" into the app? or were they already there.
bumpy