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!

[accsys]

Bumpyroad wrote:

Flarpswitch wrote:
: In Montgomery County, Maryland, there are speed cameras set up in such a fashion that it is a sure thing to catch drivers going too fast as the speed zone transitions. .

going too fast, where's the beef?
bumpy

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.

[shum02]

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.

[Tvov]

Camera-only tolls are the wave of the future. From Connecticut going north, toll booths with actual people are becoming non-existent. It does make for faster and easier driving, as you don't have to worry about traffic backups at tolls and whether or not you have the money.

How the photo-tolls bill out-of-country drivers I don't know. As previously mentioned, most of the photo tolls and speed traps are considered minor violations, so agencies may not bother spending time on going after out of country vehicles. BUT.... in today's world, everything is tracked by computer! Sure, you can ignore that toll bill / speed trap ticket, but the information is kept and possibly years down the road an old ticket may come back to haunt you.

[bucky]

^^^^^Agreed

[Bumpyroad]

Flarpswitch wrote:
: In Montgomery County, Maryland, there are speed cameras set up in such a fashion that it is a sure thing to catch drivers going too fast as the speed zone transitions. .

going too fast, where's the beef?
bumpy

[Community Alumni]

I set my GPS to avoid tolls and minimize my exposure that way. Keep in mind that depending on your RV configuration, the tolls are always going to be higher than a passenger car. Most of the time you pay a toll for each axle or even the fact that you have a dual wheel axle. I have seen toll booths disappear in favor of EZ Pass. For the few times I found myself on an EZ Pass road, I never got a bill. Maybe it is too much trouble to pursue the occasional missed toll; the efficiency of EZ Pass more than makes up for it.

Cameras are everywhere in the Lower 48. Not only monitoring the toll plazas, but there are red light and speed cameras. How is this for a money maker: In Montgomery County, Maryland, there are speed cameras set up in such a fashion that it is a sure thing to catch drivers going too fast as the speed zone transitions. Here is how they get into your pocket. A private company sets up the camera. An employee serves as a 'Deputy' and reviews the 'evidence' which gets forwarded to the court. A ticket is issued and sent to the address of record for the licensed vehicle. You the owner are presumed guilty unless you can prove someone else was driving the vehicle. To encourage people to just pay the ticket and move on, the fine is set relatively low and treated not as a moving violation, but as a parking ticket and thus no points are charged against the driver. No one is going to go to court to dispute this for maybe a $40 ticket. The traffic camera company makes money and the county makes money with no capital outlay. A win-win situation, but not for you. I read a story a few years back about a business man who got caught twice on the same day in one town. He was so angry about the cheesy setup that he cancelled all of his expansion plans to build in that town. I figure they lost a few million dollars in economic activity in that town.

A friend in New Jersey tells me that they will track you down to get that extra nickel. And one more thing, some toll roads and bridges only collect in one directions counting on round trip drivers for revenue. I plan my routes with this in mind. I can get from Baltimore to New York State with no tolls, but the other way around you can count on at least some tolls. On one southbound trip I planned to cross a river using a state highway instead of the interstate. Just as I approached the bridge, I saw a sign posted that had a 5 ton weight limit and our rig was at least 6 tons. I might have crossed the bridge except for the local police car that was in full view. It would be my luck that I would be seen, so I went back, got onto the Interstate and paid the toll. Try driving from New Jersey to Maryland through Delaware on I-95. You may have to take out a second mortgage on your house.

[sch911]

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.

[jfkmk]

Everybody pays tolls! I wish they were a foreign concept, but unfortunately, they are a way of life here in the states.

If you went through a toll and there was no attended booth, they probably have a "pay by plate" system where the cameras take a picture of your plate and bill you. If you haven't received a bill yet, you're probably just lucky!

I don't know how prevalent this system is in the NE, I haven't seen it yet in NJ or PA.

[Keily]

Good question, I would like to know the answer myself. I have always paid the tolls while passing through New England, that is where there are toll booths that are attended. Now there is a place on the Mass Pike that removed their toll booths last Oct-Nov time period and installed cameras. When we went to Florida last Dec I had to fine a way around the toll, that involved going on country roads and towns. I did contact the Mass Pike authority before we left home and all they would tell me was to get an E-Z Pass or drive through and they would bill me, I would have 30 days to pay the bill. I have talked to other Canadians who said they drove through and haven't received a bill yet. I sure would like to know before we go south again the fall.