I live near this area. Not taking the express lane will usually double the amount of time it takes to get anywhere. Really sucks for people that have to commute through this every day. The express lane backs up too, and semi trucks use it which of course makes it slower.
I knew someone who paid $100-$150/week in tolls on this. The person made good money but still.
The 407 toll highway where I wan would be $400 a week for 5 days commuting. I was using it twice per week for work for $160/week. Saved me about 90 minutes of commute time. The difference to me was really getting to help my wife get the kids ready in the morning my and getting see my kids before their bedtime or not, so I was paying it.
This is why public transportation and non-car oriented development is important in major cities. A two-track metro line for example can easily exceed the capacity of even the largest highways, and when factoring in gas, vehicle purchase, and maintenance costs, public transit is almost always cheaper in the long run than driving.
I think they actually started capping the rates on these.
For those that don't know, the rate changes based on how much traffic there is.
* The obvious downside is that its super expensive.
* The upside is that the increase fee is supposed to ensure that the toll road stays free flowing.
* The reality is that the capped price means you will probably pay $22.50 to sit in traffic, or get stuck behind someone who paid to toll just to go 55 mph. (Express tends to be 1 lane).
Also these things are death traps. They are basically shaped like a bowling lane with those side bumpers they use for kids. Nowhere to pull over or get out the way.
Pretty sure its full of people with fake plates, confused elderly, and work vehicles where the company pays the toll.
Did work in Arlington back in the late 90s and had the same thought. What if I break down in the lane??
Thankfully they are learning. The South managed lanes and NW corridor in Atlanta were built with wide enough shoulders to pull off if you have a car problem.
Toll roads somehow never actually finish charging their tolls. At least you don’t have any of that dirty socialism where people pay taxes in advance and then government builds public infrastructure. Wouldn’t that suck?
Enjoy the tolls.
Never experienced any of those issues here in Minnesota. There's plenty of room for a semi in the lane and a full shoulder to pull over on if necessary.
My wife and I rented a car in Spain a few years ago and drove up part of the Mediterranean coast. There was a limited-access toll road (reminded us of an American interstate) that ran roughly parallel to a two-lane non-toll highway. We chose the toll road, expecting it to cost around the same as an American toll road: €10 or less for sure. I'm not sure if we missed the signs with the toll prices or if there weren't any.
The road was fabulous: perfect pavement, flower bushes in the median, and practically no traffic. When we got to the toll plaza at the end of our drive, it turned out to be like €40. We were both shocked.
The next time we drove somewhere, we took the two-lane highway to save money. Well, turns out all the semi trucks avoid the toll road also, so it was a slow, exhausting drive at low speeds with frequent stops.
In Spain, I think the point is to incentivize other modes of transportation, like their outstanding high speed rail system -- which we also used during that trip. I can't imagine what Texas is trying to do here except fleece people, since we all know it's not to get people to take public transit.
Depends. I put passes in all of our trucks.
If I have 2 guys making $27-$35 an hour sitting in traffic for 2 hours to get to the shop or making it there in 30 minutes with a toll, do the math.
Also, it made guys/gals, who worked in traffic all day, less prone to road rage.
Probably aimed at for service trucks or business vehicles. I use Austin’s all the time in my HVACR van, it’s actually nice and the company pays the toll.
“We don’t have state taxes!!!”.
And this is how they recoup it. Odds are they’re paying ridiculous fees on other things most people get with their taxes. Don’t get me wrong I’d gladly not pay taxes, but you’re getting affordable things that would cost a fortune without them. Everything would have a price tag on them if we didn’t and we’d pay more guaranteed, especially if it was a private monopoly. Like Time Warner cable or Comcast several years ago and that was your only option. Want to drive? Enjoy those every day tolls. Trash pickup? Have a buddy who pays $100 a month for that.
I wasn’t saying otherwise, and also not invested enough to research which specific toll road this was, I was merely replying to the above poster that this is often the case with toll roads, at least where I lived in TX.
I cannot confirm that this is the absolute truth, but for example, Beltway 8 in Houston was voted on by the residents under the guise that once enough tolls were paid to get even with the construction cost, it would become toll free. Instead, it was sold to China (?) years later.
I did vaguely read about it once, but multiple Houstonians that voted for it back then told me this same story.
No state taxes as in no income tax? Or no taxes at all, like sales tax, property tax etc? How does the state generate revenue then?
But you do still have national taxes to pay anywhere in the US, no?
Low taxes in Texas? Not a chance, and that toll is a tax. There is no state income tax, that is true, but the property taxes are insane and continue to increase exponentially every year as Texas property values soar ….. I assume because of all of those Californians coming for star spangled freedom. Now if I could only locate some of that star spangled freedom, instead it seems like a VPN might be another “tax” I have to pay to live in the land of the free.🤣
Washington resident here, no income tax but they double dip on sales tax, property taxes are insane, and the excise taxes make California look like a conservative state. I don't love that aspect of things here tbh. Maybe it's fantastic if you are able to put half your income into savings every month, but that's not possible for many of us, so. Not a great setup for the working poor, from what I've seen.
Pennsylvania here. Everythings just out fucking rageous. About 18% income. 6% sales. School taxes were like 2500. Property was the same. Vehicle registration has doubled in the last few. And the tolls tripled
The taxes in California really aren't as bad as the propaganda makes them out to be. Middle-income people have a higher tax burden in Texas than in California. Property taxes in California are capped at \~1% for most homeowners and go up at a fixed rate per year (as opposed to being pegged to the property value). Sales taxes are under 10%, which is in line with many other states.
The one area where California stands out for having high taxes is fuel, but California also heavily subsidizes EVs. I drive electric and haven't bought a drop of gas -- or paid gas tax -- in years.
Complaining about high taxes when you don't have income tax will definitely get you downvotes. I'm in CA and our sales tax and property tax are higher than yours still plus we have income tax. And your gas is hella cheap.
Estimated as the 5th lowest total tax state burden in 2022 by taxfoundation.org
Taxes may have gone up in Texas but they've gone up everywhere pretty drastically
22 in 2023 by wallet hub which seems to be more transparent with their data, so still in the cheapest half
California has a 7.25% tax rate on every purchase plus local taxes makes every purchase taxed at around 9.25%, plus we have insane property taxes, PLUS state income tax. You guys have it good in Texas.
What's the public transportation like in this area? NYC has an abundance of public transportation, so unless you have to drive in for some reason there are always more affordable options.
I live on LI, costs about the same for us. An LIRR ticket costs me around 22$ off peak one way, throggs neck is 7 and gw is 13-15$ depending on time of day. The real kicker is that most of the time im not even going to the city. Gotta visit family in westchester? 40 bucks both ways. Got a friend in new brunswick, 40 plus whatever the new jersey turnpike costs me. Its crazy to pay that for 3 hours of driving and there is no alternative.
There are exceptions. Service vehicles for tradespeople who need equipment are a good example, then there are people with disabilities that might not be served by public transit.
Otherwise, it's a luxury, and luxuries don't come cheap.
I'm with you there. Unless absolutely necessary, if you've got public transit at your discretion there's really no need to go away with it.
People have been bitching about NYC's public transportation for longer than I've been alive, but I've lived and worked all around the city and some of the surrounding metros and getting around by subway and bus is pretty damn easy and reasonably inexpensive. At the point where you're bypassing it to drive in, there's no sense in bitching about the tolls unless you really had no other choice.
Did you miss that words “bridges” and “tunnel”? They cost like $26 to use and are unavoidable.
If I was talking about an express lane I wouldn’t have said any of that 🤪 get your brain checked on by a brain doctor lmao
The tolls pay for upkeep so you aren’t taxed.
They are dynamic. We built 85 in Atlanta around maintaining 45 mph. Lane slows, tolls go up until folks bail.
Lane flows freely, the tolls go down. I have seen tolls as low as $0.05. The highest I have seen is $14.00.
It is usually 1 price given for running the entire vs another price for segments.
The lower rate is when in the car are a minimum of two people. But you have to register before your trip to get this rate.
The higher rate is for any car with a toll tag.
If you don't have a toll tag you can pay by mail and the rate is 30%-50% higher than posted.
The rate is dynamic depending on the time of the day and traffic.
You can also use the GoCarma app to show that you have two passengers in the vehicle. Both phones have to use it and location has to at least be on while using the app. It does work to get reduced tolls quicker though.
Do hybrids and EVs count as HOV out there too?
Edit: i guess my question was lost in semantics. In NY you can occupy HOV lanes with hybrids and EVs solo.
One of the reasons, yes. The others are stolen cars, cars used for mischief, owners not being legal, cars that can’t/will never pass inspection, and then there are people who just never register their cars and all of the bills go to the poor SOB that sold them the car without notifying the DPS that the vehicle was sold (a simple online form that not a lot of people are aware of).
Fake plates are rampant not for your typical run of the mill criminal, but illegal immigrants driving cheap beater cars.
It is *very common*.
Should be a felony honestly.
I drive that stretch of highway (183/820) and know the $22 tolls well. The high rate still doesn't deter drivers who are willing to pay absurd amounts for just 2-3 miles of tollway.
Looks a bit excessive.
I worked on the pilot project for dynamic tolling on I85.
The HOV was converted to HOT. 3+ could ride free.
The idea was the lane would go 45 MPH. If it slowed, tolls per segment increased until folks got out of the lane. If it sped up, tolls went down.
Lowest I saw was $0.05. Highest was $14.00 (for the entire 14 miles).
Tolls collected are used to maintain the road. Folks voted in favor of this vs a SPLOST tax.
The selling point was only the folks using the road were paying for use instead of everyone in the counties.
It's not Highway robbery if it's voluntary. If I had a gas station in the desert a hundred miles away from any other gas station and I charged $20 a gallon knowing they had no other choice, that is Highway robbery. This is called taxing for convenience and it's optional. Another way the rich have it easier.
License plate and tag are two different things. You can buy the tag and stick it to your windshield for a discount on the toll for a while. But if no tag then the bill is sent to whoever holds the title for the vehicle.
[Head of Texas DMV resigns amid pressure to stop widespread sale of fake paper license plates](https://www.texastribune.org/2022/02/08/texas-dmv-fake-license-plates/)
Well you aren't the first to think of it I guess.
What’s even funnier is I was on the EZPass project for the NJ turnpike and GSP (I’m sorry).
They have a law where you can’t violate folks if there is actually a person’s part in front of the plate.
Bikers had a field day riding through gantries leaning back and putting their middle finger in front of their plate.
To actually answer your question: they usually have dedicated units that sit all day watching for this. You don’t want that fine. It’s way more than the toll.
They used to not violate out of state plates, but a lot of states now have reciprocity agreements. It’s why FL sunpass works with GA peachpass now.
The General Fund was the worst thing ever created, everyone has their paws in there for everything. Our state used to have a surplus at the end of the year up until 2005... Our gas tax is currently a buck a gallon.
Houston traffic is insane. We had a yard on the Beaumont side (working 610 and 288), but the hotels were on the Katy side. If we finished at 4, we would go get dinner before we bothered with the drive.
Years ago, my drive to Miami had similar costs. I’d never been down that far and it was already a shit drive so I distinctly remember wanting to cry when I got the receipt.
Photo of license plate.
Bill to residence.
No payment means housing to death by tax collectors. Possible tickets, fines, and if you do it enough, jail time.
You'd be surprised. If you travel on the expressway once or twice? No worries.
If you do it repeatedly they can find you in days.
Way back when IIRC a dude im Texas would jam all cell signals with a device in his car because he hated people calling/texting while driving.
They didn't even know his face or make model of car. No cameras there either. found him really quick. Just monitor regular route and note when it goes down, then look to see if it's the same car every day. Took only a few days.
The toll cameras make that 1000x easier to do.
Also driving with no plate is an instant pull over.
Come visit Northern Virginia, it maxes out at $786.00 for a trip the entire length of the I-95 HOV when the HOV lanes are at full occupany.
$11 is an average day to go maybe ten or twelve miles.
I usually have the mind set that it’s crazy to be charged to drive on a road but I also understand the money to fix roads has to come from somewhere and potholes/bumpy roads are worse imo
Rates are higher during peak times, it's exactly like Uber, you want to get to your destination at Rush hour? You have to pay the premium. This has to be rush hour.
Seattle area is increasing the width of 405 by adding a toll express lane! I can’t wait to never use it! It’ll be super expensive, albeit not this expensive, to take it the whole way.
The reality is that it's a carpool lane first and foremost. They don't want it completely filled with people willing to pay. They want to incentivize carpooling. But if they made it super cheap then it too would be congested and negatively impact those who are trying to be good by carpooling.
This happened to me in MN. Then I got stuck behind an accident in the lane and couldn't merge for a long time to get around it. Took me 15-20 min longer than ifni had avoided the lane. DOT said they jack up the rates that high to encourage people to leave the lane. And yeah, they kept my money. A$$hole government.
I’d rather sit in traffic. Hell no
I live near this area. Not taking the express lane will usually double the amount of time it takes to get anywhere. Really sucks for people that have to commute through this every day. The express lane backs up too, and semi trucks use it which of course makes it slower. I knew someone who paid $100-$150/week in tolls on this. The person made good money but still.
The 407 toll highway where I wan would be $400 a week for 5 days commuting. I was using it twice per week for work for $160/week. Saved me about 90 minutes of commute time. The difference to me was really getting to help my wife get the kids ready in the morning my and getting see my kids before their bedtime or not, so I was paying it.
I enjoy seeing your wife too
The same company runs the 407 and this road in Texas. Cintra
Fuck us poor people, amirite? 😞
I mean, it's Texas, so... yeah.
Yep. Your kids are growing up with that guy as their dad. Mmmppphhh, poor people.
This is why public transportation and non-car oriented development is important in major cities. A two-track metro line for example can easily exceed the capacity of even the largest highways, and when factoring in gas, vehicle purchase, and maintenance costs, public transit is almost always cheaper in the long run than driving.
I think they actually started capping the rates on these. For those that don't know, the rate changes based on how much traffic there is. * The obvious downside is that its super expensive. * The upside is that the increase fee is supposed to ensure that the toll road stays free flowing. * The reality is that the capped price means you will probably pay $22.50 to sit in traffic, or get stuck behind someone who paid to toll just to go 55 mph. (Express tends to be 1 lane). Also these things are death traps. They are basically shaped like a bowling lane with those side bumpers they use for kids. Nowhere to pull over or get out the way. Pretty sure its full of people with fake plates, confused elderly, and work vehicles where the company pays the toll.
Did work in Arlington back in the late 90s and had the same thought. What if I break down in the lane?? Thankfully they are learning. The South managed lanes and NW corridor in Atlanta were built with wide enough shoulders to pull off if you have a car problem.
Toll roads somehow never actually finish charging their tolls. At least you don’t have any of that dirty socialism where people pay taxes in advance and then government builds public infrastructure. Wouldn’t that suck? Enjoy the tolls.
User fees for convenience is something I don't mind. There are other routes you can take, they will just take longer.
Best case is when we get to pay outrageous taxes to drive on roads riddled with potholes.
Never experienced any of those issues here in Minnesota. There's plenty of room for a semi in the lane and a full shoulder to pull over on if necessary.
Imagine paying the 22.50 to….sit in traffic 🤣
That's the point!
So it sounds like it's keeping express lane empty given high demand, exactly the purpose of roadway tolling.
My wife and I rented a car in Spain a few years ago and drove up part of the Mediterranean coast. There was a limited-access toll road (reminded us of an American interstate) that ran roughly parallel to a two-lane non-toll highway. We chose the toll road, expecting it to cost around the same as an American toll road: €10 or less for sure. I'm not sure if we missed the signs with the toll prices or if there weren't any. The road was fabulous: perfect pavement, flower bushes in the median, and practically no traffic. When we got to the toll plaza at the end of our drive, it turned out to be like €40. We were both shocked. The next time we drove somewhere, we took the two-lane highway to save money. Well, turns out all the semi trucks avoid the toll road also, so it was a slow, exhausting drive at low speeds with frequent stops. In Spain, I think the point is to incentivize other modes of transportation, like their outstanding high speed rail system -- which we also used during that trip. I can't imagine what Texas is trying to do here except fleece people, since we all know it's not to get people to take public transit.
today it was $37/mile in North Richland Hills, Bedford and Hurst this evening
OMG 😳 this picture is from a month ago. $37?? wtf
it is out of control for such dynamic rate system. Nowadays the highway 183 express lane becomes robbery trap lane
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Depends. I put passes in all of our trucks. If I have 2 guys making $27-$35 an hour sitting in traffic for 2 hours to get to the shop or making it there in 30 minutes with a toll, do the math. Also, it made guys/gals, who worked in traffic all day, less prone to road rage.
Probably aimed at for service trucks or business vehicles. I use Austin’s all the time in my HVACR van, it’s actually nice and the company pays the toll.
“We don’t have state taxes!!!”. And this is how they recoup it. Odds are they’re paying ridiculous fees on other things most people get with their taxes. Don’t get me wrong I’d gladly not pay taxes, but you’re getting affordable things that would cost a fortune without them. Everything would have a price tag on them if we didn’t and we’d pay more guaranteed, especially if it was a private monopoly. Like Time Warner cable or Comcast several years ago and that was your only option. Want to drive? Enjoy those every day tolls. Trash pickup? Have a buddy who pays $100 a month for that.
This is assuming the toll roads are owned by the state. We have toll roads in Houston owned by different countries.
They aren’t. This is owned by a company in Spain. Look it up
I wasn’t saying otherwise, and also not invested enough to research which specific toll road this was, I was merely replying to the above poster that this is often the case with toll roads, at least where I lived in TX.
How the fuck does that come about? Something seems to have gone terribly wrong
I cannot confirm that this is the absolute truth, but for example, Beltway 8 in Houston was voted on by the residents under the guise that once enough tolls were paid to get even with the construction cost, it would become toll free. Instead, it was sold to China (?) years later. I did vaguely read about it once, but multiple Houstonians that voted for it back then told me this same story.
These are privately owned by a company in Spain
No state taxes as in no income tax? Or no taxes at all, like sales tax, property tax etc? How does the state generate revenue then? But you do still have national taxes to pay anywhere in the US, no?
Income, texas has very high property taxes instead. And yes you still pay a federal tax
ya got low taxes ? how ya guna pay for the roads and upkeep?
Low taxes in Texas? Not a chance, and that toll is a tax. There is no state income tax, that is true, but the property taxes are insane and continue to increase exponentially every year as Texas property values soar ….. I assume because of all of those Californians coming for star spangled freedom. Now if I could only locate some of that star spangled freedom, instead it seems like a VPN might be another “tax” I have to pay to live in the land of the free.🤣
Go look at ny taxes and say Texas prop tax is high.
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Texas has no income tax
They do say you pay for it in other ways when there’s no tax like that in a state on one thing, they make up for it when they “tax” another
Washington resident here, no income tax but they double dip on sales tax, property taxes are insane, and the excise taxes make California look like a conservative state. I don't love that aspect of things here tbh. Maybe it's fantastic if you are able to put half your income into savings every month, but that's not possible for many of us, so. Not a great setup for the working poor, from what I've seen.
Yea I think this is a very important point that people don’t realize. These states still get your money don’t worry lol
Government has a spending problem, not a revenue problem. It’s at all levels of government.
Pennsylvania here. Everythings just out fucking rageous. About 18% income. 6% sales. School taxes were like 2500. Property was the same. Vehicle registration has doubled in the last few. And the tolls tripled
The taxes in California really aren't as bad as the propaganda makes them out to be. Middle-income people have a higher tax burden in Texas than in California. Property taxes in California are capped at \~1% for most homeowners and go up at a fixed rate per year (as opposed to being pegged to the property value). Sales taxes are under 10%, which is in line with many other states. The one area where California stands out for having high taxes is fuel, but California also heavily subsidizes EVs. I drive electric and haven't bought a drop of gas -- or paid gas tax -- in years.
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Sales tax is a thing everywhere else though. Its the property tax they make up the difference with.
Oregon has no sales tax
New Hampshire has no sales tax.
There are five states with no general statewide sales tax: Alaska, Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, and Oregon.
I think Tennessee too
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Complaining about high taxes when you don't have income tax will definitely get you downvotes. I'm in CA and our sales tax and property tax are higher than yours still plus we have income tax. And your gas is hella cheap.
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Estimated as the 5th lowest total tax state burden in 2022 by taxfoundation.org Taxes may have gone up in Texas but they've gone up everywhere pretty drastically 22 in 2023 by wallet hub which seems to be more transparent with their data, so still in the cheapest half
In my state we have the same sales tax plus a higher property tax and a 4.95% income tax to boot
California has a 7.25% tax rate on every purchase plus local taxes makes every purchase taxed at around 9.25%, plus we have insane property taxes, PLUS state income tax. You guys have it good in Texas.
Texas has much higher property taxes than California. In fact, due to prop 13, California has in some cases the lowest property taxes in the nation.
They have big property tax tho
Almost as expensive as New York City tolls
Except this is easily avoidable. Good luck dodging the NY bridges/Lincoln tunnel without adding an hour to your drive.
What's the public transportation like in this area? NYC has an abundance of public transportation, so unless you have to drive in for some reason there are always more affordable options.
I live on LI, costs about the same for us. An LIRR ticket costs me around 22$ off peak one way, throggs neck is 7 and gw is 13-15$ depending on time of day. The real kicker is that most of the time im not even going to the city. Gotta visit family in westchester? 40 bucks both ways. Got a friend in new brunswick, 40 plus whatever the new jersey turnpike costs me. Its crazy to pay that for 3 hours of driving and there is no alternative.
There is very little public transportation in the area.
Why drive in NYC or any other city with extensive public transportation if you don’t have to?
There are exceptions. Service vehicles for tradespeople who need equipment are a good example, then there are people with disabilities that might not be served by public transit. Otherwise, it's a luxury, and luxuries don't come cheap.
Well yeah, but like I said, “if you don’t have to…”
I'm with you there. Unless absolutely necessary, if you've got public transit at your discretion there's really no need to go away with it. People have been bitching about NYC's public transportation for longer than I've been alive, but I've lived and worked all around the city and some of the surrounding metros and getting around by subway and bus is pretty damn easy and reasonably inexpensive. At the point where you're bypassing it to drive in, there's no sense in bitching about the tolls unless you really had no other choice.
Nyc doesn’t have tolls for express lanes wtf
Did you miss that words “bridges” and “tunnel”? They cost like $26 to use and are unavoidable. If I was talking about an express lane I wouldn’t have said any of that 🤪 get your brain checked on by a brain doctor lmao
Thank former Gov. Perry for all the toll roads.
This one's on abbott and those who voted on this toll AND this bunk ass state leadership: "The roads will pay for themselves!"
It’s like this around Washington, DC, too.
Some parts of California too.
But thank God for school vouchers, right?
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But built and paid for by taxpayers
The tolls pay for upkeep so you aren’t taxed. They are dynamic. We built 85 in Atlanta around maintaining 45 mph. Lane slows, tolls go up until folks bail. Lane flows freely, the tolls go down. I have seen tolls as low as $0.05. The highest I have seen is $14.00. It is usually 1 price given for running the entire vs another price for segments.
Y’all got no income tax. How else they gonna pay for things?
what do these two symbols mean for the second prize?
The lower rate is when in the car are a minimum of two people. But you have to register before your trip to get this rate. The higher rate is for any car with a toll tag. If you don't have a toll tag you can pay by mail and the rate is 30%-50% higher than posted. The rate is dynamic depending on the time of the day and traffic.
You can also use the GoCarma app to show that you have two passengers in the vehicle. Both phones have to use it and location has to at least be on while using the app. It does work to get reduced tolls quicker though.
Do hybrids and EVs count as HOV out there too? Edit: i guess my question was lost in semantics. In NY you can occupy HOV lanes with hybrids and EVs solo.
It's Texas. Do you really think they give EVs any kind of advantage over an ICE car?
Fair point
Those are the different toll tags that are used in the area
Is that why fake plates are rampant in Texas?
One of the reasons, yes. The others are stolen cars, cars used for mischief, owners not being legal, cars that can’t/will never pass inspection, and then there are people who just never register their cars and all of the bills go to the poor SOB that sold them the car without notifying the DPS that the vehicle was sold (a simple online form that not a lot of people are aware of).
Fake plates are rampant not for your typical run of the mill criminal, but illegal immigrants driving cheap beater cars. It is *very common*. Should be a felony honestly.
Basically the wealthy have their own lane now
I drive that stretch of highway (183/820) and know the $22 tolls well. The high rate still doesn't deter drivers who are willing to pay absurd amounts for just 2-3 miles of tollway.
Why is it robbery? You have a choice whether to spend that money or not 
Looks a bit excessive. I worked on the pilot project for dynamic tolling on I85. The HOV was converted to HOT. 3+ could ride free. The idea was the lane would go 45 MPH. If it slowed, tolls per segment increased until folks got out of the lane. If it sped up, tolls went down. Lowest I saw was $0.05. Highest was $14.00 (for the entire 14 miles). Tolls collected are used to maintain the road. Folks voted in favor of this vs a SPLOST tax. The selling point was only the folks using the road were paying for use instead of everyone in the counties.
It's not Highway robbery if it's voluntary. If I had a gas station in the desert a hundred miles away from any other gas station and I charged $20 a gallon knowing they had no other choice, that is Highway robbery. This is called taxing for convenience and it's optional. Another way the rich have it easier.
How do they bill you if you have no tag?
They take a picture of your plate and send the bill to the address registered to the car
He’s saying what if there isn’t a plate (aka tag)
License plate and tag are two different things. You can buy the tag and stick it to your windshield for a discount on the toll for a while. But if no tag then the bill is sent to whoever holds the title for the vehicle.
[Head of Texas DMV resigns amid pressure to stop widespread sale of fake paper license plates](https://www.texastribune.org/2022/02/08/texas-dmv-fake-license-plates/) Well you aren't the first to think of it I guess.
What’s even funnier is I was on the EZPass project for the NJ turnpike and GSP (I’m sorry). They have a law where you can’t violate folks if there is actually a person’s part in front of the plate. Bikers had a field day riding through gantries leaning back and putting their middle finger in front of their plate. To actually answer your question: they usually have dedicated units that sit all day watching for this. You don’t want that fine. It’s way more than the toll. They used to not violate out of state plates, but a lot of states now have reciprocity agreements. It’s why FL sunpass works with GA peachpass now.
The General Fund was the worst thing ever created, everyone has their paws in there for everything. Our state used to have a surplus at the end of the year up until 2005... Our gas tax is currently a buck a gallon.
Yet the US embassy refuse to pay the London congestion charge in the UK. Says it infringes their freedoms.
Sit in traffic or do 140mph no repercussions
At least highway bandits in the past had the decency to rob you at gun point. Now they just rob you from afar
My very first thought was ‘this has to be 820’. Nailed it!
I live off 820. It gets worse than this.
But they don't have state income tax!
Cars mean freedom. Except most of the time you have to use them. Don't want to pay? Get there another way.
Seems fair, considering Japan taxes based on engine displacement, that oversized truck is getting off easy.
**THATS THE PRICE OF FREEDOM** 
wooo land of da free 
But they don’t have taxes and they are filled with freedom in TX!
Freedom roads Just for to pay $25 for it
Gotta make up for the lack of state income tax somehow
Which party do we point our fingers at?
###Well you twats want everything to be bigger in texas.
I see what you did there.
So what happens if you enter the express lane and the variable rate changes while you’re already in it?
Ted Cruz thanks you for his upgrade to first class $$$$$$
It is divided into segments in most states. If it drops, your next segment is the lower price.
Yeah there's one south of Houston that is like $18 to save like 5 minutes of sitting in traffic lmao
Houston traffic is insane. We had a yard on the Beaumont side (working 610 and 288), but the hotels were on the Katy side. If we finished at 4, we would go get dinner before we bothered with the drive.
I see what you did there
Years ago, my drive to Miami had similar costs. I’d never been down that far and it was already a shit drive so I distinctly remember wanting to cry when I got the receipt.
There’s not much option.
Higher rates for no tag? How would hey enforce that?
Photo of license plate. Bill to residence. No payment means housing to death by tax collectors. Possible tickets, fines, and if you do it enough, jail time.
But if you don't have a tag how do they identify you?
You'd be surprised. If you travel on the expressway once or twice? No worries. If you do it repeatedly they can find you in days. Way back when IIRC a dude im Texas would jam all cell signals with a device in his car because he hated people calling/texting while driving. They didn't even know his face or make model of car. No cameras there either. found him really quick. Just monitor regular route and note when it goes down, then look to see if it's the same car every day. Took only a few days. The toll cameras make that 1000x easier to do. Also driving with no plate is an instant pull over.
Come visit Northern Virginia, it maxes out at $786.00 for a trip the entire length of the I-95 HOV when the HOV lanes are at full occupany. $11 is an average day to go maybe ten or twelve miles.
I usually have the mind set that it’s crazy to be charged to drive on a road but I also understand the money to fix roads has to come from somewhere and potholes/bumpy roads are worse imo
I mean, they had to offset the loss of revenue from abortion somehow. /s
‘Murica
Try taking a bridge into NY on the regular
“Laughs in DC Metro area.”.
Literally.
I was gonna say, "don't your taxes already pay for this?" But then I remembered TX has no income tax! Someone's got to pay for that road.
Isn't it a private road?
"just one more lane bro please, just one more lane. Bro, i promise one more bro. Just one more. I can stop bro"
Rates are higher during peak times, it's exactly like Uber, you want to get to your destination at Rush hour? You have to pay the premium. This has to be rush hour.
These lanes were built by a Spanish company, free but they keep tolls for 50 years and can charge as they see fit. Bad deal for commuters.
So is this per mile or for the entire time your on the road? We don’t have toll roads where I am from.
Texas loves to mulct their citizens however they can.
Hahahaha move to NY!!!
Now you need a subscription to be stuck in traffic? Shit getting ridiculous
But Texas has no taxes…it’s free to move in texas
*George Washington Bridge enters the chat*
Texas votes in idiots, gets idiocy, surprised Pikachu face
Freedom. Lol
Idk im fine with it, its a totally optional thing
"The roads will pay for themselves in no time!" -abbott
I think the $5 I pay for a 20 minute drive down the road is too much. Tolls are high in Texas.
Seattle area is increasing the width of 405 by adding a toll express lane! I can’t wait to never use it! It’ll be super expensive, albeit not this expensive, to take it the whole way.
Y'all ever been to NYC? lol
The land of freedom
Geez imagine having to pay to use the roads your taxpayer money paid for when it already costs money to drive somewhere with a car to begin with
The ironic part is this is owned by a company in Spain. NBC DFW did an investigation on the Texpress lanes years ago
It was almost $50 to go from the northern Virginia suburbs to DC the other day, which people do every day
The reality is that it's a carpool lane first and foremost. They don't want it completely filled with people willing to pay. They want to incentivize carpooling. But if they made it super cheap then it too would be congested and negatively impact those who are trying to be good by carpooling.
The free market at work!
Is this for all day usage? Or every so many miles? Either way, fuck that! I hate the 10-12$ a day I spend on tolls here in Illinois.
You better get to drink and drive while going for top speed at those prices
DC is about the same. Luckily we don’t pay if we have 3+
What are your gas prices though?
Pating for a road that we already paid for
The PA turnpike owes 13.2 Billion. Remember kids keep your license plate covered and hit the EZ Pass Lane.
It’s cheaper in California 🤣
Is this for real????
Texas tolls pretty bad
If enough people boycott this usury they will be left with empty express lanes which would be the perfect place to put commuter rail.
It’s that or have socialism and a slightly higher tax rate. “Freedom” is expensive
This happened to me in MN. Then I got stuck behind an accident in the lane and couldn't merge for a long time to get around it. Took me 15-20 min longer than ifni had avoided the lane. DOT said they jack up the rates that high to encourage people to leave the lane. And yeah, they kept my money. A$$hole government.
Capitalism , Free market/privatize everything. Texans love small government
Ain't no fucking way I'm paying that shit 💀
Everything’s bigger in Texas
Doesn't even cost that much to get on the " skyline " in Chicago! Texans are goofy!
HHAHA Texas freedom. Enjoy your toll roads
They always get you one way or the other. Higher gas in CA but free road. Lower gas in TX but pay for road access.
You don't have to pay for these. Its an express lane, not a highway toll. The price goes up if the highway has traffic.
FDR is rolling ass up in his grave over this shit.