In message , at 19:29:03 on Thu, 19 Jan
2012, Michael Finfer remarked:
I doubt that a Smart Card would be used for bridge and tunnel tolls as
most cars in the greater New York area are equipped with special
transponders that toll gates read. They can also be used on other road
agencies' territories -- even in Ontario, in Canada.

Who knows, though?

It's the same technology, RFID, but tapping a smart card at a toll
booth defeats the big advantage that electronic tolling systems have:
no need to stop and open your window.

I'm not sure why any agency would go the smart card route for tolls.

Instead of cash, for non-regular users. There's a toll bridge/tunnel at
the Thames Estuary, for example, and while they have a transponder
scheme my usage of the crossing when I lived nearby was only perhaps
once a year. A contactless credit card seems a better bet than adding
interoperability to any particular transport smart card though.
--
Roland Perry

On Jan 3, 6:31*pm, Arthur Figgis wrote:
On 03/01/2012 11:21, SB wrote:

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/201...arliecards-cau...
Line ride from Charles/MGH back to their car in South Boston. They had
more
than $10 on each of their cards, but the station gates failed to open,
displaying an "expired'' message.

Wouldn't it be more appropriate to trap people /inside/ the Boston metro
system...?

--
Arthur Figgis * * * * * * * * Surrey, UK

Charlie doesn't work that way IIRC - it's only read on entry. To get
out there's an uncontrolled turnstile type thingie

On 20/01/2012 07:43, wrote:
On Jan 3, 6:31 pm, Arthur wrote:
On 03/01/2012 11:21, SB wrote:

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/201...arliecards-cau...
Line ride from Charles/MGH back to their car in South Boston. They had
more
than $10 on each of their cards, but the station gates failed to open,
displaying an "expired'' message.

Wouldn't it be more appropriate to trap people /inside/ the Boston metro
system...?

--
Arthur Figgis Surrey, UK

Charlie doesn't work that way IIRC - it's only read on entry. To get
out there's an uncontrolled turnstile type thingie


Even if they put the fare up while you are travelling?

--
Arthur Figgis Surrey, UK

wrote:
On Jan 3, 6:31 pm, Arthur Figgis wrote:
On 03/01/2012 11:21, SB wrote:

http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/201...arliecards-cau...
Line ride from Charles/MGH back to their car in South Boston. They had
more than $10 on each of their cards, but the station gates failed to
open, displaying an "expired'' message.

Wouldn't it be more appropriate to trap people /inside/ the Boston metro
system...?

Charlie doesn't work that way IIRC - it's only read on entry. To get
out there's an uncontrolled turnstile type thingie

Oooooohhhhh

http://www.mit.edu/~jdreed/t/charlie.html

I'm not sure why any agency would go the smart card route for tolls.

Instead of cash, for non-regular users. There's a toll bridge/tunnel at
the Thames Estuary, for example, and while they have a transponder
scheme my usage of the crossing when I lived nearby was only perhaps
once a year. A contactless credit card seems a better bet than adding
interoperability to any particular transport smart card though.

We already have interoperable toll transponders with E-ZPass. There
are 22 different road and bridge authorities that accept each other's
passes, and some other odds and ends like airport parking. Even if
the MTA goes to a smartcard for transit I would be astonished if they
accepted it for tolls. The Port Authority already has a smartcard for
their PATH transit, and I've never heard anyone suggest using it on
their six toll crossings.

I gather that the vast majority of toll trips in New York use E-ZPass
already, since the passes are issued free if linked to a credit or
debit card, the toll discounts are significant, and there's no charge
for us occasional users when we don't use it. The incremental benefit
of taking Smartlink or whatever for the fraction of drivers that live
in the region but don't have E-ZPass would be pretty minimal.

R's,
John

In message , at 18:31:57 on Fri, 20 Jan
2012, John Levine remarked:
I'm not sure why any agency would go the smart card route for tolls.

Instead of cash, for non-regular users. There's a toll bridge/tunnel at
the Thames Estuary, for example, and while they have a transponder
scheme my usage of the crossing when I lived nearby was only perhaps
once a year. A contactless credit card seems a better bet than adding
interoperability to any particular transport smart card though.

We already have interoperable toll transponders with E-ZPass.

Off-hand I can only think of three toll routes in the UK, plus the
London Congestion Zone (which I think doesn't have a transponder).

I realise toll routes are much more common in the USA.
--
Roland Perry

Roland Perry wrote:
at 18:31:57 on Fri, 20 Jan 2012, John Levine remarked:

I'm not sure why any agency would go the smart card route for tolls.

Instead of cash, for non-regular users. There's a toll bridge/tunnel at
the Thames Estuary, for example, and while they have a transponder
scheme my usage of the crossing when I lived nearby was only perhaps
once a year. A contactless credit card seems a better bet than adding
interoperability to any particular transport smart card though.

We already have interoperable toll transponders with E-ZPass.

Off-hand I can only think of three toll routes in the UK, plus the
London Congestion Zone (which I think doesn't have a transponder).

I realise toll routes are much more common in the USA.

I didn't realize there were no transponders. It's enforced entirely
with photographs of license plates?

In message , at 21:08:37 on Fri, 20 Jan
2012, Adam H. Kerman remarked:
Off-hand I can only think of three toll routes in the UK, plus the
London Congestion Zone (which I think doesn't have a transponder).

I realise toll routes are much more common in the USA.

I didn't realize there were no transponders. It's enforced entirely
with photographs of license plates?

Even toll roads in the USA are enforced by photographs of licence plates
(I don't think cars without transponders are impaled on spikes).

There's also some enforcement by foot patrols, although I've never been
sure how widespread they are. That's because you have to pay by the day
once inside, which can't be enforced solely by entry cameras on the
periphery.
--
Roland Perry

On 20/01/2012 00:29, Michael Finfer wrote:
On 1/19/2012 5:34 PM, wrote:
aybe even for bridge and tunnel tolls.

I doubt that a Smart Card would be used for bridge and tunnel tolls as
most cars in the greater New York area are equipped with special
transponders that toll gates read. They can also be used on other road
agencies' territories -- even in Ontario, in Canada.

Who knows, though?

It's the same technology, RFID, but tapping a smart card at a toll booth
defeats the big advantage that electronic tolling systems have: no need
to stop and open your window.

I'm not sure why any agency would go the smart card route for tolls.

Michael Finfer
Bridgewater, NJ

I also tend to believe that toll booths will be dismantled and that
cars will be able to travel at normal speeds on a motorway while readers
mounted on a frame over it will simply read the transponders.

I saw that once on the New Jersey Turnpike.

For those cars that are either from out of town or lacking a
transponder, they will have cameras with license plate recognition
software.

On 20/01/2012 21:08, Adam H. Kerman wrote:
Roland wrote:
at 18:31:57 on Fri, 20 Jan 2012, John remarked:

I'm not sure why any agency would go the smart card route for tolls.

Instead of cash, for non-regular users. There's a toll bridge/tunnel at
the Thames Estuary, for example, and while they have a transponder
scheme my usage of the crossing when I lived nearby was only perhaps
once a year. A contactless credit card seems a better bet than adding
interoperability to any particular transport smart card though.

We already have interoperable toll transponders with E-ZPass.

Off-hand I can only think of three toll routes in the UK, plus the
London Congestion Zone (which I think doesn't have a transponder).

I realise toll routes are much more common in the USA.

I didn't realize there were no transponders. It's enforced entirely
with photographs of license plates?

Yes, the London congestion charging uses cameras with licence-plate
recognition software.