Monday, October 8, 2018

Driving on Toll Roads

I’m home, I’m home, I’m home!

I enjoyed my vacation, don’t get me wrong, but it really feels good to be home. The hot weather was getting to me and I missed my bed.

Unfortunately, I haven’t left the hot weather behind. It’s just as warm in Dayton as it is in Florida. This is October, right?

Temperatures are due to drop this weekend. But we’ll be up in Racine, WI to watch Daughter play in US Australian Rules Football Nationals (yeah, we aren’t home for long before we have to drive up there). I believe the highs in Racine will be in the mid 50s.

Brrrrr!

Okay, that’s a little too chilly. I just hope it doesn’t rain.

As we drive up to Chicago, we’ll have to take some toll roads, but we have the I-Pass, so it makes it easier (and cheaper). I hate toll roads, but I do like the transponders. Makes driving on them a little bit cheaper (and a lot faster).

I think Florida’s toll roads have kind of gotten out of hand, though. I don’t remember there being so many ten years ago.  Now? If you want to drive to the Kennedy Space Center from Orlando it’ll cost you $7.00 one way. Oh sure, you can find a non-toll route. It’s only three miles longer, but 30 minutes are added to your trip (and you’d probably need a GPS to tell you when to turn on what road). Ridiculous!

The Florida Turnpike system also can’t decide what toll transponder they’ll take, either. Some roads are strictly the Sun Pass (like the Florida Turnpike). Other toll roads take the E-Pass, which SOMETIMES takes the EZ-Pass (which our friends have). Thing is, we never knew when those roads would take the EZ-Pass, so we had to drive through the pay lines just in case (and yes, they would take them at one toll booth but not the next one and we’d be on the same road). What a pain!

I really wish all toll roads would accept any toll transponder. It can’t be that hard to program. I-Pass and EZ-Pass seem to do it without a problem. Better yet…do away with toll roads!! I really don’t see why Florida needs them.

Today would have been a good day to post pictures, but I am not that organized. Pictures are on my phone (and some are on Hubby’s phone). So hopefully I get organized later on this week. I’m certainly going to try. I so much want to get back into a routine, which means writing daily goals to hit. I’ll make sure to add “download pictures” to my list!

Remember when wrote hoping my footballs teams would do better while I was away? Well… they have! Wayne HS actually won the last three games. Don’t know if they still have a shot at the playoffs, but at least they’re playing better now. The Steelers seem to be getting their act in gear now. Wish they could have beat the Ravens, but I’ll take the Tampa Bay and Atlanta wins (and maybe it helped we were in those cities on the day of those games???). And my Rams are still playing AWESOME! 5-0!!! They’re going to the Super Bowl this year. I just know it!!

So… Do you have toll roads in your neck of the woods? How do you feel about them?

Happy Monday!

Stacy

6 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Toll roads are pain. Just raise taxes somewhere instead. Fortunately, we don't have any in our immediate area and the one I can think of in our state I've never had to use.

Stacy McKitrick said...

Alex - I thought gasoline taxes paid for roads. Doesn't seem right that I have to pay for my own roads as well as someone else's toll roads. Especially when SOME toll roads are only there to employ people (ie NJ).

Jennette Marie Powell said...

I HATE toll roads. Major PITA if you don't have something like EZ-Pass, which I never do since there aren't any around here. I don't want to get one either, because with that, the road authorities know where you are, where you've been, and - most importantly - how fast you're going. Too much big brother for me. Luckily, the Knoxville area doesn't have toll roads either. Win!

Stacy McKitrick said...

Jennette - If they know how fast we're going, they haven't charged us with anything. Should I say yet? Haha! We got the I-Pass because we seem to go to Chicago a lot and it can be used at EZ-Pass tolls, too. Didn't cost us anything to get (just have to keep a minimum amount on the account) and the tolls are almost 50% less. Tolls are such a scam, though, aren't they?

Maria Zannini said...

They're adding more toll roads in Texas. They have people behind a barrel too because Dallas is so congested, people gladly take the toll roads if it gets them through rush hour faster.

Stacy McKitrick said...

Maria - Atlanta has a toll road for rush hour, too. Of course, it takes a different kind of pass to get on there than any other toll road. I also noticed there are some in California. I think it's just another ploy to get more money from the taxpayers, because I'm sure not all the money came from tolls to build that highway.