[F14CRAZY]

Last Friday my dad sent me to southern Ohio to pickup a Prizm/Corolla (whichever you prefer) that he found on the internet for a good price, that he intended to resell. I pulled our tow dolly to pick it up. Got there, car was a piece, so I proceeded to Louisville, KY to check out a Civic. That one was worse. From there I went up to Milwaukee for another Civic which I ended up towing back.

I don't get toll roads. I respect others feelings about harsh language and don't want the moderators on me, so just know that I really, really hate toll roads. flippin Michigan is the motor capital of the world, which must be why the vast majority of our motorways are FREE for everyone to use.

Do taxes not pay for it? Are some states too greedy, and don't value the extra commerce that travelers of freeways bring? If you ask me spending money and making a reason to give someone a job are basic things in the American economy, and that's STILL not enough?

They seem rough to me anyway...god dang with everyone PAYING these toll roads should be in excellent condition all the time.

When towing the dolly with the Civic on it I was charged more than the price of driving two cars on the tollway, close to three. Not like the dolly weighs much.

Oh then, the low speed limits. A flat stretch of limited access freeway should have to be 55 or 65. Heck, it should be 75 if you ask me. I already PAID to drive on the dang thing, and there's still police to write speeding tickets. I should be able to drive most any half-reasonable speed I please. Speeding tickets (the 5 over kind, I don't condone driving excessively over the speed limit under most all conditions) are purely for revenue...

as Saabr once pointed out, if the vast majority of cars are driving over the limit, then OBVIOUSLY, THOSE DRIVERS FEEL SAFE DRIVING THE SPEED THEY'RE GOING AND THE LIMIT SHOULD BE RAISED:clap: He also pointed out that you'll probably face a larger fine for driving 20 mph over than driving the WRONG WAY.

Outside Chicago heading toward Milwaukee I was in a construction zone (no active workers), that was like 30 miles long or so with a 45 mph limit posted. I'm going to say here, that I drove about 55 through that zone because I DID NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING 45. You don't realize how many rear-end close calls would have occurred with my vehicle(s) along with generally not-pleased drivers there would have been passing or attempting to pass me.

Thanks for letting me let that out. I consider myself a safe driver and don't wish to break laws or endanger anyone but there's some dumb stuff these days I wanted to rant about

 

[TheGeneral]

If workers aren't present you drive the regular and not work zone speed limit. The ipass system sucks but I-88 west is nice and smooth.

 

[F14CRAZY]

If workers aren't present you drive the regular and not work zone speed limit. The ipass system sucks but I-88 west is nice and smooth.

In Michigan it used to be just 45 "all the time" I assumed, but later they added "when workers present" to the 45 sign, I believe always with like a 60 mph sign beside it.

So maybe I just didn't know

 

[afdude2018]

I-90 East leading up to Chicago is ridiculous, then the Indiana Turnpike, then Ohio, then PA. It costs me more to drive halfway across PA then it costs to drive the whole way across Ohio. Last time the wife and I drove home we took I-29 South from Sioux Falls down to I-80 then East through Iowa. Avoided having to drive directly through Chicago and that stupid tollway or whatever that thing is called from Wisconsin to Chicago.

 

[chaseabryant]

I feel your pain. Whenever visiting my Aunt in Florida, we take the Florida Turnpike. I have been warned that they actually monitor your tickets, and depending on the time that it takes for you to get from one tollbooth to another, they can administer you a ticket if you arrive at one too quickly.....

Total crap if you ask me.

-Chase

 

[BrickTamland]

I feel your pain. Whenever visiting my Aunt in Florida, we take the Florida Turnpike. I have been warned that they actually monitor your tickets, and depending on the time that it takes for you to get from one tollbooth to another, they can administer you a ticket if you arrive at one too quickly.....

Total crap if you ask me.

-Chase

WTF? I ask because since this is Florida, they probably write you a ticket if you went a steady 55 the entire way, passing all the LeSabres and Town Cars going 45.

 

[a_v_s]

At least you didn't have morons in office pass a bill to enact 24/7 school zones. We have school zones over here that are enforced 20mph 24 hours a day 365 days a year. You could be driving at 3am on christmas morning, and be forced to slow down to 20mph...

There is this street I drive on all the time, that has a 50mph speed limit, but then it drops to 20mph as it passes a high school, then goes back up to 45.... In front of an elementary school ok, but a highschool too?

Thank god they repealed this bill, but it took a year for it to get repealed. And yes, people were complaining about getting ticketed at 1am, as it was on the news many times.

 

[wtgkb8]

At least the toll roads in Oklahoma have speed limits of 75mph (most of them at least). However...the roads aren't any better than the ones without the toll. Plus...I have always felt that if you are unable to travel at 75mph (65-70 mph for non tolled roads) due to work zones...that you shouldn't have to pay the full tolls.

 

[likearock00]

Toll roads start as a way for easy road building/maintenance funds. The problem is that once you put the tolls up, the greedy gov't doesn't like them to come down. The idea is a good idea but ends up nickel and dime'ing you to death.

As for speed limits, I think they're a good idea. If every state did it, we could save a ton of fuel. Do I think it should be mandatory- NO! I think a lane should be determined by speed and the far left should be allowed to go 70. The middle should be a 60 mph lane and the far right should be 50 and truck only lane.

 

[MonteCarloSS86]

You can usually get away with 80 on I75 in Southwest Florida. The Greenway is a paid toll road that goes around Orlando and it's GREAT for traveling upstate. You can use your SunPass/LeeWay (toll transponders) and usually can fly by without slowing down. Plus, paying the extra price to get on a less congested road is great.

What REALLY pisses me off is when I'm driving on one of the bridges here and someone from Michigan is driving 50MPH (55MPH on the bridge I'm talking about) in the left lane when most people drive 55-70 on the bridge in the left lane. It's almost ALWAYS someone from Michigan doing this too.

 

[Smaart Aas Saabr]

I keep hearing people pushing for tolls... anti-car people...

Here is the thing. When you buy gas it has a special excise tax. This is supposed to be for road maintenance. It is perfect solution. It costs very little to implement and administer. Heavier cars that wear the road more burn more gas thus pay more tax.

It is so simple, it is so beautiful. But instead the money is often sloshed off to the "general fund" where it disappears.

Then they want to put tolls. The problem is tolls are incredibly expensive and collection is dangerous. In Quebec we abolished tolls circa 1986. What was happening is the tolls collected were about 4 million dollars. But 3 million went to collecting them and running the toll bureaucracy. So instead abolished the tolls and raised tax a bit to pay for the roads.

Now they want to put tolls back, and of course - don't want to reduce the tax.

What is worse is they want to put bridge tolls to get in and out of Montreal and put "congestion charge" like in London... it makes me angry.

As a general rule motorists have jobs, families. They are busy. The only time we hear their voice is in elections. Meanwhile we have many "activist" groups who usually have no jobs and thus no automobiles trying to persuade government to push an anti-automobile agenda. It is corrupting our democracy.

 

[F14CRAZY]

yet another example of Saabr's real world wisdom

 

[a_v_s]

Here in Oregon, we have no toll roads. However, they also passed legislation that went into effect a year ago or so (not sure if it was repealed), that forces owners of hybrids to pay double for their license tabs, because they don't pay their "fair share" of gas tax.

Many moons ago, they raised the gas tax here "temporarily" to pay for earthquake proofing some bridges and such. Well, that temporary became permanent, and they have since raised it several times over.

That's why nobody trusts our state legislature with a sales tax. They all promise it will be "temporary", and such, but we know better.

In fact, IIRC, our federal income tax was supposed to be "temporary" to pay for World War 1, or sometihng like that.

 

[Smaart Aas Saabr]

yet another example of Saabr's real world wisdom

:tup:::drive:

 

[F14CRAZY]

you're one of my favorite GMI members

 

[DuSpinnst]

It's almost ALWAYS someone from Michigan doing this too.

Sorry R, our old people move down to your state. Thankfully they make our roads faster.

 

[MonteCarloSS86]

Sorry R, our old people move down to your state. Thankfully they make our roads faster.

That's the thing, it's almost never old people! Yesterday it was a jackass in a '90s Seville who looked about 40. He, unlike 90% of the people who do this, promptly moved into the right lane when i started to tailgate him. That was a nice touch, I'll give him that much.

 

[F14CRAZY]

That's the thing, it's almost never old people! Yesterday it was a jackass in a '90s Seville who looked about 40. He, unlike 90% of the people who do this, promptly moved into the right lane when i started to tailgate him. That was a nice touch, I'll give him that much.

You need the window tint sticker from ebay with a big red arrow "MOVE OVER" and "slower traffic keep right"

 

[King Riffle]

Hey now, Wisconsin doesn't have toll roads.

+1 on the insane Illinois drivers. If you aren't doing 110+ on the tollway someone will drive into you.

I'm not sure what Illinois tolls go to. They most certainly don't go to the pothole infested roads. I skipped the tolls last time I went down that way (was partly Illinois' falt for not properly labeling the toll lanes).