You guys do what you want but I see this as a "pick your battles" sort of thing:
Like I said earlier, riders in Florida use the Florida Turnpike every day and nearly every one of them is aware of the Sunpass (about the size of a pack of cigarettes) and it's just not a problem. They breeze right through without stopping, as do a lot of 4-wheel vehicles.
I know - people have jobs to get to, ...
That's right. Most if not all of the vehicles you'll be delaying have schedules of some sort to keep. Ask yourself this: Will this demonstration make them say "Yes, motorcycles should get to ride on this road for free"., or "Those blasted motorcycles want something for free that I have to pay for and they're clogging up traffic because of it". I mean, do you think this will put motorcycling in a positive light or negative to most of the public? Don't care? You should, because they vastly outnumber us as lobbyists, voters and citizens.
For those who don't know ,the originator of the idea is a Lawyer that fights for motorcycleists rights. I'm sure he will be on scene and represent anyone who needs his help.
I would suggest that the lawyer be employed to find a constructive solution with the DOT, perhaps through technology, to provide motorcycles a safe and expedient way to comply with the toll.
The problem with toll roads is the safety factor for bikes. Gotta worry about slipping on the oily pavement and of course inatentave car drivers who don't realize you have to stop and they run into you.Then lane changes for everyone depending on if you have an easy pass or not.
Yes, it can be dangerous for bikes to stop at a toll booth. Here's where political activism, lobbying and suggesting technology comes in so you don't have to stop. As far as the scramble for lanes after paying, cars have been dealing with that for years, and it's not great for them, either. But stop to pay a toll or not, even the pre-paid lanes have to merge with the accelerating and merging traffic on the exit side of a toll plaza.
Also many bikes can't easily mount the easy pass device.
Riders in Florida have gotten creative where necessary and the ones that I know simply don't see it as a problem. There are ways to do it and it beats the heck out of stopping at a toll plaza.
You can also have out of town riders or those who very seldom ride a toll road and they don't have the device or is the device usable in all states that have tolls? How would you know until you were in the wrong lane and it didn't register?
Probably more out-of-staters use the Florda Turnpike than residents so they stop at the plazas. Just like with any travel plans, if a rider was planning on using the toll road, down here, anyway, Sunpasses are available all over the place. At the beginning and end of the toll road, there is a major plaza that sells them for use along the entire length. But if rider has to stop at a toll plaza, then yes, as in 100% of the time on the road, it's up to that rider to decelerate gently, make sure they're balanced when the stop, observe the road surface, etc. I think we all know how careful we must be out there.
All of these problems and more so the state can get $.35?
All those pissed-off people in cars I mentioned? As they sit in your traffic jam they're going to be saying "All of these problems and more so the bikers can get out of paying $.35."
Look, I ride and I agree that toll plazas aren't my favorite places either. But as I read this thread, it seems to me like the activism here is heading in the wrong direction. Riders use the electronic pre-paid devices down here with little or no problem. If Virginia is adopting something that's not rider-friendly then present yourselves to the DOT or whoever and argue your case. Pissing off a whole bunch of non-riders and maybe involving the local police to handle a traffic jam isn't the way to get positive result, IMO.
I'm probably in the minority here so let me re-emphasize: This is all IMO.
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Topic: Toll road protest in Virginia for bikes (Read 3622 times)