Q: I did not appreciate your response last week to folks who infrequently cross the Benicia Bridge. You suggested they should get a transponder because express lanes are spreading in the Bay Area.
I refuse to pay to drive in an express lane. I think tolls are socially and morally irresponsible and unfairly penalize anyone that must drive a car because public transportation is inadequate.
It is just plain wrong, on so many levels, to force people to sit in more traffic because of fewer “free” lanes. It is just one more blatant case of inequality when drivers can’t afford to pay those tolls. I refuse, even though I could pay.
Instead, I sit in horrible traffic with other folks who, for whatever reason, don’t use those toll lanes. I suspect that most of them prioritize necessities over paying extra tolls. I am amazed this selfish policy has been accepted in California. More drivers should be vocally outraged.
Kristin Biechler, Castro Valley
A: Some are. And some have other ways of handling it.
Q: Many people don’t want to get a transponder because they don’t cross Bay Area bridges very often. I recommend that occasional travelers should ask a relative or friend to add their license plate number to their account. We have added about eight of our friends or relatives who live outside of the Bay Area. Since they don’t cross the bridges very often, we list their plate numbers on our transponder.
We also extend that courtesy to out-of-town guests who fly into the Bay Area and rent a car.
Bruce Bergondy, Hayward
A: And …
Q: We, too, received a notice after crossing the Benicia Bridge. Perhaps folks who complained about the harsh wording didn’t see the enclosed notice saying everyone was getting the notice and not to worry because it wasn’t really a violation.
Marijane Lovell
A: Toll collection at the Bay Area’s seven state-owned bridges has been suspended since March due to the pandemic. Drivers need only enter the number on the toll notice and their license plate information to pay for crossings.
More than 70 percent use FasTrak or a license plate account to pay their tolls. Automated, high-speed cameras capture images of customers’ license plates.
FasTrak then mails a toll notice to the address at which the vehicle is registered with the DMV. While initial notices include a heading that reads “Notice of Toll Evasion,” these are not considered violations and the amount due on each notice is for the toll amount only. The “toll evasion” terminology is strong and could be changed to improve drivers’ experience when they receive a notice that a toll is due.
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