Toll crossings on bike during comute hours with fastrak?

[Traq]

You cannot pay cash in carpool lane period.

You obviously don't cross bridges with manned carpool lanes. Period.

 

[BiG Chris]

I think you can get a $160 citation for not having the transponder on-board - it's considered toll evasion, because of the potential of the photo being bad. LEO input?

Well if I ever get stopped (knock on wood) ill tell them in in the seat cowl and ill open it up and tell them my wife took it out and i didnt know. Seriously I havent had a problem going through carpool/fastrak because when I get up to it im not speeding to make it look like im running from paying

 

[myblunt]

I cross the Bay and Carquinez bridges each day on my commute. My bike plates are registered to my Fastrak account and I never carry my toll tag. Prior to the carpool toll, I saw a thread here on BARF where members were saying that the cameras frequently fail to properly ID their plates and they were being charged for only a fraction of their toll crossings. I just checked my account and saw that, between July 1st and July 23rd, I think I made the round trip 15 times (30 total tolls) and was charged for only 11 tolls. If this is the normal rate, I'm saving about $60 each month by not carrying my toll tag. In nearly two years, I've never been stopped for not carrying a toll tag and - as someone else said in this thread - it's unlikely that a cop would ever do it. So, speaking strictly economically, I would have to get a $160 citation for this every third month to make me want to carry my toll tag.

Now that I think of it, there are probably things you can do to reduce their chance of getting a good plate image. The cameras must be timed with a certain speed range in mind. Bikes can really breeze through those gates faster than cars and maybe they can beat the camera. A rider could probably also try to cross at the very edge of the lane, near the divider, with the hope that the camera only images the center of the lane where a car plate would have to be. Finally, I've heard of a product you can spray on your plate that doesn't change its visibility to the eye but it is very glossy and reflects under the flash from the traffic cameras in a way the prevents flash-photographs of the plate numbers.

I ride the bay bridge for work half the time. and the photos take a few weeks to process. still waiting for a definitive result since i registered w/ fastrak on July 1st.
oh and the cameras.. right. just shy of removing or tucking your license plate, all the other stuff is just a myth... http://mythbustersresults.com/episode73
yes, you 'have' to carry your fastrak transponder per the CVC. but i don't. its only an issue if some asks me to prove i'm registered w/ fastrak.... which isn't gonna happen. cuz the carpool booths and fastrak booths are unmanned for the most part.
and to get carpool rate on the ggb you have to stop and tell the dude to push the button, then drive thru, due to not having a dedicated carpool lane.

this thread is well,...

but according to mythbusters if you have a jetcar you can out speed the timing of a the camera...

 

[Razel]

oh and the cameras.. right. just shy of removing or tucking your license plate, all the other stuff is just a myth... http://mythbustersresults.com/episode73

Yup. And as long as the folks looking at the license plates believe it's all a myth, the X-Challenge not getting it's in-plain-view plate recorded on the San Mateo, Dumbarton, and Carquinez bridges is a myth, too.