Pay Cash On Pa. Turnpike It'll Cost More

..Pay More Starting This Sunday

Call me a curmudgeon but this E-ZPass is bullshit. By 2018 the Pa. Turnpike wants to be 100% cashless. My use of the turnpike consists of about once a year going to Wildwood, N.J. for vacation. How the hell am I suppose to do that without $helling out over a half a hundred dollars?

Here Are Some Hard Facts..* The turnpike commission claims these little nuggets will cost $35 + $3 for an annual fee. HOWEVER according to one of the retail outlets for one of these, Wegeman's (in my zip code area) would charge me $42. So therefore I would have to pony up $42+$3 and another $10 to $15 to open an account (depending on which payment method I'd choose). No matter how you slice it.. that's over $50.. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!

* These transponders are only good for one vehicle. Suppose one of my vans broke down and I wanted to use the other... NO DICE.. TOO FREAKIN' BAD... STAY HOME... LOOSE YOUR MOTEL DEPOSIT!

* I come from an era where gas stations and some stores gave a discount for using cash. Yeah I know the reasons why the state says it cost them more.. SO SCREW ME INSTEAD forcing me to pay 10 cents more a mile (for now and can't at all after 2018). NOTE: Cash tolls are 40 percent higher than E-ZPass rates.

* Now let's get to the part where my transponder screws up and I don't know about it. "Violators will be charged a maximum fare based on their point of exit to the farthest entry point on the Pennsylvania Turnpike ticket system plus additional administrative fees." What if it doesn't record me getting on but does exiting? "Because the system cannot determine how far you traveled on the system, you were charged a flat fee of $5." Yeah you can appeal.. good luck with that!

* Got an RV?
"If you have an RV, with a gross vehicle weight over 15,000 pounds, you will need to open a commercial account."MY CONCLUSIONSThis is all fine and dandy for some who use the turnpike more then a few times a year, but otherwise it's a CASH COW for Pennsylvania. All in an effort to eliminate even more jobs. Screw this I'd rather pay double and wait in line to pay cash on my yearly sojourn. What am I to do instead? Drive down RT309/611/then the Schuylkill Expressway for 3 hours instead! BULLSHIT!

It will be a sad day when American currency (legal tender) is no longer accepted in Pennsylvania on the turnpike. I have no explanation on God's green Earth why automated collection baskets can't be still used for folks in the same predicament as myself... OTHER then the E-ZPass folks must have some damned good lobbyists who come first before Pennsylvania travelers' interests.

What's Next?
Ya gonna charge me a couple of buck$ for toilet paper in the bathrooms too!