E-Z Pass Only = Moron Magnet
I was very excited today to see that New Hampshire finally jumped on the E-Z Pass bandwagon. On the Everett Turnpike, they have one lane in both directions that is E-Z Pass only. I thought this was fairly clear and well labeled with a big red and purple sign hanging above the dedicated lane.
Aparently I was wrong.
While traveling northbound, as I approached the toll plaza there was one truck in the dedicated E-Z Pass lane. As I got closer, the truck was still there. I pulled up behind the truck just as he was backing up slightly. He rolled down his window, looked around with a confused look, threw change at the toll booth, and drove off.
After my initial “damn, people are dumb!” thought, I gave the guy the benefit of the doubt. The system is new, he may have missed the sign, whatever. It was a one-time thing, no worries… I can deal with that. Fine.
Aparently I was wrong.
Now it’s about 45 minutes later and I’m traveling southbound and approaching the toll plaza. This time, the dedicated E-Z Pass lane is empty. I’m getting closer to the toll booth when suddenly a car with Connecticut plates cuts in front of me to get into the E-Z Pass only lane. I started to think “cool, someone embracing this new technology…”.
Wrong again.
The lady gets to the booth… stops… and sits. She sits there for over a minute as traffic backs up behind her (and me). Everyone is laying on their horn, and this lady (and her 3 passengers) are just sitting there looking around, not sure what to do. Finally, she opens her door, gets out, and places change on the ledge of the toll booth. WTF!?!? These people are so stupid. The little message sign even lit up and said “Call E-Z Pass”.
Someday, reading and being good at driving will be a requirement in order to be allowed on the road.