NTTA raising rates....again
 

Effective Monday they are raising the tolls yet again. We cut way back on our toll use, but now we just aren't going to use it anymore unless it's unavoidable.

How much do you use it?

Fuck those assholes.

They have to pay for the new 114 expansions up north of Grapevine and out towards TMS, the new toll lanes going in on 635, 820/183, the new tollway coming from Cleburne into Fort Worth, and the newly finished 161.

The only think that sucks about privatized roadways is the fact that bonds can only pay for so much, and there is very little government help with financing. But the roads are almost always nicer to travel on, less congested, and higher speed limits. I will probably continue to use them in the future.

This is all just temporary until the dynamic tolling system goes into full effect in about 5 years.

I support tollways. The only really good way to get the best quality roads for a fraction of the price. I use it all the time and don't mind the tolls at all. If you don't like it you're welcome to use 75/635. It's not much of an add on for all taxpayers. Just the ones who want to use the roads. I'll gladly pay 2.50 to cut 45min to an hour off my commute.

Yeah PGBT is worth every penny compared to the shit roads around the metroplex. Way better than the toll roads we had in FL and for less money.

We spend about $100 a month on tolls just because the wife uses it to get to work. Would spend the same on extra gas if she tried to use 75/635.

Sucks, but it's not going to stop me from using PGBT over 635.

I use George Bush from 35 in Carrollton all the way to 20 to work daily. I can always leave the cruise on 79mph and make it to work in 35 minutes. It is worth the cost to not have to worry about traffic and sleeping in an extra 20 minutes.

I use them everyday and so do most of my employees. On a slow month of toll use we spend about $300.

It's going up a penny Steve. It's not that big of a increase. But my normal bill every month is 300 dollars.

Screw that. We spend maybe 40 a month and that is still too much for personal use. Business is another thing.

You obviously don't have to do much driving around the dallas area then lol

:lol:

I just avoid using the tollroads when it's otherwise avoidable now. We used to spend quite abit more around 80 bucks a month or so but cutback the last time they raised it. In part because their billing department is a fuckin nightmare to deal with cuz they can't get their collective shit together.

Do you not have a toll tag? That makes it painless. The money just comes out of my account when our toll tag account gets low. 0 worry

i spend that a week just going to work...

Yep and they have still screwed it up MANY times sending us their notoriously overinflated bills with their $25 fine per violation. But you have to jump through all their hoops first before you can get to the point to explain to them we have tolltags and will not pay their fines. After spending 30 minutes on the phone with them, they find out it's true and fix it, but it's still a hassle to deal with. Many, many people have the same problems with them on a regular basis. Now the NTTA is working with the state and will start suspending licenses and registrations for violators who don't pay their fines. The fact the NTTA can suspend your license when they are a private company isn't cool at all. So rather take the chance of any further hassles with them I'll opt not to use them when avoidable.

Screw that!

I'm glad they will start doing that. They only have to raise their prices because of people that use and abuse the tollways and don't pay their fines/bills. Because tollways are privatized roadways, over half of their budget comes from the toll fees they charge to use their roadways. It is a good/service they provide, so why shouldn't someone have to pay? If people just did as their are supposed to and paid to begin with, toll prices would remain low and affordable for everyone.

Fact is, NTTA has the cheapest avg toll rates in the state. Austin is the highest, mainly because they have less toll roads, and Houston is behind them.

I understand why they are doing it and wouldn't have such a problem with it if they were more organized. It just makes me a lil nervous that can do that knowing full well their billing department is highly flawed.

I agree. It has been brought to NTTA's attention in court over billing issues many times how bad their overhead and billing dept are. Still can't quite understand how they have yet to get it organized.

Get a tolltag and you won't have any more hassles. They bill you 40 bucks and after you use it they bill you again. Plus you save money. It's a free tag. I spend about 100 bucks a month and I'd gladly spend double that for the amount of time and frustration I save, not to mention the added safety of driving Bush instead of 635. My time is worth money and it saves me 10x over what I'd spend in potential time/hassles driving 75/635.

I have tags in each car. I still use the tollway on occasion, just not everytime like I used to. If I'm not pressed for time I will use side streets.

I sold a car and had it removed from my account. They billed me on three different occasions after that sending me ridiculous invoices. Each time I called, the person on the phone assured me it was removed and I would not receive another bill. But that was AFTER spending 30 minutes on the phone explaining to them we no longer owned the car and would not pay the $400 bill they wanted.

Sounds like Verizon. lol

But you also have to try to understand that you're talking to a brick.

Point taken. :happy175:

Houston fucking sucks on their toll roads, went to opening MLB game this season and I think I paid something like $10 in tolls for 3 miles, maybe 4 to get where we were staying.

You must have taken Hardy Toll Rd from Spring to Downtown. Lol

Yeah, none of Houston toll gates are under $1.25 anymore I think.

I want to say it was 1.75, and the toll gates are every 2.5 seconds it seems. I think I hated it so much because it is so much better here.

The highest prices I have ever paid in tolls was in Chicago. They are fucking nuts up there. You would drive 2 miles and they would want another $4, I said screw it and started running them. Never got a bill and its been over a year so I guess I'm good to go.