Archive for January 30th, 2009
O Transponder, where art thou?
by rider on Jan.30, 2009, under General
In my local area, we have some toll roads, which are for the most part nicely maintained, low traffic routes that make for some nice riding.
But, stopping for a toll booth is a pain in the butt when you are riding, not to mention highly dangerous. Your chances of being rear-ended in a toll lane are pretty high, because people are distracted as they approach, and may not recognize a stopped motorcycle in the lane as they drive in their peripheral vision while searching through their change.
Fortunately, there is a solution - SunPass. A stick-on transponder that allows you to drive through designated lanes and have the toll automatically collected. In most of the system, the SunPass lanes are straight-through affairs that run at the normal, 65mph traffic speed. At worst, they are dedicated toll lanes that slow to 25mph for the pass-through.
The problem is that they have introduced a new, passive stick on transponder which is smaller, lighter and cheaper than the older, battery powered transponders. All well and good, except that they do not work on a motorcycle. They must be affixed to a glass windshield.
So the mission was to find an old-style transponder in stock at a local retailer. It only took 4 tries, but I located one. It is now adhered to the inside of the left saddle bag lid via the built-in suction cups. It works fine for the tolls through the lid, and it’s not exposed so someone can walk off with it.
It had rained fairly hard earlier in the day, and the roads were still wet. The unattractive sheen of oil and grease and radiator fluid was present in the water in the center of the lanes (famously known as the “crap”) and it required some extra vigilance when selecting stopping and turning points. But as long as due caution is paid, it’s no big deal.
