[TriLUG] [OT] TriLUGger on the news

[Marc]

I could appreciate some sort of electronic system that charged you according
to usage times in an effort to influence when you drive so it would help
manage traffic.

It'd be cool to also offer some sort of 'register your route' feature
whereby a person could register their main routes (say, up to 3 per
household) - such as to and from work, to and from the main places you go to
- and have a cost 'savings' of sort that is discounted from the typical
rate.  So if it typically would cost you five bucks, you could 'tag' that
route, the device could 'learn' that route from the first few passes of
predictable driving behavior.  Then when you drive a 'registered' route you
are only charged a dollar instead of five - or something like that.  The
system could basically charge you the usual amount up front, then when you
passed the final checkpoint, you could get a discount applied to your
account - definitely very doable.

They could offer HUGE discounts for prepaying for a year let's say - so they
would get their cash right away, and yet the consumer gets more of a break.
It would also be a great thing to implement more of a 'hassle free' toll
system in which (for example) if you just paid a toll, you get to skip the
next one that is 4 miles down the road, or skip the one at the offramp,
etc.  Continuous stopping is bad for your car mileage, bad for you
(breathing the fumes when you roll down the window), and it can be very
dangerous.  I almost had a wreck the other day after throwing my quarter in
the toll thing on an exit ramp when the other car did not have to stop and
our paths were set to cross (complicated).  Imagine having a wreck over 25
cents!

Sounds like Singapore is smarter than America - we don't mind paying extra
for no reason in nice fat round numbers.  There is no reason why it can't
vary like .25, .35, etc.  This stuff really adds up over time!


Marc









On 5/22/07, Alan Porter <porter at trilug.org> wrote:
>
>
> In Singapore (I lived there in 2001-2002), they had very reliable
> electronic
> toll booths that automatically deducted money from your account as you
> passed
> under the gantry.  In some parts of town, the toll would change at certain
> times
> of day to discourage peak-time traffic.
>
> Sometimes, I would see a Mercedes parked on the side of the road.  The
> driver
> (who had paid over US$200k for the privilege of owning a luxury car) was
> waiting
> for the toll to change so he could save 25 cents!
>
> I still get a good chuckle out of that -- a penny-pinching show-off!
>
> Alan
>
>
>
>
>
>
> .
>
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