Caution-toll ripoff Treasure Isl
 

There is repair work taking place along the Treasure Island (FL) causeway on the bridges across the water between mainland St. Petersburg and Treasure Island. If you go west across the causeway to get to your hotel, the toll is free. But if you drive back into St Petersburg eastward on the causeway, the toll is $2.00 (two dollars!!).

If you are planning a trip in the near future, you might want to consider alternate routes or alternate places to stay.

$2.00 is nothing. Try $6.00 for the George Washington Bridge, $6.00 for the Lincoln Tunnel, $6.00 for the Holland Tunnel and those are the less expensive ones in the NY area.

Why is this a rip-off???? Bridges require a fair amount of upkeep, and many, many bridges across the US have tolls to fund that upkeep. It puts the burden of paying for the bridge directly on those that use it, rather than spreading it across all taxpayers.

And it's quite common to have a toll in only one direction. They figure that the majority of people who cross the bridge once will, at some point, cross it back the other way. No sense charging half the toll each way and paying for twice as many toll booths and toll booth operators, plus you only have to stop and pay once, saving you time.

I don't get the problem here.

When I read the first sentence of the original post, I figured some workmen had set up an illegal toll booth charging folks crossing the bridge. Now that would be worthy of this tread's title.

Add the bridge to Sanibel Island in Florida as one that charges a $6.00 toll.

I'm still waiting for the explanation of the "ripoff" here.

In New Orleans, all of the toll bridges only charge you in one direction. I thought this was common these days.

Wayne, I think "ripoff" is a strong term for what's going on there. Due to contruction on the new bridge TI stopped collecting the tolls because with only one lane of the bridge open there were REALLY long back-ups. Perhaps you feel different but IMO, it is well worth the fast access and the free price into TI :D

To by-pass the toll on your way out of TI, use the free bridge to SPB via Blind Pass Road then take 75th Street into Pasadena and SP. Or go north to Madiera and go reallllllly out of your way for miles in order to save the $1. I'm sure this is what Wayne will opt to do so he doesn't get ripped off.

BTW, I believe once the new bridge opens, there will be NO toll either way, thanks to the US taxpayers who are footing the bill for this new bridge.

I paid 9euros that's about 12USD for the toll bridge near Patras, Greece last fall. They charge that for each direction so a RT would be 24USD.

2 bucks sounds like a steal compared to that.

Wayne, Wayne, Wayne. It's only a buck. Geez! All they did was switch it from 50 cents each way to a buck one way - to relieve traffic.

I guess you'll be happy when you STILL PAY THE TOLL but it's included in your TAXES instead of pay as you go (like your favorite, the Corey Causeway?). Either way, Wayne, you are still paying!

That's nothing. There is a new toll bridge in Denmark that has a toll of $40 - each way!

I like Brian's idea of seting up an illegal toll both. Sounds like it could be rather profitable.

Since the Denmark location is taken, I think I'll set up on the the 405 in LA. Anyone willing to help, preferably someone with a truck to help carry all the loot!

I'm always stunned when I go elsewhere and have to pay huge tolls on bridges and turnpikes. Florida moans about tourists using and abusing its roads and the sky-rocketing prices for road construction, but they don't pass the burden on to tourists through higher tolls for non-residents, something that would be easy now that they have EZ-pay FL toll cards. And their tolls are so much lower than in DC, PA, NY, NJ, etc. Hellllooooooooo?

I always thought it was interesting that most one way tolls are charged going to the destination. For example going on to an island. But years ago when Cape Coral had its first bridge they eventually changed the toll to one way only -- leaving Cape Coral. The joke was that nobody wanted to pay to go to Cape Coral, but everybody was willing to pay to leave it!

Wow, 2 bucks? That won't even buy a gallon of gas!

If memory serves, I'd be more worried about a mini-bridge in the Treasure Island/Indian Rocks area where a 5 Miles Per Hour zone is strongly enforced.

Higher tolls for non-residents?? I don't think that's legal, TandooriGirl.

If it were, I'm sure those higher-toll places you cite (DC, PA, NY, NJ, etc.) would love to make others pay a LOT more too! Those tourists who put strains on your transportation systems also serve to employ a lot of hotel, restaurant, and tourism workers, and more? Would you prefer empty hotels, empty restaurants, and empty roads? Besides, don't you already soak us with hotel taxes??

I think the complaint is about the forfeiture of a god-given right to FREE parking, FREE roads, FREE everything to do with use of our cars that we Americans have come to expect & deserve (tongue-in-cheek)

Wayne - I honestly don't understand what your beef is.

is it the $2? seems like a VERY low toll. Now $20 might merit your " !! " But most toll bridges I know of have at least a $3 - $5 toll.

is it because it is only charged in 1 direction? Over the years almost every bridge our here in CA has converted to one-way tolls. Saves on the labor costs only needing 1/2 as many toll takers/booths.

I can't imagine driving more than a mile out of my way to save a $2 toll. Either you are kidding (which it doesn't sound like) or you are waaaaaaaay over-reacting.

No, janis, you read it wrong. Wayne wants everyone to go a mile out of their way to avoid a $1 toll. Heavens knows what he'd do if it were $2, maybe boat across the bay.

rx, I don't think it's illegal to tax tourists. We already have homestead exemptions for residents. Non-residents are taxed on an additional $25,000 of property value. I think the way they would do it is to give an exemption to residents.

And you're barking up the wrong tree. I would love it if 1) tourists stayed away, and 2) no new residents moved to FL. We are straining our precious resources here in a very fragile ecosystem.

Obviously, Wayne is not an experienced traveler. Otherwise, he would know that it's a common practice to charge a toll on a bridge in only one direction. It saves labor costs and speeds up the traffic flow.
I can only chuckle at how often people irresponsibly charge "ripoff" or "scam" on the forum.

Tandoori- You're a native Floridian, yes?

I won't speak for Tandoori Girl, but here in Naples there is a general consensus. Everyone seems to agree that the day after they moved to Florida, a law should have been passed not allowing anyone else to ever do so!

rb, several years ago the city fathers tried to charge $20 for a toll pass (for this very same bridge we're discussing) and $30 for non-residents (aka tourists). Public outcry changed that very quickly, but I do believe it's legal. Dontcha love a democracy?

And, TG, everybody wants to come to Florida, and THEN shut the door. Heck, what if they shut the door before you moved here? Or before I moved here? Then what would all those Fodorites do without our sage advice????:-d

No, not a native. I was born in LA, spent my childhood in NM, moved to FL when I was 11. That was 42 yrs. ago. I don't work in a service or travel-related industry but I do own beach rental property.

Joan, I know. It's easy to shut the door when you're on the inside. But this is no new thing. I've been very actively involved in many environmental efforts by both the public and the government over the years. This is a very delicate thing to manage all this growth and not destroy the very reason people come here. And right now the number of wetlands we lose daily in FL is escalating, tnx. to JB.

Fodors w/o Joan?!? Who else would agree with me :d

well, here in MA, they used to offer a "discount" to FastLane users on the Mass Pike. Of course this discount didn't apply to people using the NY-NJ EZPass which is compatible (and used by many MA residents, since NY didn't charge for it, and MA charged a fee for the fast lane). So this sort of works out as an extra toll on tourists and non-commuters. I think this kind of thing is what Tandoori Girl is suggesting.

Prince Edward Island also charges you to leave, rather than to get there. You don't have to pay for the ferry or the bridge on the way in, you only pay on the way out. I just thought the Canadians had it backwards :-)