New Express Lanes and the 7ft rule (3 Viewers)

[TTViper]

A couple heads up for y’all.

1. The new Express Lanes down to Fredericksburg open up tomorrow.

2. There’s a new rule for ALL express lanes that if your vehicle is over 7ft tall you will have to pay 3x the normal rate. If you have 3 people in that tall vehicle it’s still free. Some of you overlanders may be getting charged for your tents, racks, gas cans, etc… when you shouldn’t be charged for them.

 

[FJEchoWhiskey]

Ridiculous, so all those camp sprinter vans are screwed
.

 

[TTViper]

I think an F250 Tremor is exactly 7ft tall.

All the bros driving around with RTTs year around.

Prospector XL guys.

All the big lifted bro-trucks.

 

[jayp2]

NoVa is known for "dumb s***" wrt roads/tolls.....but WTF is the rationale behind the 7' rule other than to punitively tax vehicles they dont like?

 

[TTViper]

I agree it’s dumb to apply this to passenger vehicles. They should’ve said commercial trucks taller than 7’

If I can’t tow a boat or rock crawler on express lanes because trailers are seen as “slow” or “congestion”, then those big box trucks also have no business being on them.

 

[TTViper]

I used these twice last weekend. They are nice and the speed limit is 70.

Unfortunately it really just seemed to push congestion south for the southbound side. It dumps you out right at the thru lanes in Fredericksburg. Traffic used to be bad between Stafford and Fred. Now the congestion is between Fred and Thornburg.

 

[PAToyota]

I agree it’s dumb to apply this to passenger vehicles. They should’ve said commercial trucks taller than 7’

Guessing it is all automated and just "senses" something over 7' and cannot distinguish between passenger versus commercial.

 

[1MOA]

NoVa is known for "dumb s***" wrt roads/tolls.....but WTF is the rationale behind the 7' rule other than to punitively tax vehicles they dont like?

Guessing it is all automated and just "senses" something over 7' and cannot distinguish between passenger versus commercial.

They don't have a way to ,measure "big" vehicles so height was the easiest/cheapest measurement they could implement. I know they wanted a weight component to hit commercial vehicles but that was shot down years ago due to the cost.

 

[jayp2]

They don't have a way to ,measure "big" vehicles so height was the easiest/cheapest measurement they could implement. I know they wanted a weight component to hit commercial vehicles but that was shot down years ago due to the cost.

Any way you slice it their actions are a cost to taxpayers through aggravation, incorrect toll charges and time wasted resolving it