On 05/11/2012 10:29, tim..... wrote:
[...]
well...

According to news out today, the system of collection will be "manual
post payment"

Quite frankly that sucks. In this era of modern technology that is what
we should be using, not a Noddy system that we could have implemented 20
years ago.

How does it "suck", and how would you do it?

On 05/11/2012 14:30, tim..... wrote:

"Roland Perry" wrote:
[snip]
Especially if they continue to make it free between 22:00 and
06:00. How will someone know if they have snuck into the free
period and thus don't have to phone up to pay, or just missed it by
a couple of seconds and do?

They could send that hat round for an illuminated sign informing
road users of the situation.

There's still the possibility of the sign changing the instant that
you pass it.

What happens now if you turn up at the toll booth one second before
the deadline?

there *isn't* a barrier in your way

Yes there is.

On 2012\11\05 15:49, Clive George wrote:
On 05/11/2012 14:50, Roland Perry wrote:
In message , at 14:30:49 on Mon, 5 Nov
2012, tim..... remarked:
What happens now if you turn up at the toll booth one second before
the deadline?

there *isn't* a barrier in your way

There's a traffic light.

Is there a pulse of cars after the cutoff time, ie people driving
deliberately slowly to save the money?

Yes.

"Roland Perry" wrote in message
...
In message , at 15:55:09 on Mon, 5 Nov
2012, tim..... remarked:
What happens now if you turn up at the toll booth one second before
the deadline?

there *isn't* a barrier in your way

There's a traffic light.

Which will be on green when there isn't a barrier in you way (and red when
there is)

But you said there weren't any barriers...

I said, the barrier that exists isn't in you way (as you arrive), during the
free period

tim

"Peter CS" wrote in message
...
Roland Perry wrote in news:kekQFUmq
:

What happens now if you turn up at the toll booth one second before
the deadline?

there *isn't* a barrier in your way

There's a traffic light.

Which will be on green when there isn't a barrier in you way (and red
when there is)

But you said there weren't any barriers...

Have they changed that? Until recently, even after 10pm you had to stop,
or at least substantially slow down at the barrier and red light. The
barrier then rose without your having to put any money in.

That's not how I remember it, though I suppose that I could have
mis-remembered. It is about a year since I left home for a midnight arrival
at the hotel


It was a bit of a trap for the unwary, as the booths were in darkness and
it was easy to assume that you could just drive through at speed.

you still have to slow down to thread your way through the narrow lane

tim



Peter

--
|| Peter CS ~ Epsom ~ UK | pjcs02 [at] gmail.com |

On 06/11/2012 13:46, tim..... wrote:
[...]
I said, the barrier that exists isn't in you way (as you arrive), during
the free period

Yes it is - the barriers are down during the free overnight period and
only open when you draw up to the toll booth/ bucket.

On 06/11/2012 13:50, tim..... wrote:

"Peter CS" wrote:
[...]
there *isn't* a barrier in your way
[...]

Have they changed that? Until recently, even after 10pm you had to stop,
or at least substantially slow down at the barrier and red light. The
barrier then rose without your having to put any money in.

That's not how I remember it, though I suppose that I could have
mis-remembered.[...]

You have.

"Mizter T" wrote in message
...

On 05/11/2012 10:29, tim..... wrote:
[...]
well...

According to news out today, the system of collection will be "manual
post payment"

Quite frankly that sucks. In this era of modern technology that is what
we should be using, not a Noddy system that we could have implemented 20
years ago.

How does it "suck", and how would you do it?

For those people who don't travel through often enough to have a DART tag
(and for those who didn't realise that they don't have enough credit),
having to actively make a phone call, or go online to pay, at some point
after you have driven through, sucks. Why does that need any explanation?

I would make an automated post payment system for registered cars the
default option, that way you wouldn't have to make sure that your
pre-payment card:, a) had enough credit, b) hadn't expired due to lack of
use.

I appreciate that this method won't work for 100% of customers but it will
work for 99%, unlike the options that they have made available.

tim

On 06/11/2012 13:56, tim..... wrote:

"Mizter T" wrote:

On 05/11/2012 10:29, tim..... wrote:
[...]
well...

According to news out today, the system of collection will be "manual
post payment"

Quite frankly that sucks. In this era of modern technology that is what
we should be using, not a Noddy system that we could have implemented 20
years ago.

How does it "suck", and how would you do it?

For those people who don't travel through often enough to have a DART
tag (and for those who didn't realise that they don't have enough
credit), having to actively make a phone call, or go online to pay, at
some point after you have driven through, sucks. Why does that need any
explanation?

I would make an automated post payment system for registered cars the
default option, that way you wouldn't have to make sure that your
pre-payment card:, a) had enough credit, b) hadn't expired due to lack
of use.

Why on earth are you so sure that this isn't going to happen? My reading
of developments is that something just like you describe *is* going to
be implemented.


I appreciate that this method won't work for 100% of customers but it
will work for 99%, unlike the options that they have made available.

I'm confused - are you talking about the present, or the future?

On 06/11/2012 14:36, Mizter T wrote:

On 06/11/2012 13:56, tim..... wrote:
[...]
How does it "suck", and how would you do it?

For those people who don't travel through often enough to have a DART
tag (and for those who didn't realise that they don't have enough
credit), having to actively make a phone call, or go online to pay, at
some point after you have driven through, sucks. Why does that need any
explanation?

I would make an automated post payment system for registered cars the
default option, that way you wouldn't have to make sure that your
pre-payment card:, a) had enough credit, b) hadn't expired due to lack
of use.

Why on earth are you so sure that this isn't going to happen? My reading
of developments is that something just like you describe *is* going to
be implemented.

Just wondering, are you perhaps relying too much on some dodgy news
report, or taking its wording too literally? (I haven't read/seen/heard
any report on this issue in the past few days, but as ever one should
take reportage on such matters with a pinch of salt - little point
getting worked up about something that's inaccurate or unclear.)