When I went off to college, getting E-ZPass was one of the first things I did because I didn't want to be fumbling with cash while driving myself on the Thruway. For those of us who don't use cash often, having to stuff a large amount of change back into our wallet after breaking a 20 (and then later having to find some way to get rid of the change that makes said wallet feel inconveniently thick). For those of us who don't have passengers to get the money, holding up the line to get out our wallet and money.ģ. And, to acknowledge Terry's ultimate point, there's no critical mass of EZ-Pass users in Michigan that would compel its use over something else.Įven just drviing through a booth at 10 mph is far faster and more convienent than the following:Ģ. I'm sure larger concerns (or, more accurately, larger expenses) associated with implementing EZ-Pass is why the Bridge Authority doesn't bother. And outside of special events, throughput at the toll booth is a non-issue. I'm sure whatever incremental increase in tag payments for tolls would happen with it was not enough to matter at all to the Bridge Authority. What does all of this has to do with EZ-Pass on the Mackinac Bridge? Basically nothing.

If I time my departure correctly and don't have to stop, I can make Lansing in 4 hours flat from Janesville. pay-by-plate) and pay the roughly $20 a round trip to Michigan to use the toll roads because they're wayyyyy faster - like 2-3 hours faster one way. And despite living in Wisconsin now and having non-toll options to get basically anywhere I need to, I have an EZ-Pass (in no small part because in Illinois it's half-fare v.s. But had EZ-Pass been on the Ohio Turnpike 15 years ago, I would've had a transponder. You can shunpike all of the toll roads easily enough.

Mackinac island macpass