DEAR SUN SPOTS: I hope that you can find a satisfactory answer to my question: A short time ago my husband and I had to go to Portland. We got on the Maine Turnpike at Auburn, paid the $1.75 toll at Gray, and got off at Westbrook. Coming home we got on the Turnpike at Westbrook, had to pay $1 to get on, then another $1.75 at Gray. Tolls of $1.75 going down; $2.75 going back on the same road. What gives? Doesn’t seem fair, does it? — Pat Howard, Salem Township

ANSWER: Sun Spots, armed with information from Spokesman Dan Paradee of the Maine Turnpike Authority, will give explaining tolls her best shot.

After the MTA eliminated the ticket system in 1997, they
began reducing the the numbers of toll booths and moved to a fixed fare
system. Under the fixed fare system, motorists pay a toll when
entering but exit the Turnpike at most locations without stopping to
pay a toll at all.

So,
some trips, such as yours, cost more in one direction than they do in
the other. But according to the MTA, 98 percent of the trips on the
Turnpike are round-trips, so it’s the round-trip cost that matters. In your case, you might want to think of that $1 toll at Westbrook as two 50-cent tolls. Instead of making you stop twice to pay, you stop only once. That saves lots of money (fewer toll booths, less staff to man them), time (traffic has to slow down at each toll booth) and pollution (exhaust from idling cars waiting to pay tolls).

So, the $4.50 you paid for the entire trip is actually $2.25 each way, and there was nothing really unfair about your tolls. And by eliminating extra stops and not having tolls at every exit, the MTA saves many dollars and allows traffic to move more
quickly.

However, there is an element of unfairness in the new system. If someone drove only northbound on the Turnpike, they would pay the $1, but not get the 50 cents worth coming south if they used alternative roads to return south. Of course, most people will eventually drive south on the Turnpike again, and then get a free ride, so to speak.

If you use the Maine Turnpike enough to be bothered by the fixed fare system, there is an answer, E-ZPass. E-ZPass is like an electronic ticket. Like the old ticket system, E-ZPass has the ability to record where you enter and exit, and can charge you according to the miles traveled.

E-ZPass is a good answer in many cases not only because it reduces stops but because it offers discounts. For example, if you had E-ZPass, you would have paid only $3.55 in tolls, not $4.50.

Sun Spots uses E-ZPass, and it is the greatest. You do have to buy the gadget to put on your windshield, which costs $25, but it doesn’t take too many trips to earn that back. After initially putting some money into your Turnpike account, the MTA debits your credit card or bank account whenever you drop below a certain balance. Now Sun Spots can fly through the toll booths without stopping, often giving Mr. Sun Spots heart failure (he is a much more cautious driver, which of course is the smart way).

Another benefit is that you can go to the EZPass Web site, check your account and have a complete record of all your trips and the tolls you paid, very handy at tax time for keeping track of business or medical expenses.

Just visit https://ezpassmaineturnpike.com/EZPass/ and read all about it. If you’re not online, call 1-888-682-7277.

DEAR SUN SPOTS: For the reader looking for BEI computers, I did a quick search and came up with www.businesseliteinc.com, Main Street, Auburn, ME 04210, 333-2522. The Web site appears to be down and directs you to e-mail. Not sure how much this helps, but I suspect it is the company the writer is seeking. — Jenn, No Town 

This column is for you, our readers. It is for your questions and comments. There are only two rules: You must write to the column and sign your name (we won’t use it if you ask us not to). Letters will not be returned or answered by mail, and telephone calls will not be accepted. Your letters will appear as quickly as space allows. Address them to Sun Spots, P.O. Box 4400, Lewiston, ME 04243-4400. Inquiries can also be e-mailed to sunspots@sunjournal.com.