http://newsok.com/article/3177669/1196941720
quote:
Pikepass might ease paying for parking at Tulsa's airport
By Michael McNutt
Capitol Bureau
Turnpike users with Pikepass devices may eventually be able to use them to pay for parking at Tulsa's airport.
Oklahoma Turnpike Authority members voted Wednesday to allocate $265,000 for the idea, most of which will be used for further study. If the deal is approved, parking fees at Tulsa International Airport could be billed to customers' Pikepass accounts, said Jack Damrill, authority spokesman.
Talks are under way to determine the fee the Turnpike Authority would charge the airport for the service, Damrill said.
If details can be worked out, Pikepass users would be able to bill their parking at the Tulsa airport to their Pikepass accounts in about a year, Damrill said.
In other business, authority members formally approved the 2008 budgets.
•The authority's operating and maintenance budget is $66.1 million, which is about $1.5 million, or 2.34 percent more than this year's budget.
•Members also approved a $93.7 million 2008 capital plan, which will be used for projects including paving, bridge and slope repair and interchange improvements.
•The amount of the capital plan is about the same as this year's plan.
•Projects include paving parts of the Turner Turnpike between Oklahoma City and Tulsa.
I'm not a turnpike fan, but I do like the idea of being able to use the pikepass more places. I would like to see downtown parking garages use it as well.
quote:
Originally posted by sgrizzle
http://newsok.com/article/3177669/1196941720
quote:
Pikepass might ease paying for parking at Tulsa's airport
By Michael McNutt
Capitol Bureau
Turnpike users with Pikepass devices may eventually be able to use them to pay for parking at Tulsa's airport.
Oklahoma Turnpike Authority members voted Wednesday to allocate $265,000 for the idea, most of which will be used for further study. If the deal is approved, parking fees at Tulsa International Airport could be billed to customers' Pikepass accounts, said Jack Damrill, authority spokesman.
Talks are under way to determine the fee the Turnpike Authority would charge the airport for the service, Damrill said.
If details can be worked out, Pikepass users would be able to bill their parking at the Tulsa airport to their Pikepass accounts in about a year, Damrill said.
In other business, authority members formally approved the 2008 budgets.
•The authority's operating and maintenance budget is $66.1 million, which is about $1.5 million, or 2.34 percent more than this year's budget.
•Members also approved a $93.7 million 2008 capital plan, which will be used for projects including paving, bridge and slope repair and interchange improvements.
•The amount of the capital plan is about the same as this year's plan.
•Projects include paving parts of the Turner Turnpike between Oklahoma City and Tulsa.
I'm not a turnpike fan, but I do like the idea of being able to use the pikepass more places. I would like to see downtown parking garages use it as well.
Wow, I was just at the airport this morning thinking "I wish there was a way to zip through here without having to stop and pay..." My prayer answered?
So why would it take $240,000 to study this idea? For that money couldn't you implement the plan and then abort if it did not work well?
government.
Seems like a good idea to me. What negatives could there be? The only thing I can think of is people running the toll, which is a risk as the airport system is currently setup.
I will study the cr@p out of that for only $200,000.
OR
I could install the ETC transceivers $1,800 ea.
Attach the NSC (Network Serial Controller QSE-400 I believe) $400
Plug into the network (just find me an ethernet outlet).
Install little green lights in the booths.
Pocket the rest.
I know it's not that easy, but I doubt a 200k + study is necessary.
Since the PikePass transponders were originally developed as electronic license tags, there's probably a lot of nifty applications in the works.
quote:
Originally posted by cannon_fodder
So why would it take $240,000 to study this idea? For that money couldn't you implement the plan and then abort if it did not work well?
government.
Seems like a good idea to me. What negatives could there be? The only thing I can think of is people running the toll, which is a risk as the airport system is currently setup.
No kidding. This has already been done in other states. How hard can it be?
That does sound like an insane amount of money for a "study". Dont' they already have pikepass in downtown parking garages?
quote:
Originally posted by Chicken Little
That does sound like an insane amount of money for a "study". Dont' they already have pikepass in downtown parking garages?
They do. It's not Pikepass per se, but very similar to the toll tags they have in Texas, which are the size of a computer chip and embedded in a sticker of sorts. Does anyone else wonder why our pikepasses doubled in size a few years ago? i thought technology meant that things would get smaller....
I just want to be able to take my Pikepass into QT to pay for beer.
quote:
Originally posted by tulsa1603
quote:
Originally posted by Chicken Little
That does sound like an insane amount of money for a "study". Dont' they already have pikepass in downtown parking garages?
They do. It's not Pikepass per se, but very similar to the toll tags they have in Texas, which are the size of a computer chip and embedded in a sticker of sorts. Does anyone else wonder why our pikepasses doubled in size a few years ago? i thought technology meant that things would get smaller....
The new versions have longer battery life and beep for feedback. I also think they are more accurate as far as reading when they should and no false readings.
Some downtown parking garages can read the tags but they don't have the billing system back end. I'm sure part of the study maybe costs, discounts, etc. Since pikepass is a pre-pay system the OTA gets the benefit of having the money in advance, and they discount your tolls for that amongst other reasons. Those are things for the Airport to consider.
quote:
Originally posted by tulsa1603
quote:
Originally posted by Chicken Little
That does sound like an insane amount of money for a "study". Dont' they already have pikepass in downtown parking garages?
They do. It's not Pikepass per se, but very similar to the toll tags they have in Texas, which are the size of a computer chip and embedded in a sticker of sorts. Does anyone else wonder why our pikepasses doubled in size a few years ago? i thought technology meant that things would get smaller....
I have a Texas tolltag and it's not that tiny. It's the same size as the old Oklahoma tolltag and doesn't beep. It works in my building's parking garage as well as on the tollway, but the technology is far from perfect--every so often I get a citation for a missed toll that I have to appeal online because the radio signal didn't connect.
Just saying--Oklahoma isn't really behind the times. They're just making things work as well as possible given particular circumstances.
quote:
Originally posted by Conan71
I just want to be able to take my Pikepass into QT to pay for beer.
You can! You just have to cover your face and keep your pike pass in your hand, in your pocket, pointed at the clerk.
Works every time.
Hasn't been beeping though? Maybe I need a new battery?
lol, you beat me to it spoonbill. I was going to just say it works... grab beer and go holding up your pikepass.
I was thinking it would rule if I could have my Discover card work in my cell phone. Just punch in the numbers and have it beam them to the card reader thingy. Then I thought that might lead to easy theft of cc #'s and so on. But still... I hope they go that way soon.
quote:
Originally posted by sgrizzle
http://newsok.com/article/3177669/1196941720
I would like to see downtown parking garages use it as well.
they do...sorta. they use the old pikepasses, but since they are making everyone upgrade to the new ones you have to carry two.
quote:
Originally posted by inteller
quote:
Originally posted by sgrizzle
http://newsok.com/article/3177669/1196941720
I would like to see downtown parking garages use it as well.
they do...sorta. they use the old pikepasses, but since they are making everyone upgrade to the new ones you have to carry two.
That sucks. I sed to use my pikepass for the main mall garage, but that was before the switch. Now I am an evil surface lot parker.
Why do they need to spend a ridiculous amount to see if it will work when DFW's airport already uses a similiar system?? They have had the system in place for several years.
As a person who travels for work I am not sure about using the pikepass because I have to have a receipt for expenses.I would have to wait until the bill came in to get reimbursed.
My wife parks downtown and has to carry 2 passes because the Central Parking Garage has said for the past couple years they are going to convert over to use the pikepass. She used to ask when they were going to get the new equipment, but she eventually gave up since it was obvious they weren't going to get it.
Somewhat off topic, but...doesn't the state save money the more people use PikePass?
As a former Illinois resident and user of their PikePass-type system, it sure seems like Oklahoma isn't going out of its way to get people to use it. You have to go to one of a few places (I tried to get one at the downtown tag agency, and was told to sign a petition so they could offer PikePasses. Not sure why they have to have people signing a petition to sell them.)
You have to fill out lengthy forms, come back in several hours, all to save a nickel or so at each toll plaza.
Illinois offers them at Osco (like Walgreen's). You buy for $50, all of which goes toward deposit/future toll usage, then you call and activate. Illinois has a useful website where you can add funds or add a car to the list of cars registered with the device in a matter of minutes. Oklahoma's version of the site is worthless.
Illinois doubled the tolls for those who aren't using the PikePass-type device.
Why doesn't Oklahoma do any of this? Tolls on the turnpikes are cheap. Why not double them for non-PikePass users, which should mostly affect out of staters? Why not make it easier to get a PikePass and make it a better deal financially?
quote:
Originally posted by TheTed
Somewhat off topic, but...doesn't the state save money the more people use PikePass?
As a former Illinois resident and user of their PikePass-type system, it sure seems like Oklahoma isn't going out of its way to get people to use it. You have to go to one of a few places (I tried to get one at the downtown tag agency, and was told to sign a petition so they could offer PikePasses. Not sure why they have to have people signing a petition to sell them.)
You have to fill out lengthy forms, come back in several hours, all to save a nickel or so at each toll plaza.
Illinois offers them at Osco (like Walgreen's). You buy for $50, all of which goes toward deposit/future toll usage, then you call and activate. Illinois has a useful website where you can add funds or add a car to the list of cars registered with the device in a matter of minutes. Oklahoma's version of the site is worthless.
Illinois doubled the tolls for those who aren't using the PikePass-type device.
Why doesn't Oklahoma do any of this? Tolls on the turnpikes are cheap. Why not double them for non-PikePass users, which should mostly affect out of staters? Why not make it easier to get a PikePass and make it a better deal financially?
Pikepass already offers a small discount and has a pikepass dealer downtown already long before that tag agency opened. The sell the pikepass, you have to have an agreement with the turnpike authority, not the oklahoma tax commission like tag agents do.
I wish they would work on plans to start making at least some of the toll roads FREE roads. With the cost of fuel at $3.00 a gallon and going to $4.00 a gallon in the summer of 2008, perhaps even as early as May, 2008, the cost of tolls is a added expense that really can add up, even more so if you have to drive the darn toll roads every day.. I guess with a PikePass the tolls are a bit cheaper, I don't know how much cheaper. I don't live in Tulsa but I visit the area alot. Tulsa has no free Interstates that surround it like OKC does. At least in OKC I-35 & I-40 are freebies, I wish they would at least just make I-44 free in Oklahoma, fine keep all the other toll roads, I'd just avoid them, like I always do.[:)]
quote:
Originally posted by TheTed
Somewhat off topic, but...doesn't the state save money the more people use PikePass?
As a former Illinois resident and user of their PikePass-type system, it sure seems like Oklahoma isn't going out of its way to get people to use it. You have to go to one of a few places (I tried to get one at the downtown tag agency, and was told to sign a petition so they could offer PikePasses. Not sure why they have to have people signing a petition to sell them.)
You have to fill out lengthy forms, come back in several hours, all to save a nickel or so at each toll plaza.
Illinois offers them at Osco (like Walgreen's). You buy for $50, all of which goes toward deposit/future toll usage, then you call and activate. Illinois has a useful website where you can add funds or add a car to the list of cars registered with the device in a matter of minutes. Oklahoma's version of the site is worthless.
Illinois doubled the tolls for those who aren't using the PikePass-type device.
Why doesn't Oklahoma do any of this? Tolls on the turnpikes are cheap. Why not double them for non-PikePass users, which should mostly affect out of staters? Why not make it easier to get a PikePass and make it a better deal financially?
I have a better idea, why not raise the Oklahoma state fuel tax 10 cents a gallon and make all the toll roads free? Most states have no toll roads at all and they seem to get along just fine, Oklahoma can just follow them. Oklahoma's fuel tax is one of the lowest around. They can then use that extra money for the roads & bridges. Chicago is full of toll roads and Detroit, Michigan has none, Michigan/Detroit seems to be able to get along fine without toll roads why can't Chicago, or the state of IL? Both states have simular populations, Even worse the state of IL has one of the highest fuel taxes around and they still have toll roads.
I was in Austin this past summer and by accident ended up on the new toll road. It was so new that they weren't charging to drive on it. It was very nice.
Go Buckeyes!