Best route to Mass Pike at rush hour?

[fenicedautun.livejournal.com]

So I just got a job offer for a job that would require me to take the pike out to Framingham area every morning. I've never actually tried to get to the pike (I'm in Ball Square area) in the morning, and wondered if anybody had favored routes?

Comments

ezpass vs fastlane

[dcltdw]

My info is years out of date, so with that caveat...

EZ passes are vastly superior to fast lane passes:
* works outside of MA
* no monthly fees(!)

Basically, EZ passes are a model of how to do it right, and FastLane is a model of how to be greedy and lose.

ezpass-ny.com, I think? Google will know. :)

Re: ezpass vs fastlane

[ifotismeni]

hmm, my fastlane also works outside of MA i thought -- aren't they all on the same network now?

Re: ezpass vs fastlane

[wallacestreet.livejournal.com]

Your information is very out of date (10 years or so). As far as I can tell fastlane = ezpass for all intents and purposes. There may be a small difference in the initial deposit, and I can't comment on the relative customer service (although fastlane hasn't been too bad for a big bureaucracy), but there is no monthly fee and they all work anywhere you go. I can't imagine driving to/around NYC without one.

Re: ezpass vs fastlane

[artguychris.livejournal.com]

I swapped out my EZ pass for a fastlane a couple of years ago. EZ pass started charging a $1/month account maintenance fee.

Some of the Mass tolls get discounted (at least they used to) if you have a Fastlane. The discounts don't apply to EZ pass holders.

Re: ezpass vs fastlane

[grapefruiteater.livejournal.com]

They used to charge a deposit for Fastlane transponders, but it was possible to order an EZ Pass through the NYS Thruway people for free, so that's what I did. I have not noticed a difference, or any problems, going through tolls in Massachusetts with mine. I use it infrequently, so the discounts aren't really an issue for me--I probably end up saving more money on the EZ Pass discounts for the New York bridges.

Re: ezpass vs fastlane

[emcicle.livejournal.com]

we did this back 10 years ago as well... ez pass had no deposit then, and fastlane did. but ez pass is charging us a $1/month account maintenance fee which is kind of annoying now that we don't own a car and only use the transponder a few times a year....

Re: ezpass vs fastlane

[boblothrope.livejournal.com]

"ez pass" doesn't charge the fee. Some, but not all, of the toll authorities in the E-ZPass network charge fees. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-ZPass#Account_fees_by_agency .