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Another who forgot her EZPass doo-hickey said a collector gave her a choice: Pay the toll for the entire length of the ‘pike or go into the office “and let him strip search her.”
Another said the collector spit on his fingers before counting out his change.
There’s one in every bunch — only on the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway, more than a few toll collectors have been the subject of complaints, the Smoking Gun has found.
Talk about road rage: A freedom of information request turned up more than 550 complaints over the past 18 months involving toll takers on both roadways.
Some have cursed or threatened motorists who tried to pay with coins — and God help those who offered pennies!
It’s not to say most of those in the exhaust-filled booth aren’t pleasant and accommodating. It also doesn’t take into account the stuff THEY have to deal with on a daily basis from motorists too arrogant, ignorant or stupid to know how to commit one of the simplest of transactions.
But there are some doozies in the list, any of which could be complete fabrications:
One woman said she was cursed at by a toll taker when she tried to pay a $1.75 toll with a $20 bill at Exit 13 on the NJT. She claimed the collector then threw her change at her and said she and her passenger should “get on the road & f*cking die.”
Another said she got the wrong change because the collector was on his cellphone ordering a pizza — with extra pepperoni.
“I’m glad I don’t have my boxing mitts on today,” a turnpike collector reportedly told a man who dropped a quarter while trying to pay down at Exit 5.
And a driver who claimed to be a friend of Dick Codey’s said a collector insultingly asked him: “What kind of shithead comes in with a $100 [bill]?”
That was nothing compared to another who also handed over a Benjamin only to see the collector counting out singles for change. When the driver asked for something else, the collector reportedly responded: “You want me to give you quarters?”
The “N” word turns up way too many times for comfort.
And several drivers reported trying to pay with pennies — only to have a collector throw them back, in some cases scratching car finishes or scaring children — even though pennies legally must be accepted.
I once tried to pay in pennies because I couldn’t find any other money. It wasn’t a pleasant experience, to say the least. The collector was still cursing me as I drove off.
What about you? Any incidents like these?
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