NSW: Toll news

Those who travel the M4 and M5 might have been handed, as I was, a
brochure about the new motorcycle toll card.

It's a smartcard that you hold up to a reader in the cash lanes and it
deducts money from your account, the replacement to EziPass in other
words. And like EziPass, it's linked to the govt. cashback, so it's the
only way bikes can get reimbursed for M4 and M5 tolls.

You can get info about it from http://www.m5motorway.com.au/news towards
the end of the page.

The bad news is that it's only for the M4 and M5, won't work on the M2
or tunnel or bridge.

IT appears to be temporary till they get a bike-suitable e-tag, this
from the MCC list:

<start quote>

From: "Guy Stanford" <>

its a "temporary measure". It will be available for 24 months and is
expected to cover the gap between availablity of a suitable weatherproof,
removable E-tag in a non-injurious cover.

Basically they are recycling their old technology for motorcycles. The
contactless card is a proven system which preceded the E-way and E-tag type
radio transponder tags.

At a meeting at the RTA just before Christmas, Brian and Guy sighted the
drawings of a proposed motorcycle E-tag tag. Six months late, but signs of
life were there.

We have made a number of suggestions as to size and to ease of mounting.
This new one will (we are informed) receive through the plastics of fairings
(ABS, fibreglass, carbon fibre unknown) . As long as there is no metal
between the E-tag and the overhead antenna and it is pointed in
approximately the right direction, it will function (so they tell us).
According to the RTA Rider Training crew, who have used a rough prototype on
their own bikes - a big chookie (BMW 1150GS) and a sports (BMW R1100S), it
works when in the top of a tankbag and when in a jacket chest pocket, as
long as you are not riding a sportsbike with low bars - which makes your
pocket point the E-tag the wrong way.

The current proposed design is still too large and suggestions have been
made as to how to shorten it and change the mounting cradle for easier use.

We have requested prototypes for trials be made available as soon as
possible - even if it is just a rough form, so practical aspects can be
addressed.


<end quote>

Zebee

 

Carbon Fibre is conductive or more correctly absorptive at some
frequencies ... it may just reduce the operating range of the device ..
it may make it totally useless.

For the sports bike riders - put it in a backpack? Personally I'd use
two straps around the upper arm to hold it to the jacket, it travels
with me when I leave the bike, in the event of a crash with enough force
the velcro will seperate.