Though this blog concentrates on toll roads and bridges in the Tacoma, Washington area, a lot of the information will apply wherever you ride and find tolls.
If you ride on the SR 520 or Tacoma Narrows bridges, you must pay a toll. The easiest and cheapest way to do that is to use a Good To Go! account. If you don’t have one, you can stop and pay at a toll booth, but it will cost more. And if you don’t do that, picture of your license plate is taken and used to send you a bill—and that’s higher still.
A Good To Go! pass also lets you ride for free in the I-405 express lanes. Motorcyclists can ride for free, as in the SR 167 HOT lanes, but using the Good To Go! pass avoids being charged a toll. The tolling equipment recognizes the pass and makes sure you aren’t charged.
If you already have a Good To Go! account, your current pass will work on the I-405. If you got your pass before March, 2015, you might see transactions on your account history page about five days after the trip, first a charge and then a credit. Contact the Customer Service Center (at 1-866-936-8246) if you have problems.
You can get a free Good To Go! pass by taking a brief online survey here. You’ll be asked to certify that you’ll only use the pass on your motorcycle, that you live or work or enjoy recreation in either King or Snohomish county, and so on. You can either set up a Good To Go! account you can also use to pay the tolls on the bridges, or you can opt to just get the free pass for the I-405 toll lanes. There are a limited number of free passes, so act now!
If you don’t qualify for the free pass for some reason, or if you use more than one motorcycle, you can buy a motorcycle pass here: purchase motorcycle passes.
You’ll get your pass through the mail in two to three weeks. It’s a permanent sticker you put on the motorcycle headlight. The clear backing means the pass won’t interfere with nighttime visibility. It’s really easy to put on.
Clean and dry the headlight’s outside plastic cover.
You will install the sticker horizontally, with its longer dimension going from side to side and its shorter measurement from top to bottom.
Locate the spot where you’ll put the sticker. It should be in the center of the headlight (from side to side) and 3 inches from the bottom of the metal reflective layer.
Carefully pull off the sticker’s backing and press and smooth the tag onto the headlight in the right spot.
Once you’ve got it stuck on, don’t adjust it or move it, because that would make the pass unreadable. This protects you from thieves who might try to take your pass.
You can find a downloadable pdf at wsdot.gov/GoodToGo or phone the Customer Service Center at 1-866-936-8246.
If you have a pass on your bike and still get a bill in the mail for riding I-405, don’t ignore it. Instead, contact the Customer Service Center; they will work with you to resolve the problem. So far, the DOT has noticed three main problems, all related to putting on the sticker. Some headlights are too sharply angled and the pass must be put elsewhere; passes that are mounted vertically instead of horizontally sometimes don’t work; some folks attached the barcode that came with the sticker and not the sticker itself. Other causes are more mysterious, but whatever the reason, the Customer Service Center will work with you to solve the problem and reverse the charge.
Further, if you have a Good To Go! account and your online statement shows a toll charge and a 25-cent photo fee, the toll equipment couldn’t read your pass. You should take your motorcycle to the Customer Service Center, where they can test your pass and replace it if need be.
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