Nobody likes paying tolls, but few people would potentially risk their safety to avoid them.
But that’s just what happened on the Port Mann Bridge over the weekend, when a photographer spotted a motorcyclist reaching back to cover his licence plate from the toll cameras.
Ryan Stelting, who captured the incident on his dashboard camera on Sunday night, said the bike appeared to be wobbling during the money-saving maneuver.
“It was kind of shaking back and forth,” Stelting said.
Stelting said it looked dangerous, and the Crown corporation responsible for tolling the bridge agreed.
“Frankly, it’s dangerous and it’s stupid,” said Greg Johnson of the Transportation Investment Corporation.
Johnson said it’s illegal to cover your licence plate, and noted that considering the toll for motorcycles is $1.60, the potential savings are pretty slim.
“More importantly, that’s distracted driving if I’ve ever seen it,” he said. “That’s just not worth it.”
But wherever there are tolls, there will be cheaters. Last September, a driver was caught in a 1993 Geo Metro that was rigged to hide the licence plate at the pull of a cable.
Police said they also come across a lot of plastic shields that can prevent licence plates from being read at certain angles, as well as bike racks, hitches and tailgates that obstruct the view of the toll cameras.
Stelting said he thinks police should do more enforcement on the highway.
“I have to pay the tolls every day, there is no way I can get out of that, and I think everyone should have to pay the toll if they want to cross the bridge,” he said.
With a report from CTV Vancouver’s Scott Hurst
