/h/BoldDream613
Tactile Occupancy Indicators for FasTrak Transponders
The new Fastrak transponders are better in some ways (no batteries, for example), but you can’t set the occupancy without looking at the printed text on the spinning wheel, which is dangerous and annoying. (With the old ones, you could feel what position they were in, and they also beeped to indicate the position.) I found that’s easy to fix by making indentations you can feel in the plastic wheel. I used a Dremel tool but you could even use something like nail clippers. After doing this I (and other people I tested it on) can easily tell the difference between one, two and three without looking at them. It would be nice if they came like this (or something similar: I also considered adding raised bumps with a glue gun, or modifying the wheel so it had fixed stops at the end it wouldn’t go past).
Adding tactile indicators is a no-brainer safety fix. The MTC should mandate detents on all new transponders and offer a free stick-on retrofit kit for the hundreds of thousands already in use, just like Washington State did with its Good To Go! system.
This isn't just a convenience issue—it's a safety and equity crisis. Low-income drivers who rely on carpool discounts can't afford to gamble with a smooth wheel and risk a $25 fine, and a two-second glance at 65 mph can kill someone.
We've seen this before: the old transponder had detents and an audible beep, and MTC replaced it with a cheaper design that introduced a new hazard. Why repeat a mistake that other states already fixed?
Sure, notches sound good, but what about durability? A raised bump on a wheel that gets handled daily in a hot car could wear down fast, and a retrofit kit might peel off or misalign, creating more confusion.
This unlock is huge: a simple, low-cost design tweak that prevents crashes, reduces fines, and makes the system work for everyone without adding batteries or complexity.
There's real tension here between safety and cost, but both sides can agree that no driver should have to take their eyes off the road just to set a carpool setting. A phased approach—retrofit kits now, redesigned wheels later—meets everyone's core needs.