Hate Long Lines at the Mackinac Bridge: Blame Credit Card Users?
If you've ever attempted to cross the Mackinac Bridge on a busy weekend in the summer, you'll remember the very long lines that drivers often have to deal with to pay the toll to cross between Michigan's Upper and Lower Peninsulas.
Maybe that fact would cause you to give the spectacular Mighty Mac a one-star review on a travel site.
You could certainly blame the geography of this infamous choke point in the state's road infrastructure as the only way to cross between peninsulas, after all the pre-bridge car ferry had backups for days, and that's not hyperbole.
You could blame the lack of EZ-Pass style only lanes that allow those with MacPass, the bridge's version of the toll transponder, a hassle-free passage through the tolls.
But one bridge tender says a group of people you can squarely put the blame on: credit card users.
The bridge toll is currently $4 per car. Cash and credit accepted. But it may be those who don't have exact change that slow the process.
A user on the PureUP Facebook group shared this comment and, unsurprisingly, sparked a great deal of conversation.
The worker at the Bridge tollbooth thanked us for having exact cash.
He said credit cards are causing the backups.
The reaction was swift and varied.
Some commented that they always have 4 singles on them when they cross to keep things quick and efficient. The Yooper-nice etiquette, by the way, is to give the toll tender $8 and pay for the car behind you.
Some commentators were quick to point out that cash is outdated and plastic payment should be easily accommodated. Thought one wise counter to that was to remark on the less than blazing internet speeds in rural northern Michigan.
Most though, even those who admit to rarely carrying cash, say they know to have some good 'ol greenbacks on hand when traveling and knowing the bridge and the UP will be in their plans.
While the Mackinac Bridge is the only crossing between Michigan's Upper and Lower Peninsulas, there are actually 24 bridges that a driver can use to enter the UP. Here they all are: