thinking about skipping the new tolls? you’ll pay.
Proquest LLC |
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The start of tolling on
The most prolific of the bunch inspire a sort of rubbernecking fascination at their wake of discarded invoices. And they answer the question that can play on the mind of anyone who comes across a modern, camera-enforced toll gantry with no crossing arm.
What if I just never paid?
In November, a
Locally, a motorist amassed a bill of
Such cases are rare, however. Unpaid tolls are more likely to be one-time affairs, perhaps not even intentional. Maybe the driver's E- ZPass account had run dry, or Mom and Dad didn't realize their teenager had switched the transponder to another vehicle until they were passing through.
State code says someone is not technically a violator until he or she is notified of the unpaid toll and 30 days pass without payment. After that, the law gives toll road operators discretion, to a point, in how quickly the cost of noncompliance escalates and how aggressively payment is pursued.
Elizabeth River Crossings, the private entity operating the tunnel tolls, wants to be "as flexible as we can out of the gate" with drivers when the fees start, said
"What we can do is maybe not what we will do," he said.
The law allows administrative fees of up to
Woodsmall said Elizabeth River Crossings has not set a hard and fast plan to deal with unpaid tolls, and he declined to provide some specifics because they touch on the company's business plan. People will try to game the system if they know how far they can push a boundary, he said.
Particularly in the beginning, the company will focus not only on collecting payments but on registering those motorists with an E- ZPass account, Woodsmall said. The transponders will trigger the lowest tolls for passenger vehicles, and they will make it easier for Elizabeth River Crossings to collect toll revenue.
The E-ZPass rate for passenger vehicles will be
If neither is done, the car's license plate will be photographed, and an invoice will be sent to the owner charging
Elizabeth River Crossings can tailor its billing system so it sends an invoice only once various thresholds are met, Wood-small said. It could have one sent as soon as the same vehicle uses a tunnel five times without paying, or after 10 days, or when that car hits
When it arrives, the invoice will show what the person would have paid with an E-ZPass. If 30 days go by with no response, the company will allow an undetermined grace period, perhaps 10 days, Woodsmall said, before issuing a notice of violation.
That notice will trigger a
Woodsmall said that fee will probably be applied per invoice, rather than per unpaid toll. The company might reduce it during negotiations with the motorist in exchange for getting the toll paid and the person a transponder, he said.
Like other toll operators on the
The law provides more discretion to the toll operator once a violation notice is sent. Elizabeth River Crossings could take the matter to court, triggering those heftier civil penalties, which start at
Any civil penalties paid through the court process would go back to Elizabeth River Crossings, though Woodsmall said that avenue might be reserved for only the biggest accounts.
"We can't afford to flood the court with summons," he said.
If they do go to a judge, tunnel toll cases must be heard in
"I just think they're ridiculous fees," she said. "To me, it's not reasonable, but who am I?"
The city sends a notice on every unpaid toll. In 2013, it issued 9,796 violation notices and has 2,615 outstanding, according to Walton.
Staff members would not release the names of those who owe the most, citing a state law that forbids the release of that information until the violators reach court.
More than 99.5 percent of
At the
Woodsmall said whether to pursue payments via the court or a collection agency will be another decision that Elizabeth River Crossings will have to make.
Motorists have opportunities under the law to contest a violation, including filing an affidavit that they were not driving the vehicle in question when the toll was triggered. State code says the registered owner can file an affidavit identifying the driver, along with the person's name and address, which will trigger an invoice or summons being sent to the second person.
The law also says a toll road operator shall stop pursuing someone for payment if it receives a police report showing the vehicle in question was stolen when the tolls were assessed.
Drivers also must know what they're getting into on the road. State law requires Elizabeth River Crossings to post conspicuous signs at locations where motorists can choose to avoid the toll.
The firm plans to place about 81 signs near the tunnel approaches, including as far west as before
if you don't
The law allows administrative fees of up to
if you do pay
An E-ZPass will give drivers the lowest tolls:
contesting tolls
Motorists can challenge a violation, including filing an affidavit that they were not driving the vehicle when the toll was triggered. The registered owner can file an affidavit identifying the driver, including the person's name and address, which will trigger an invoice or summons being sent to the second person.
Copyright: | (c) 2014 ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved. |
Wordcount: | 1441 |
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