Tollway To Send Quicker Violation Notices For Missed Tolls
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Illinois Toll Highway Authority says the days of motorists receiving notices of toll violations dating back as much as eight years are ending.
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By fall, the Tollway will implement a policy under which anyone who fails to pay three tolls over a two-year period will receive a notice within 90 days of the third violation.
Toll Authority Executive Director Kristi Lafleur said the authority's teething problems with open-road tolling, out-of-state transponder owners, acceptance of Indiana i-Zoom and east coast EZ-Pass transponders and violations left over from previous prepayment systems are now past.
Until now, years could pass before notices were sent.
Conceding that "it's never good news to get a violation notice," Lafleur said that at the very least, motorists will no longer be surprised by long-forgotten missed tolls -- and bills of more than $20 a violation.
The Toll Authority board is also setting up a committee structure to try to better tap the expertise on its board. Lafleur said it will mean more meetings for board members, but no increase in stipends.
The Toll Authority also plans a series of public forums in the coming month to assess its needs and potential funding for future projects, including the controversial Illinois 53 extension through Lake County, the Elgin-O'Hare West bypass, and the proposed Illiana Expressway.
