Lawmaker wants 'reasonable' toll enforcement

Calling the tollway's violation enforcement system unfair, a suburban lawmaker is pushing for reform of the agency's practices in going after alleged toll cheats.

"I don't have special sympathy for scofflaws," said state Rep. Paul Froehlich, a Schaumburg Democrat, on Wednesday. "But you have to have some fairness built into the system."

In light of a Daily Herald investigation that revealed flaws in the system, Froehlich said he will push for a multifaceted reform.

The new laws would mandate how long the tollway can take to mail violation notices and when I-PASS customers have to be notified about low balances.

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Froehlich said accused toll cheats recently caught up by a 13-month delay in sending out notices should be offered payment plans to clear their fines, which can reach into the tens of thousands of dollars. Other lawmakers have also advocated for a payment option or an all-out amnesty program given recent problems.

It remains unclear if the legislation will receive wide support. Froehlich said he is still working on the details of the legislation and he plans to work with tollway officials in crafting the new laws.

"There ought to be some kind of protections for people who want to pay and follow the law, but who maybe don't check their accounts regularly," he said. "We want to protect people so that things are reasonable."

Tollway officials have previously said they are planning no immediate changes to the system, but they are constantly working to improve it. Tollway spokeswoman Joelle McGinnis said the agency could not comment on the legislation without seeing the details.

The Daily Herald investigation revealed earlier this month that holes in the violation system could trip up unwitting drivers in a tidal wave of high fines and penalties, including driver's license suspensions. At the same time, the flaws could be letting blatant toll cheats off the hook.

The report revealed that:

bull; Enforcement cameras have trouble reading as many as 25 percent of Illinois license plates, increasing the chance of erroneous fines.

bull; A majority of cases appealed to the Illinois secretary of state have been thrown out, mostly because of flaws in how the tollway notifies alleged violators.

bull; A 13-month gap in sending out violation notices is now landing thousands of drivers in financial and legal trouble. Yet the tollway is not considering payment plans as it did with similar failures in 2003.

bull; The violation computer system is so dysfunctional, tollway officials have little idea how many people are cheating on tolls or how much money is owed

Suburban lawmakers, good-government groups, the state truckers association and a national motorist group all called for reform as a result of the probe's findings.

Tollway officials said there are enough safeguards in the system to prevent large amounts of erroneous fines. They point to an appeals process and the tollway's imposition of penalties only after three recorded violations.

Froehlich's reforms would aim to make sure drivers are adequately notified about I-PASS account problems and that fines are mailed out in a timely matter so that issues can be resolved before motorists owe thousands of dollars and lose their license.

Froehlich's primary opponent John Moynihan, a financial attorney from Schaumburg, said he agrees the tollway violation enforcement system needs reform. If elected, he said he would pursue similar legislation.