Good first step toward fair toll collection

We've noted previously that Open Road Tolling deserves credit as an overall boon to the operation of the Illinois Toll Highway system. It's improved traffic flow and eventually should streamline costs of operating the system.

But we've also pointed out that there are significant flaws in the tollway's enforcement system for collections. As a Daily Herald investigation disclosed earlier this winter, those flaws mean some motorists may unknowingly rack up numerous violations and huge fines.

The system works based on a credit card number associated with a driver's I-PASS unit. Normally, that works well. But cards can and do expire, and it's not uncommon for any of us to forget that one has. The difference between this transaction and one at, say, the local department store is that you don't put your card down each time you drive through an I-PASS lane, so there is no clerk to remind you your card is invalid. As a result, you could drive through those lanes numerous times assuming your card is being charged when it is not. By the time you're billed, the usurious fines could have escalated the bill into the hundreds or thousands of dollars.

That's not fair, and it needs to be fixed.

State Rep. Paul Froehlich of Schaumburg has come up with legislation, recently approved by an Illinois House committee, that would require that motorists be notified once three violations had accumulated.

The intent would be to prevent drivers from suddenly discovering dozens of violations that they never knew they had -- and being told to pay virtually immediately.

They'd still be responsible for the fines -- $20 per violation -- but they would have found out about them while the bill is still manageable. And in time to correct the credit card problem that may have led to the violation.

We think the idea is a good first step in solving the problem and are encouraged that tollway representatives apparently are willing to work with Froehlich to negotiate a solution that is acceptable to everyone.

Is it challenging for the toll highway authority? Clearly it is. The problems are more complex than outsiders might imagine. But the authority has an obligation to its customers to solve them.

Getting everyone to pay is important to ensure fairness to all those who use the tollways and pay responsibly. Treating violators reasonably, especially those who may be unwitting violators, is an issue of fairness too.

"I'm hoping they are willing to work with me on this," Froehlich said. "We can come up with some reasonable, fair regulation so the people don't get bills and find out they owe $5,000 in fines and interest and penalties (only) because the tollway didn't send out notices for a year or 13 months."

Our sentiments exactly. Kudos to Froehlich on his initiative. It's got our support.