New signs urge tollway drivers to pay up

SPRINGFIELD -- The Illinois State Toll Highway Authority is testing a new advertising campaign in an effort to get more people to pay skipped tolls before fines kick in.

Officials say an estimated 4 percent of people who use the tollway accidentally miss tolls. They say that, in many cases, that's because drivers accidentally get into the automatic pay-by-transponder I-PASS lanes.

Tollway authorities say the new, punchy signs being tested this week will help remind people that they have seven days to pay online, in person, or by mail after driving through a toll. After that, fines start at $20.

The new signs carry mottos like "Pay it! Don't delay it!" Some will be pattered after a 1920s advertising scheme, with signs spaced along the highway to be read consecutively.