Tollway reform measures gain initial support
SPRINGFIELD -- Commuters would be notified once they've accumulated three toll violations under legislation approved Wednesday by an Illinois House committee.
The proposal follows a Daily Herald investigation that exposed flaws in the tollway's violation enforcement system that resulted in some motorists unknowingly racking up dozens of violations and thousands of dollars in fines until one huge request for payment arrived.
The report also detailed toll cameras that have trouble reading 25 percent of all Illinois license plates, notices that may not be going to the proper addresses and months-long computer problems that left the agency unaware of how many violators there on the roads.
Lawmakers gave initial approval to reforms with the understanding that state Rep. Paul Froehlich, a Schaumburg Democrat and sponsor of the proposal, and tollway officials would continue negotiating on a final deal.
"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 ... because the tollway didn't send out notices for a year or 13 months."
The legislation would require violators be notified once three violations had piled up, thereby preventing people from getting hit with dozens of violations they were unaware of and then told to pay immediately. If the authority failed to notify the owner, no penalties could be added and the agency must allow an individual to participate in a payment plan.
But implementing a payment plan may be a challenge for tollway authorities. A tollway representative said the agency axed a previously offered payment system after the workload taxed staff members and many violators failed to follow it.
"We do not have an accounting staff set up to administer payment plans," said tollway spokeswoman Joelle McGinnis. "For a time period, the burden was on our existing staff."
She added that "it wasn't a tremendous success."