Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Confessions of an 80-cent Tax Scofflaw
Posted by John Branston on Wed, Dec 28, 2011 at 9:51 AM
To all those who think that toll roads are a good idea for Memphis, please think again. The impulse to get other people to pay a share of our taxes is understandable. But there are unintended consequences, as this little jaunt illustrates.
Interstate 294 around Chicago is a toll road that is sometimes a faster option than Interstate 94, which is "free" but goes through the city. There are manned and unmanned stations every few miles. Regular drivers flash an "I Pass" and speed right through. At manned stations, you can fork over your money to an attendant, who will make change and maybe even give you directions. At unmanned stations, including the last one before the airport, drivers must pay the exact amount, which is 80 cents. Bills are not accepted.
I was alone and driving a rental and had exhausted my supply of change, plus a dime borrowed from the guy in the car behind me, at the previous unmanned station, where the toll was 30 cents. I was cutting my flight connection close and would gladly have paid $1 or even $5 to the Land of Lincoln, but no way. Coins only. Get out of the car and hit up a stranger for 80 cents. Or speed through and pay later, which I did.
To do that, you go to Illinois Tollway's website, which is not to be confused with the Illinois tollroad website, which is a collection of ads and links to "how to" sites.
Then you fill out your information, complete five steps, and your card is charged 80 cents. If you don't do this within seven days of the violation, the cost can be as much as $20.
This may not be the most aggravating government hassle of the season but it's close. The lesson is that the fine for minor motor vehicle violations — tolls, speeding tickets, parking tickets — is often only part of the story. Which is one reason why I don't like the idea of privatizing parking meters in downtown. The lack of a dime can get you a $20 parking ticket, and if you pile up three of those you get a bigger fine and/or a day in court. I prefer the present system with its inefficiencies. A toll station on Interstate 55 at the Mississippi line or on the Arkansas side of the Interstate 40 bridge might seem like a good idea until you're the one getting stuck in a traffic jam or fined $20 for want of 50 cents.
Comments (6)
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"A toll station on Interstate 55 at the Mississippi line..."
You're right about the problems with toll roads of course but there may be another problem with the toll booth on I-55. Can you just build a toll booth on an existing interstate highway, or do you have to build the road too? I don't know the answer to that question but maybe someone else can help me with that.
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If a new bridge over the MS River is ever built, it's likely to have tolls associated with it. The cost otherwise would make it unlikely to be fully funded by state governments involved.
If we had tolls, you can bet we would have an E-Pass system too and if you lived in the area or took the toll road option often enough you too would have such a pass and "traffic jams" and for "want of 50 cents" would not be an issue.
EZ Pass is awesome. The transmitter is free. They automatically pull the 50 cents or whatever out of your bank account. Eliminating the wait is well worth it.
When I drove to Chicago a few years ago, I made sure I had a pocket full of change.
Where is the transparency of the Tollway?
HOW MANY POLITICIANS TRADED FREE TRANSPONDERS FOR VOTES?
WHEN WILL A CREDIBLE ORGANIZATION STAND UP FOR THE TAX PAYER AND FOIA NON REVENUE TRANSPONDERS EVER ISSUED TO NON TOLLWAY EMPLOYEES. REPORT THIS NOT USELESS SALARY INFORMATION.
In Illinois each IL Tollway board member makes 31,426 a year, FREE health and pension benefits for them and their families, and meet once a month. Most board members don't even attend all meetings but received more income a year than most employees. This is sick. No business using public money should be operating this way. No one ever reports or investigate this.
SO IF YOU TRAVELED THROUGH ILLINOIS GOT NAILED FOR MISSED TOLLS YOUR PAYING FOR ALL NON REVENUE NON TOLLWAY EMPLOYEE TRANSPONDERS.
PACE PAYS 0.00 FOR TOLLS!!!
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