Some of you might have seen the Statesman headline on Oct. 18-TXDOT NAMES HABITUAL TOLL PAYMENT VIOLATORS; Agency: 28,000 people each have at least 100 unpaid tolls. The article then gave a rundown on the situation with a list of the top 25 violators. Number one was a couple with 14,358 violations amounting to $236,026 in unpaid toll fees including penalties, fees and fines. When the toll roads opened a few years back payment for use was paid by a windshield tag which was purchased and replenished when use reduced the fund down to $10. Non tag users paid at booths on the toll road (a common policy on other toll roads that I have used and that have been in service for a number of years prior to toll roads in this area). After a year or two the policy makers eliminated the cashiers and went to a charge as you passed through the camera overpass and the customer was to be billed system. When this was announced I could not believe that a group of business minds could concoct such a ridiculous system. Two negative factors immediately came to mind; administrative costs to bill the customers 9usage fees ran from $0.45 to $1.50) and users ignoring the bills. When I saw this headline and read the article I knew that I have to vent my viewpoints on the system. Accordingly, I wrote a letter to the editor of the Austin American Statesman. Thought I would share the letter with you for those who might not see it in the Statesman (if it is printed). put my chair on a soap box and began to hit the keys with this: Dear Editor: Just read the headline article in last Fridays Statesman regarding toll fee violators. I am wondering how many citizens joined me in seeing this trtain wreck in the making when TXDOT announced that cash collection were being eliminated at toll road entry booths and non tag users would be billed for toll road use. Violations and cost of administration of billing came to my mind immediately. The article focused on 28,000 with at least 100 violations whose balances are part of $27 million in unpaid toll road bills. Speaking of administrative costs; since i am a bean counter (bookkeeper for small businesses) one of my clients uses a toll road on occasion (non-tag user) and is billed for the use. He promptly pays the bill by check which I post and here is where my bean counting mindset kicks in. Most of the bills have been under $5.00 (one in the amount of $1.80) Do the math with me. Consider the administrative costs to collect these small amounts. The article stated that tolls are used to pay debt and fund operations of state maintained toll roads. I doubt that much was left over from the payments of my client to accomplish those functions. Also i think I can be safe to venture and assumption that there are thousands of users who are paying small bills that are eaten up by the cost of collection. The article also mentioned that there are methods in place to punish the violators. What prevented these methods from being applied long before the violators ran up these exorbitant bills? My suggestion to TXDOT officials in charge of toll road revenue-PUT THE CASHIERS BACK IN THE BOOTHS!! Admittedly, many of the free loaders would not use the toll road if payment was mandatory at the booth but I imagine some would. One thing more. I am making note of this report; date details, etc. in expectation of follow up reports on collection of unpaid toll road usage bills. I hope Juan and Andra (For FB readers-these are the two reporters who submitted the article) monitor the progress of TXDOT and report back in a couple of months how much, if any, of the $27 million has been collected up to the next report date. Good luck guys at TXDOT. Remember my suggestion: PUT THE CASHIERS BACK IN THE BOOTHS! Does a person good to vent off steam once in a while. Will monitor future editions of the paper over the next couple of weeks and report to FB friends is the letter is ever included on the editorial page. Cheers!!!
Posted on: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 00:02:30 +0000
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