![]() “We do it as a course of last resort,” said Frank Barbagallo, deputy director of toll compliance at the Transportation Corridor Agencies. The Transportation Corridor Agencies has dealt with 500 such cases in the past several years. A violator is charged $47.50 plus the toll, and an additional $47.50 if the first fine is ignored.Ĭhronic violators who ignore notices may end up in court. The San Joaquin Hills (73) and the Foothill/Eastern (241/261/133) toll road agencies fine drivers who zip through without payment. The drivers had used the lanes 40-55 times each without a valid transponder. In 2003, a Superior Court Judge ordered 11 drivers to pay about $25,000 each for illegally using the 91 Express Lanes. ![]() A motorist who, for example, violates the tolls 500 times will get 1,500 notices in the mail. OCTA initially sends letters threatening fines if drivers ignore requests for payments. He declined to comment on the Trevino case. As many as 50 cases are taken to court per month, said Martin Greenbaum, OCTA’s collection and enforcement attorney. The toll lanes, which carry about 30,000 vehicles daily, generated $26.9 million in gross revenue in 2005.Ĭhronic violators who, for example, fail to pay two tolls per day can face about $1,000 a day in initial toll fines and civil penalties. The Riverside (91) Freeway, including the Express Lanes, carries about 320,000 vehicles a day. Toll violations are common, with more than 2 percent of road users ignoring the fees. Calls to Anat Levy, the Trevinos’ Beverly Hills attorney, were not returned. Josephine Trevino said the fines are excessive but declined to comment further. Three years ago, their business declined and they could not pay off their credit cards, including the one used for the Express Lanes. The couple, now separated, had an account that allowed five business vehicles to use the toll lanes. It’s the first time OCTA, which has operated the Express Lanes since 2003, has been sued over the manner in which it punishes drivers who don’t pay tolls. Juan and Josephine Trevino, who own a termite extermination business in San Pedro, owe about $2,000 in tolls and say the civil penalty fees assessed by OCTA are excessive, according to court documents. A Los Angeles County couple is suing the Orange County Transportation Authority, which charged them about $377,000 in fines for more than 700 unpaid tolls on the 91 Express Lanes.
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