Its one thing to build toll roads across Texas, its another thing completely to get people who drive on them to pay the tolls, especially when old fashioned toll booths have given way to taking a photo of a driver's license plate and mailing a bill to the car owner, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
A State Senate Committee is discussing possible actions to force people to pay their tolls.
Brian Raglan of the Texas Department of Transportation says about eight percent of drivers don't pay their bills, including one motorist who owes $19,000 for 10,000 trips on toll roads.
"A utility can cut off services," Raglan told the Senate Transportation Commission. "We can't shut off the roads for drivers who refuse to pay, and accrue considerable toll balances, even after months and years of non payment."
That is one of several options being considered by the Committee, to refuse to allow motorists who owe a large number of tolls to use toll roads, and allow police to ticket them, or even seize the cars of the worst toll scofflaws.
Other options include allowing local County Clerks to refuse to grant registration renewals to motorist with large past due toll balances, and calling in collection agencies to demand payment.
State Sen. Juan Hinojosa (D-McAllen) said its time to get tough.
"It seems to me that at some point, if after two to three years they don't want to pay, filed a theft of services charge," he said. "That will get them into compliance."
Theft of Services is a State Jail Felony, which calls for a penalty of up to three years in prison.
San Antonio anti toll road activist Terri Hall said all this is just another attempt by the state to do the bidding of politically well-connected toll road builders, at the expense of working Texans who just want to get to work in the morning.
"I hear from single moms, I hear from people who are college students, people who put them on their credit cards, people who actually have to take out loans to get their cars back."
The Legislature in 2017 passed a law limiting the 'late fees' that can be added onto past due toll balances.Several speakers said the real problem with toll road scofflaws is that other people have to make up the cost of the tolls they they refuse to pay.
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