Another set back for toll roads last night as the Texas House approved what is called 'Sunset Legislation' for the Texas Department of Transportation, essentially allowing the agency to continue to exist for the coming twelve years, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
State Rep. Ina Minjares (D-San Antonio) pushed through an amendment that will forbid TxDOT from making not paying tolls a criminal offense, and from charging massive fees to people who are late making thier toll payments.
"After a second statement, a violation notice, collection agencies, and transferring to court, that 65 cent violation can come up to $365," she said, calling TxDOT's current policy 'abusive.'
She says her bill would also forbid toll road operators from threatening people who don't pay their tolls with jail time."It will make it a civil penalty, and it will cap that penalty to no more than $48 in administrative costs in a 12 month period," she said.
The amendments, which still have to be approved by the Senate, are the latest step in the efforts to make toll roads less profitable, and to hasten their demise. The House has already approved a measure that would forbid the most popular form of toll road construction, the public private partnership, from being used to build proposed toll lanes on Loop 1604 and I-35.
Another amendment approved in the House would forbid TxDOT from engaging in the 'midnight transfer' of High Occupancy Vehicle lanes to toll lanes, in cases of HOV lanes built before 2005.
A common way to skirt public opposition to toll lanes is to build HOV lanes, like are currently under construction on US 281 on the far north side.
Then, after a few years have passed, planners announce that the HOV lanes are not working because not enough car pools are using them. Under current law, the planners, without any public input, can switch the HOV lanes to toll lanes.