Tollway Scofflaws List Will Name And Shame Motorists

In a new plan, a tollway scofflaws list is to be posted to target motorists who fail to pay their dues on the Illinois Tollway.

By the end of this week, the Tollway authorities intend to penalize the worst scofflaws whose names will be posted on the Tollway’s website. The “naming and shaming” will only apply to those scofflaws who have a bill of $1,000 or more in unpaid charges.

Agency spokeswoman Wendy Abrams said: “We are working to compile this list now and hope to be able to publish it on the Tollway’s website this week.”

Illinois isn’t the first State to take more serious action against it’s tollway users. In North Texas, the Tollway Authority posted a list, which is updated regularly, of their “Top 100 Toll Violators.”

Authorities in Illinois confirmed in 2012 that $300 million worth of unpaid debts had racked up since 2001. They hope that the new tollway scofflaws list will dissuade drivers from avoiding paying their dues when using the tollway.

In 2011, the authority collected in excess of £33 million from toll violators and took a bunch of companies to court, seeking roughly $1.8 in unpaid toll fees. Those companies included a trucking firm and a plumbing company who owed the tollway over $200,000.

It remains to be seen precisely what impact, if any, the new move by the tollway authorities will have on unscrupulous motorists. Until now, thousands of drivers, both private and commercial, have flouted paying their dues.

It is hoped that the new tollway scofflaws list will be an effective way to encourage motorists to pay their toll fees since they are the people who benefit from using the tollway.