By guest blogger Emily Pace Glad

Did you know that the vast majority of tolls are paid on time? It’s true: nearly 90 percent of SR 520 and Tacoma Narrows Bridge drivers pay their tolls on time. Furthermore, between 75 and 80 percent of tolls are paid with a Good To Go! account. To all those drivers – thank you for paying on time!

If you travel either of the bridges – even occasionally – we encourage you to open a Good To Go! account to ensure you  pay the lowest toll rate.

As you may have heard, we recently started the next phase of our toll enforcement program to collect tolls from those who don’t pay on time. We started mailing the first civil penalty notices for unpaid tolls in April. Now, some vehicle owners with unpaid civil penalties may not be able to renew their vehicle registration with the Department of Licensing until all tolls, fees and penalties are paid.

Our goal is to not only collect the unpaid toll amount, but also to ensure we are being fair to the majority of drivers, who continue to pay their tolls on time. Enforcing tolls also strengthens one of the main reasons we’re tolling these bridges – to pay for them. This effort allows us to put collected tolls, fees and penalties back into each bridge program.

Though they’re getting a lot of media attention, it’s important to keep in mind that these toll scofflaws represent a very small percentage of toll transactions. To put it into context, we’ve had over 21 million toll transactions on the Tacoma Narrows and SR 520 bridges and less than one percent of those transactions have become civil penalties. And less than half a percent of all transactions have resulted in a hold on someone’s vehicle registration.

If you aren’t Good To Go!, here are some tips on what to do if you receive a bill:

• Keep an eye out for a bill about two weeks after you cross the SR 520 or Tacoma Narrows bridges. We mail bills to the registered vehicle owner on file with DOL. If you don’t receive a bill, please call us at 1-866-936-8246.
• Make sure to pay within 15 days of receiving the bill to avoid a $5 reprocessing fee.
• If you fail to pay within 80 days of crossing the bridge, you will receive a $40 notice of civil penalty for each unpaid toll transaction.
• We only notify DOL to place a vehicle registration hold when a civil penalty remains unpaid for 20 days. Before placing a hold on vehicle registration, we’ll have already mailed two toll bills, a notice of civil penalty and given vehicle owners more than 100 days to respond with payment or dispute.

You can contact the Good To Go! customer service center to settle unpaid tolls or to check if they have a registration hold for your vehicle. DOL will notify vehicle owners of any registration holds via renewal notices or when owners attempt to renew their tabs. Learn more about vehicle registration holds for unpaid tolls.

If you don’t pay your tolls, after 80 days you’ll receive this envelope with a notice of civil penalty.

This week we started a new toll enforcement program to help collect tolls from drivers who crossed the SR 520 and Tacoma Narrows bridges and have not yet paid their toll bill.

Previously, Tacoma Narrows Bridge drivers who didn’t pay at the toll booths or have a Good To Go! account were sent a $52 ticket. Now, drivers have 80 days to pay the toll before receiving a notice of civil penalty.

If you want to dispute a penalty, you will find a more customer friendly dispute-resolution process – and more revenue goes back to the bridges. Under the old process, only $12 of the $52 infraction went back to the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. The new program allows us to put collected tolls, fees and penalties back into paying for each bridge.

 

What is a notice of civil penalty?

A civil penalty includes more than just the toll. After 80 days, owners of registered vehicles must pay the toll, a $40 penalty and any additional fees.

Let’s say you crossed the SR 520 bridge during the peak commute time without a Good To Go! account. We’ll mail a bill to the driver within 14 days.  Those who don’t pay within 15 days get a second bill with a $5 reprocessing fee. The longer you wait, the costlier it gets. Drivers with unpaid tolls receive a notice of civil penalty and a $40 fine in addition to the late fee for each toll left unpaid after 80 days.

Example of how tolls can add up:
    First bill: $5 toll = $5 total
    Second bill: $5 toll + $5 reprocessing fee = $10 total
    Notice of Civil Penalty: $5 toll + $5 reprocessing fee + $40 civil penalty = $50 total

 

What should I do if receive a civil penalty?

Similar to a parking ticket, you shouldn’t ignore your penalty. If you receive a notice you have two options: pay or dispute. If you don’t believe you’re responsible for the penalty you can dispute in writing or request a hearing. Hearings will take place at a public court in Fife or at the Good To Go! customer service center off I-5 in north Seattle.

Unlike traffic court, toll enforcement judges are unable to reduce penalty amounts. They can only make a judgment on whether the vehicle owner is responsible for the tolls or not. Watch our video on YouTube to learn more about the dispute process.

 

Avoid receiving a civil penalty in the future

It’s easy to avoid additional fees or a civil penalty:

• Keep your eyes open for a toll bill in the mail about 14 days after using a tolled bridge.
• Make sure to pay your first toll bill within 15 days of receiving it.
• Double-check your info with the Department of Licensing to confirm your address is current since tolls bills are sent to the registered vehicle owner.

You can choose not to receive a toll bill in the mail by signing up for a Good To Go! account. No bill plus you’ll get the lowest toll rate.

 

Questions?

As always, please call us at 1-866-936-8246 if you have questions about toll charges. We’re here to help.