Photo Courtesy of Metropolitan Transportation Authority/Oscar Gonzalez
MTA officials said they believe cashless tolls will enhance traffic flow and reduce commute times.
By Michael V. Cusenza
Starting next month, all toll lanes at the Queens Midtown Tunnel will be cashless, a Metropolitan Transportation Authority spokesman confirmed to The Forum this week.
Though the new policy will not apply to E-ZPass owners, each time a non E-ZPass customer uses the tunnel a camera records the license plate and a bill is mailed for all trips taken, usually within a 30-day period, to the registered vehicle owner.
The MTA also indicated that it has agreements with out-of-state DMVs to obtain information so that the MTA can send toll bills to the registered owners of out-of-state vehicles. Customers who do not pay an initial and then an overdue Toll Bill, will receive a Notice of Violation, the spokesman said. If the violation notice is unpaid, the violator is referred to the MTA collections agency for recovery of tolls and fees due. Some egregious violators are also pursued through civil lawsuits.
The MTA Board recently authorized Bridges &Tunnels to begin the legal process to raise the fee for toll violators to $100 from $50 at the Bronx-Whitestone, Robert F. Kennedy, Throgs Neck and Verrazano-Narrows bridges and the Hugh L. Carey Tunnels, while continuing to impose a $50 fine for toll violations at the Henry Hudson, Cross Bay and Marine Parkway bridges.
Additionally, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has enacted regulation that allows the State Department of Motor Vehicles to suspend the registration of motorists who fail to pay five tolls, fees, and other charges resulting from violations on different days, within a period of 18 months, and ignore toll authorities’ repeated notices.
The spokesman said the MTA believes cashless tolling will enhance traffic flow, reduce congestion and decrease commute times.
