20 comments to "Meet The Biggest Toll Scofflaws in Your ZIP Code"

1. joeat @ July 12, 2012 at 2:05 pm
   Someone please explain to me how these thieves are allowed to continue to get by with this. Makes me want to cancel my tag and just ignore the charges as these thieves have been allowed to do.

2. JK @ July 12, 2012 at 2:27 pm
   Assuming it’s the same woman, Kim Gatlin is the GCB book author. She shouldn’t have any trouble paying her bill.

3. Jim Swayze @ July 12, 2012 at 2:56 pm
   Which thieves are you referring to, joeat? Those who are not paying tolls or the NTTA who charges outrageous, unconscionable penalties?

4. Parkie @ July 12, 2012 at 3:08 pm
   About two years ago, when the NTTA didn’t have our correct street address, they turned over our account to a collection agency. They would yell at us that we owed them money, but would not tell us to whom we owed. Finally after about a week of this, one of the callers told us it was for unpaid tolls. It was unnerving to be screamed at and called liars by those low lifes.

   I also am not happy that we have to pay money to drive between LBJ and Downtown. We paid off this portion probably about 30 years ago. If they want to keep building it up north, fine with me. But we shouldn’t have to pay for it.

5. George Lewis @ July 12, 2012 at 3:38 pm
   @joeat, @Parkie provided one explanation. Here is another that happened to me: You first register and you get a physical TollTag. Occasionally, they draft on your account and you think everything is OK. Suddenly, you get a collection notice in the mail for potentially hundreds of dollars.

   You first have to understand how their technology works. If they read your Tolltag as you zip through, it bills your account. If they can’t read the Tolltag, then they read your license plate. With the license plate, they can still bill the same correct account.

   In my case, I had changed license plates, per the State requirement to change every 7 years. But the Tolltag didn’t work, as it sometimes does. Their database integration with the State is not smart enough to know about your new license plate. So it thinks that it is a new account. And bills at a higher toll rate. And sends the invoice to whatever address is associated with that license plate.

   So who is at fault? Their Tolltag technology fails on occasion. Their databases aren’t integrated enough. The State, for a silly reason, requires you to change license plates. Or is it your fault, because you didn’t know to log on to http://www.ntta.org and input that new license plate?

   So, words of warning: If you move or change license plates or get a new car, log on to http://www.ntta.org and change the information. And don’t accidentally swap the Tolltag associated with your car with the Tolltag associated with your wife’s car.

6. joeat @ July 12, 2012 at 4:18 pm
   @Jim Swaze, I am referring to ANYONE that cheats and does not pay the posted entrance fee. The amount due can include, as far as I am concerned, a million dollar fee/penalty for not paying. How stupid can we get any further than the Toll Tag Authority that permits this. I have not,but has anyone added up these unpaid tolls? It is multiple millions. This is government beyond stupidity. Is Obama running this department? Sure seems like his style.

7. AreYouBeingSerious @ July 12, 2012 at 6:37 pm
   Some men just want to watch the world burn… by not paying tolls. Let’s all relax.

8. Eric @ July 12, 2012 at 8:25 pm
   The worst 75225 “offender” had about 1500 transactions. At an average of oh, $2 per transaction that’s about $3,000.

   The amount due was nearly $35,000. The penalties and interest the Toll Authority is allowed to add on is indeed unconscionable. Who is going to pay 35 grand to settle a $3000 toll bill?

   My question is, who oversees the Toll Authority? Who OKs the raising of rates every year? Who oks the interest and penalties on delinquent accounts?

9. Thurston @ July 12, 2012 at 8:25 pm
   George Lewis, thanks for the explanation. I recently received my new plates and was wondering why they billed me (at a higher rate) versus billing my account.

10. Johnny C @ July 12, 2012 at 10:12 pm
    How do you get to live in the Bubble and NOT know how NTTA works? We all have a certain responsibility as a citizen and ignorance of the law is no excuse. The exorbitant penalties are there as a deterrent and if you’ve changed your license plates or call to work with them, they will readily waive or dramatically reduce penalties for legitimately responsible drivers.
    @ Jim Swayze and Parkie-You know the tolls..if you don’t like them take 75 so I can continue to cruise downtown quickly

    One would think when you enter a roadway called the “North Dallas Tollway” you might be expected to pay a poll. If up to me, I would not waive a penalty for someone who racked up 100 plus violations, but hey I’m just one responsible citizen.

11. Avid Reader @ July 13, 2012 at 6:17 am
    I have seen more and more bubble moms taking the toll road from Lovers to Mockingbird lately. Saw it happen 2 days out of 4 so far this week. Unbelievable.

12. Edward @ July 13, 2012 at 12:32 pm
    Is that the same Forrest C. Brown who is a “famed” dermatologist?

    It would be nice if the NTTA could get their act together as far as matching everything up so people who think they are current don’t end up with some crazy bill. I’m guessing the reason the NTTA has the exorbitant penalties is because just charging scofflaws the actual toll wouldn’t get them off their duffs to pay, but threatening them with thousands of dollars might do it.

    From what I understand, in almost every instance the NTTA works out deals with people and no one actually has to pay $60,000 for a couple of missed tolls. It would be nice if some of the people who really were just not paying because they didn’t want to really DID have to pay some huge penalties, though!

13. MGBHStar @ July 13, 2012 at 1:21 pm
    It’s your responsibility to let the NTTA know when you get a new license plate or new car. You can do it on their website or call them directly. Ignorance is not a valid excuse. If you have more than 100 unpaid tolls, any penalty they assess is worth it.
    @Avid Reader – I take the DNT from Lovers to Mockingbird all the time, it saves about 10 minutes since the cities of UP and HP can’t seem to get traffic lights synchronized on Preston or Douglas. Tell me when the last time was that you were able to get green lights on Preston at Lovers, University, McFarlin and Mockingbird in sequence? It’s my money and if I want to spend it on tolls, that’s my biz.

14. Todd P @ July 13, 2012 at 2:23 pm
    The lights are not synchronized on Preston and Douglas as a deterrent to both speeding and traffic. HP and UP would rather you take the tollroad.
    I drive from Lover’s to Mockingbird all the time and vice versa. I try to do it in my superfast BMW and see if can get to 100mph and then coast to the exit before hitting 60mph.

15. Scott @ July 14, 2012 at 9:27 am
    Clearly the NTTA needs to be dismantled and the roads turned over to TxDot for maintenance. The NTTA is just bilking people out of money so they can line the pockets of friends in the construction industry (and probably themselves)… There must be tons of kickbacks going on over at the NTTA.

    I do my best to use the toll roads as little as possible and I hope you all do the same.

16. Avid Reader @ July 16, 2012 at 10:44 am
    @MGBHStar,
    It is your money and you have every right to do whatever you want with it. Even in rush hour traffic there is zero chance it “saves 10 minutes” to get from Lovers Mockingbird. For that to even be possible taking Douglas or Preston would have to take 10 minutes in the first place, which it does not unless you get stuck behind a cycler who thinks they are a car. If you can’t handle the 3-7 minutes of driving on Preston or Douglas…Lomo Alto and Armstrong have 1 light and are never packed.

17. truedallasresident @ July 18, 2012 at 9:47 am
    I just love how park cities people think they are so much better than everyone else in Dallas. You have money, big freaking deal..Having money in no way makes you special or gives you freewill to act like a jerk.

18. E @ July 19, 2012 at 8:00 pm
    @truedallas … where in the heck did that comment come from? Everyone was just commenting about toll road fines! Do you actually know anyone from the Park Cities?

19. sickofgreed @ November 4, 2012 at 9:13 am
    @joeat/johnny c/… We are paying taxes on the tollroads and we’re paying fees to drive on those same roads we pay taxes on… GREED! Before these roads were tollroads they were free… We pay outrageous pricing for gas and now we have to pay even to drive to work and it’s amazing how idiotic some people are to believe that this makes good sense! I’m sure if there were alternate routes to take for those living off tollroads they would not do it… NTTA is the real Thieves… GREED!

20. truedallas @ November 18, 2012 at 10:43 pm
    Truedallas- shut up.

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