Illinois to Post Names Online of People Who Fail to Pay Tolls, Fines

Motorists who use the Illinois Tollway but refuse to pay tolls and fines may already have collection agents chasing them, but by the end of the week the names of the most egregious scofflaws could also be posted on the Tollway's website.

 
The list will name those who have racked up more than $1,000 in tolls and fines, officials said.
 
Until now, the Tollway had been reluctant to publicize the names. But Gov. Pat Quinn on Tuesday signed legislation allowing the Tollway to do so, along with the amount of fines and unpaid tolls owed by each violator.
 
"We are working to compile this list now and hope to be able to publish it on the Tollway's website this week," agency spokeswoman Wendy Abrams said.
 
The Tollway's action follows similar public shamings by agencies in Texas and on the East Coast.
 
The North Texas Tollway Authority posts its list of "Top 100 Toll Violators" on its website.
 
Another agency that uses the tactic is the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Its "Wall of Shame" lists the "top egregious toll violators."
 
Last year the Illinois Tollway estimated that deadbeats had racked up about $300 million in unpaid tolls and fines since 2001.
 
The Tollway said it issues about 1.4 million first-violation notices every year. The agency collected more than $33 million in revenue from toll violations in 2011, according to a recent audit.