OLYMPIA — When motorists start using new toll roads across the Tacoma Narrows and elsewhere, they could face a ticket and a fine if they try to sneak through without paying.
The state Transportation Commission on Wednesday asked the Legislature to authorize use of cameras to catch scofflaws — and new fines as a punishment.
In a separate decision, the panel also recommended a ban on studded tires.
The two issues were among the proposed bills sent up to the Legislature by the nine-member citizen panel that oversees the Department of Transportation.
The toll-policing measure is proposed as the state edges closer to a policy of requiring users to pay a fee to use some new highways. The state has traditionally charged a toll on some of its new bridges, but the Legislature also is considering tolls on a new Alaskan Way Viaduct in Seattle and "hot lanes" for motorists willing to pay to use the express lanes on I-405 and Highway 167.
The commission recently endorsed a toll for a proposed new Lake Washington bridge on Highway 520. The panel opposed tolls on the Alaskan Way project and suggested more study of the "hot lane" idea. Those projects, and their financing, require voter approval.
But the most immediate example of tolls, and the reason for the photo-monitoring bill, is the new Tacoma Narrows Bridge. The span is expected to open in April 2007, with an initial toll of $3 for the round trip.
Most commuters are expected to use a transponder, an electronic device that can be read by scanners along the access road, debiting the toll.
What happens if someone tries to beat the system?
The proposed legislation would allow the state to nab offenders by taking pictures of the vehicles’ license plates and then tracking down the owners. People using rental cars also could be trailed this way.
David Pope, toll systems manager for the bridge project, told The News Tribune the plan is to use a two-step enforcement approach — a first-violation warning letter demanding payment, with a $3 to $5 fine to cover the collection cost; and if that doesn’t work, a ticket would follow, with a fine of $25 to $50.
The state Supreme Court would set the actual amount. Failure to pay would block a person’s driver’s license renewal.
Vancouver, Wash., and Lakewood have been using cameras to catch speeders and motorists running stop lights or stop signs, but there is no state law specifically authorizing so-called camera cops.
The commission also recommended a ban on studded tires. This has been a perennial debate in the Legislature. The commission has been trying to outlaw the tires or require a hefty surcharge for 20 years, saying they tear up the highways and cause safety problems.
The panel said the tires, currently authorized between Nov. 1 and April 1, cause perhaps $10 million worth of road damage every year.
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