Dulles Road Cheaters Take Toll on Virginia

But toll violations have become an increasing worry since the advent of E-ZPass, Smart Tag and other electronic systems that don't require any person-to-person transactions. Concerns have grown even greater in recent years with the rising popularity of "open road" tolling, where drivers don't have to slow down to pay. On the Dulles Toll Road, the open toll lanes are on the left side, where drivers can proceed through booth-less lanes at 35 mph as the E-ZPass transponder is read by a device overhead.

With that kind of setup, it's easy for people to drive through without paying tolls.

"The presence of a human being is inhibiting to most motorists, and it's very, very rare for someone to drive past a toll collector," said Peter Samuel, editor of the Toll Roads News Web site. "But open road tolling is very inviting. It's got to be managed intelligently."

Samuel said it's highly unusual to have open tolls without cameras. "That certainly is something of an anomaly because most toll roads do have cameras so at least there's a good shot of getting people," he said. "That's pretty amazing."

Operators of the Dulles Greenway, a privately owned toll highway that connects Leesburg to the Dulles Toll Road, installed cameras last summer to take pictures of license plates. Violators are mailed a bill for the toll and a $25 administration fee.

Greenway spokeswoman Ann Huggins-Lawler said violations are minimal because all lanes have gates, although they are not used during peak times. She estimated the violation rate at "less than a half of a percent."

Maryland officials said they have taken pictures of license plates since they installed electronic tolls in 1999. "What happens is a camera takes a picture of tags as violators go through, and they get a notice in the mail that just states that they need to send us payment for that toll," said Teri Moss, spokeswoman for the Maryland Transportation Authority.

Moss said 197,000 violation notices were mailed statewide in 2004 -- 0.37 percent of the 52.8 million electronic transactions that were registered. A $15 fee is added if violators do not pay the toll within a set amount of time and, repeat violators are referred to collection agencies, she said.

Real estate agent Matt Dent uses the toll road several times a day as he shuttles clients from house to house. He pays with Smart Tag and said that, every now and then, it doesn't work.

"The light usually flashes, and the bell rings, although there are times where nothing happens at all," Dent wrote in an e-mail. "And, no, I have not once received a ticket or a warning in the mail about this."

Dent said it's not uncommon to see trucks illegally driving through the toll lanes. Would he join them now that he knows there's no way he'll get a ticket?

"I'm Canadian, one of your very typical law-abiding Canucks, so I'd probably pay anyway," he wrote.

Samuel said once word gets out about the lack of enforcement on the toll road, he might be about the only person paying.

"To actually not have any cameras at all is rather inviting," he said.