When it comes to ponying up unpaid toll bills, it seems some B.C. drivers aren’t planning to cross that bridge anytime soon.
About $33 million is still owed in unpaid tolls for crossing the Golden Ears Bridge and Port Mann Bridge, according to the TransLink and Ministry of Transportation.
TransLink said that $18 million is still owed on the Golden Ears Bridge tab since the province nixed tolls on Sept. 1.
TI Corp, the Crown corporation that manages the Port Mann Bridge, has received about two-thirds of payments, and has yet to collect about $15 million.
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It’s been seven months since the NDP nixed tolls on the two newest bridges in the Lower Mainland, as part of one of the NDP government’s more contentious election promises.
The Ministry of Transportation told Black Press Media TI Corp is getting as many as 300 calls a day from customers looking to pay and settle their accounts, but due to a limited number of staff, customers are running into higher-than-normal wait times.
As for the portion of commuters avoiding their unpaid bills, they can expect to reap the consequences through late fees and ICBC’s ‘Refuse to Issue’ process which allows the government to put a hold on driver’s licenses and car insurance.
“Paying for outstanding tolls is a matter of fairness, as most drivers have paid their tolls on time since the start of tolling,” the ministry said.
Tolls can be paid online or over the phone.
@ashwadhwani
ashley.wadhwani@bpdigital.ca
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