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Queenslanders who fail to pay their road tolls on time are being chased over debts totalling more than $150 million.
Key points:
- There are more than 778,000 individual debts across the state
- The fines registry has the power to clamp your vehicle or take money from your bank accounts
- Advocates say some people are hit with massive debts because they never receive warning notices
The State Penalties Enforcement Registry (SPER) is trying to claw back outstanding charges and fines amassed from 778,000 road trips that occurred up to July, with some of the debts having been on the books for years.
Sunshine Coast musician Michael Dutton is still paying off $1,500 in fines after driving to Brisbane to play gigs three years ago.
Mr Dutton said he intended to pay the tolls within a few days but subsequently forgot to.
If the single dad had paid his tolls on time, they would have totalled less than $20.
ABC News: Mark Leonardi
)He said people who lived outside Brisbane might not even realise the risks of not paying on time.
"You're not used to doing it and it's just really easy to forget," he said.
Mr Dutton is not alone.
Treasury data from July shows one in five of the debts — or $32 million — are from outside the Greater Brisbane area.
Debts ruining lives
If the toll manager, Linkt, and government agencies fail to track down a vehicle's registered owner, the fines end up in the hands of SPER.
It means if the owner has not updated their address or opened their mail, they will be fined at least $192 — not because they did not pay the toll, but because they did not respond to a demand for payment.
ABC News: Lucas Hill
)For those who may have travelled through multiple tolls more than once, it can amount to thousands.
Stephen Grace, a lawyer from community legal centre LawRight, said many of his clients had unwittingly accrued thousands of dollars in fines but were least able to pay.
"Another person might be driving their car and do it a few times in a week and quite easily rack up debts and fines of well over $1,000."
He said the fine could be waived if the vehicle owner supplied a "reasonable excuse", but that unpaid tolls might date back years.
"If you're trying to resolve a $15,000 debt that's existed for six years, it's much, much more challenging."
ABC News: Giulio Saggin
)The ABC requested data from the Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) on how many fines had been withdrawn over the past 12 months, however the data was not made available.
Mr Grace said SPER had a huge amount of power to enforce the debts, including the rarely used threat of jail time.
Regions copping big fines
SPER is chasing more than 20,000 separate unpaid toll fines across Toowoomba and the Darling Downs, 16,000 in Wide Bay, and almost 110,000 on the Sunshine and Gold coasts.
The number of toll-related debts across the state outnumbers other offences on SPER's books such as speeding, parking or driving charges.
In the 12 months to April, TMR issued 87,057 infringement notices at $186 each, adding up to almost $16.2 million. The fines have since increased to $192.
Region | Number of debts | Unpaid charges |
|---|---|---|
Logan – Beaudesert | 202,923 | $39,935,000 |
Ipswich | 106,690 | $20,765,000 |
Gold Coast | 82,446 | $16,327,000 |
Brisbane – South | 61,251 | $12,316,000 |
Moreton Bay – North | 59,720 | $11,899,000 |
Brisbane – East | 51,191 | $10,165,000 |
Brisbane – North | 43,444 | $8,819,000 |
Moreton Bay – South | 38,520 | $7,705,000 |
Brisbane – Inner City | 36,680 | $7,480,000 |
Sunshine Coast | 24,856 | $4,956,000 |
Wide Bay | 16,934 | $3,314,000 |
Toowoomba | 10,130 | $2,003,000 |
Darling Downs – Maranoa | 10,072 | $1,951,000 |
Central Queensland | 8,293 | $1,603,000 |
Brisbane – West | 7,920 | $1,588,000 |
Mackay – Isaac – Whitsunday | 5,560 | $1,090,000 |
Other Queensland | 649 | $134,000 |
TOTAL | 778,312 | $154,276,000 |
ABC News: Mark Leonardi
)Mr Dutton said it was ridiculous that not paying a toll could land someone in so much debt.
A Treasury spokesman said SPER had options for those struggling to pay their debts and that they should contact the agency immediately.
ABC TV News
)How a small toll becomes thousands
Tolling company Linkt and its parent company Transurban manage the tolls in South-East Queensland.
The CLEM7 tunnel, Go Between Bridge and Legacy Way are also controlled by Brisbane City Council.
The Gateway and Logan motorways and AirportlinkM7, along with the Toowoomba Bypass, fall under TMR.
The billing systems are automatic.
- Day 1: Your vehicle drives on a toll road; fees range from 90 cents to $23.97
- Day 4: You incur $9.45 in late fees, with 14 days to pay
- After two weeks: You incur $25.56 in late fees, plus your toll cost
- After six months: Linkt dispatches debt collectors and you may eventually be taken to court OR charges are referred to council or TMR; you incur a $192 fine and have 28 days to pay
- If unpaid: Your debt is referred to SPER and $73.80 is added — you now owe $265.80
- 28 days after that: SPER begins enforcement; an extra fee means the total debt is $389.45. SPER has the power to clamp, seize or sell your vehicle, take money from your bank accounts and register an interest on your home
- In the case of multiple unpaid tolls: You may amass debts worth thousands of dollars