WICHITA, Kan. — Melina Blackwell, a Wichita woman who had traveled though the Denver area almost one year ago, is complaining about a phone call she received from a Colorado law firm this past Wednesday.
According to TV station KAKE, the law firm claimed that Blackwell had not paid a toll bill from driving on E-470, a toll road that travels along the eastern portion of the Denver-Aurora Metropolitan Area, and now owes almost $60 in late fees and penalties.
Blackwell claimed that she knew of the toll charge when she had traveled the road, but had never received the bill in the mail and had since forgotten about the charge.
“This was the first time I had heard anything about it,” Blackwell said.
This is just one of several complaints in recent years that the E-470 Public Highway Authority has received since it became one of the first roadways in the United States to transition to an all-electronic tolling system. The system uses automated cameras that take a still shot of the driver’s license plate as they pass though, and then mails the driver a bill for the toll fee.
The E-470 Public Highway Authority, who is a political subdivision of the State of Colorado, claims that many drivers attempt to take advantage of the system by not planning to ever pay the toll fees. However, many drivers do not receive their bills because of old address information, which sometimes results in bills that reach thousands of dollars.
“They told me that the address they had for me was an address that I haven’t lived at for two years. So how I was expected to receive bills from them is anyone’s guess,” said Blackwell.
This past week the Colorado Department of Transportation sent out 279 letters stating that Colorado residents who owe the fees will not be allowed to renew their vehicle tags unless they pay the fees.
