[Been meaning to ask this, then someone had a post on coming to a toll both w/ no money, so here’s mine]
They have installed new express lanes in the past year on the local interstates. Yeah, if I come along and the toll is $2.00 or whatever, and I don’t have a Sunpass transponder (or the like), it says I’ll also be charged $25, after they snap a pic of my license plate and send the bill in the mail.
But often the toll will be $0.00, during the weekend or other off-peak hours. Surely I can use the express lanes now, can’t I? Except that their website isn’t 100% clear:
Note it says “additional fees” & “all toll charges”, but wi there ARE no toll charges that day/moment?
The ‘additional’ $25 fees, as I’m reading it, aren’t in addition to the toll, they’re in addition to the administrative fee.
It sounds like, if the toll is $2.00 and you miss it once, you’ll get a bill for $2.00 + $2.50. If you miss it 10 times (twice a day for a week), you’ll get a bill for $20 for the tolls, $2.50 for administrative fee and and $100 for the additional 4 days at $25/day.
If there’s toll is zero, I’d imagine you’d still get hit with all the other fees/fines.
I’d think your best bet would be to email them or ask them on a public facing social media page. I have to assume that even if someone tells you that there wouldn’t be any fees for going through a $0.00 toll without a transponder, you’ll still get a bill in the mail and with nothing in writing to back you up, you’ll end up paying it.
i don’t think you’re going to get a real answer without contacting them, but “you will be considered a violator and are subject to additional fees” seems pretty clear. They aren’t listing any exception for when the toll is 0.
The lanes are essentially not an expressway during non-peak (free) hours, weekends, etc. During these periods, they are open for use by everyone and no transponder or SunPass account is required.
Hmmm… I could care less about Sunpass but I love a good google challenge.
I found this article with this statement
“With that in mind, we have decided to use “time of day” tolling for the new 1-295 express lanes in Jacksonville. This means tolls will be charged only during peak travel times. Non- peak travel times, express lane use will be free.”
And further down
“that said, anyone that thinks they can use an express lane during peak hours without a Sunpass will face a 25 dollar fine and a $2.50 administrative fee plus whatever the toll was…”
Now this seems to me to strongly imply that you can use the Sunpass on that particular stretch of highway off peak without a Sunpass. But it’s not definitive.
Then there is this Reddit thread
where somebody actually asked the FDOT and got this response
“A Sunpass is not required during Non-peak hours. Drivers are encouraged to get a Sunpass in case they want to use the lanes during peak hours.
Now this is still a little confusing in that the question was asked relative to a particular stretch of highway. But the response was generic and did not mention differences from highway to highway.
So, at this point I have a moderate level of confidence that you wouldn’t be billed in the situation you described. But only moderate, the Sunpass system seems really convoluted and it’s seems like different stretches of road might have different rules.
I’m a Floridian, but I found you a cite so that you don’t have to just take my word for it:
FDOT Spokesman Hampton Ray explains, “Motorists that use the express lanes without a transponder will be fined $25 during the congestion pricing hours… [h]owever… a SunPass is not required during the non-peak hours. During non-peak hours the lanes are open to motorists.” (Emphasis added)