Drivers now using the I-85 HOT lanes without a Peach Pass may open their mailbox to an unwanted gift in the coming weeks: a $25 ticket.
And that’s just the beginning, according to the State Road and Tollway Authority, which began enforcing the lanes late last week after about 1,000 warning tickets were issued during an initial 90-day grace period.
For a motorist whose vehicle has been designated for toll-free carpool travel but is in the HOT lane with fewer than the required three or more occupants, the fine is even stiffer.
The I-85 Express Lanes span 16 miles from Chamblee Tucker Road, just south of I-285, to Old Peachtree Road in Gwinnett and DeKalb counties.
SRTA spokeswoman Malika Wilkins provided figures Wednesday that showed 14,078 motorists used the lanes on Jan. 27, the high for the month. Weekly usage grew gradually during the month. The lanes are used least on the weekends, but even weekend usage has shown a steady rise, figures show.
Sensors on the road can detect when a vehicle moves into and out of the lanes. The Peach Pass affixed to the windshield is a transponder that signals whether a vehicle is authorized to use the lane. And surveillance cameras will take images of license plates of suspected violators. Those images will be reviewed to determine if a violation occurred, and tickets then will be mailed out, Wilkins said.
Mailed tickets will be $25 plus the cost of the toll, Wilkins said.
"It will take a few weeks to process and mail out violation notices since we manually review notices as a part of the verification procedures," Wilkins said.
Officers with the state Department of Public Safety also will be on the lookout for drivers using the lanes toll free without the required number of occupants. Fines for those violations start at $75 plus court costs, according to DPS spokesman Sgt. Tony Pilcher.
Pilcher said officers will know whether a vehicle should be traveling toll free, and he indicated they won’t be entertaining excuses, which he said ran the gamut during the initial grace period.
To be on the safe side, Pilcher suggests toll-free motorists change their Peach Pass status to “toll” at least 15 minutes before entering the lanes if there are fewer than three people traveling.
Other violations may include improperly crossing the double white pavement striping for the HOT lanes and using the lanes without a Peach Pass transponder.
Pilcher said citations issued by the Department of Public Safety can be challenged in court on the date designated on the ticket. Challenges to tickets received in the mail can be made by contacting Peach Pass customer service at 1-855-724-7277.
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