407 Charge Unrecognizable Plate - $1500+ | Page 2 | GTAMotorcycle.com

407 Charge Unrecognizable Plate - $1500+

If that happens the 407 charges a flat rate.

If it happens occasionally you get the flat rate. If you piss them off and they actually do an investigation on you, they find you getting on and charge you for the entire distance. It sounds like this kid pushed their luck and now gets to pay the piper.
 
I used it a month or two back when I bought my new car. The licence plate had only just been registered that morning and it was a Saturday. Still haven't received a bill....looks like a foolproof way of avoiding tolls is to buy a newly registered vehicle and drive it within an hour of purchase on the 407.
 
I used it a month or two back when I bought my new car. The licence plate had only just been registered that morning and it was a Saturday. Still haven't received a bill....looks like a foolproof way of avoiding tolls is to buy a newly registered vehicle and drive it within an hour of purchase on the 407.
i think everyone on the forum should give this a try.
 
I used it a month or two back when I bought my new car. The licence plate had only just been registered that morning and it was a Saturday. Still haven't received a bill....looks like a foolproof way of avoiding tolls is to buy a newly registered vehicle and drive it within an hour of purchase on the 407.

Contrary to all of the signs along the 407, a friend from another province has never received a bill and he uses it a half dozen times a year. Part of me wonders if that is half the reason for all the Florida plates in the GTA. Again, it may come down to how much you stand out, you may get a few free trips, but if they start to see there is a pool of money worth collecting, they will track you down.
 
Get a part time job? Make an appointment with 407, and go it to discuss it, to show that you're sincere, and see if you can get on an easy payment plan. Check the pictures while you're there. I wouldn't put it past some people to sneak in a couple of similar bikes, just to add to the bottom line.

Sell the bike? Even a motivated seller at this time of year, should be able to get $1500.

Fight it tooth and nail. This depends on your risk tolerance, and how badly you think they have you.

Last resort. File for bankruptcy, but chance are you'll be selling the bike anyways, if you go this route.
 
It seems fairly clear to me that his friend was intentionally trying to obscure his plate. Might have worked on the first 100 trips, but on the 101'st he forgot to flip/obscure his plate (or it didn't work), and they simply went back and compared the images of that one successful capture to the previous 100 logged entries of a "mystery bike". If the bike, the gear, and the entry and exit points were reasonably consistent, then it wouldn't surprise me at all they'd bill all the outstanding trips previous, and there's a good chance they not only have the evidence to make it stick, but that it'd stand up in court.

I've heard of this happening with serial plate obscuring offenders on the 407.

^this

Welp it looks like the best option would be for him to settle. Stupid, expensive lesson.
 
Get a part time job? Make an appointment with 407, and go it to discuss it, to show that you're sincere, and see if you can get on an easy payment plan. Check the pictures while you're there. I wouldn't put it past some people to sneak in a couple of similar bikes, just to add to the bottom line.

Sell the bike? Even a motivated seller at this time of year, should be able to get $1500.

Fight it tooth and nail. This depends on your risk tolerance, and how badly you think they have you.

Last resort. File for bankruptcy, but chance are you'll be selling the bike anyways, if you go this route.


Thanks for laying out the options - will pass this forward. Hopefully a payment plan will be provided.

Just gotta man-up and pay for his stupid, expensive mistakes.
 
Thanks for laying out the options - will pass this forward. Hopefully a payment plan will be provided.

Just gotta man-up and pay for his stupid, expensive mistakes.
While i don't agree with your buddy trying to steal free trips, part of me feels like the 407 padded the bill. You get the fine right away and you stop doing what you're doing, but the 407 let your buddy do it for a month (or however long) before sending out the bill in their next billing cycle. It's almost like a cop watching you speed past every day for a month, writing a ticket each day, then finally pulling you over at the end of the month to hand you the stack of fines.

I'd definitely discuss reducing the charge/fee.
 
Be sure your friend is aware that he cannot renew his plates when there is an outstanding 407 balance.
... and if he was trying to screw the payment system at 407 don't expect ANY compassion from them.
 
this whole 407 deal pisses me off. Public money builds, and then the politicians sell it for a song to their corporate buddies.
I paid a $40-50 dollar 407 fee when I renewed my plates. Don't know where the bill came from I never use the 407.
Wasn't worth the effort and time to fight for me...Im the only driver..

in decades to come when the 407 is falling apart, the politcians will buy it back at an inflated price..thats my guess.

They signed off on it almost 20 years ago. Get over it!

Politics aside, It's still a toll road that you have to pay to use.
I use it, I pay for my use of it, I expect a bill each month. It's convenient for me & it does save me time and stress from sitting in traffic.
 
While i don't agree with your buddy trying to steal free trips, part of me feels like the 407 padded the bill. You get the fine right away and you stop doing what you're doing, but the 407 let your buddy do it for a month (or however long) before sending out the bill in their next billing cycle. It's almost like a cop watching you speed past every day for a month, writing a ticket each day, then finally pulling you over at the end of the month to hand you the stack of fines.

I'd definitely discuss reducing the charge/fee.

No its not like that whatsoever.

What are they supposed to do? Change billing cycle to daily? Call (aka pay) in extra law enforcement? Buddy knew what he was doing every single day, it's his responsibility to pay for the services he uses.
 
Firstly, "unrecognizable plate" simply means the automated system couldn't read the plate. In cases such as this they use an actual human to read the plate, They can blow up the pic to assist in this.

As for the comment they "let him steal rides". Do you expect them to monitor it EVERY hour of every day? I suspect the "system"merely kicks out unrecognizable plates perhaps once per month then they have to look at it to determine, the plate.

It sounds like, (from the OP's post), like they got the plate right, (his friend didn't deny using the road), merely is now looking to get a "special deal". He is stuck in a catch 22 ignore the bill and don't acknowledge ANY form of use, (BUT at plate renewal time he will be screwed), or go in and discuss a payment plan, (at which point he has acknowledged his use of the road).

They may or may not play ball. At VERY least he should request to pay ONLY the actual tolls and have them eat the interest and penalties, (which they are likely to do, UNLESS the photos make it clear he was trying to evade the toll charges.


While i don't agree with your buddy trying to steal free trips, part of me feels like the 407 padded the bill. You get the fine right away and you stop doing what you're doing, but the 407 let your buddy do it for a month (or however long) before sending out the bill in their next billing cycle. It's almost like a cop watching you speed past every day for a month, writing a ticket each day, then finally pulling you over at the end of the month to hand you the stack of fines.

I'd definitely discuss reducing the charge/fee.
 
They signed off on it almost 20 years ago. Get over it!

Politics aside, It's still a toll road that you have to pay to use.
I use it, I pay for my use of it, I expect a bill each month. It's convenient for me & it does save me time and stress from sitting in traffic.

I wonder how many people are like you and are fine paying for it
do you use it twice a day to commute?

I just kind of assumed most of the cars had company accounts

it's funny when I'm on a road trip in another jurisdiction I'm fine with toll roads
but I never use the 407, ever

and those of us old enough to remember the pledge
that when the road is paid for, the toll booths come down
will ever get over it
 
Unrecognizable plate or was the ownership address outdated and didn't receive the bill? How did the 407 manage to determine your friend was indeed responsible for the use of the 407? Just used images of the clapped out Sunfire?

I wonder if the perp made the same trip every day, at the same entrance and exit from the highway at about the same time every day... If so, maybe they just put a lackey in a truck on the shoulder at that entrance ramp at that time and he waits on a clapped-out Sunfire matching the description in the pics to go by; when he sees it, accelerates in behind it, gets a good pic on his dashcam and writes down the info, then exits and lets the legal department take over from there.

In most cases they probably wouldn't bother but a guy obviously abusing the system that much for that long warrants an escalation in collections efforts...
 
No its not like that whatsoever.

What are they supposed to do? Change billing cycle to daily? Call (aka pay) in extra law enforcement? Buddy knew what he was doing every single day, it's his responsibility to pay for the services he uses.
Yeah thats more of a "put it on my tab" situation rather than i'm "taking all those drinks and expect not to pay as you might not recognize me".
 
No its not like that whatsoever.

What are they supposed to do? Change billing cycle to daily? Call (aka pay) in extra law enforcement? Buddy knew what he was doing every single day, it's his responsibility to pay for the services he uses.

Firstly, "unrecognizable plate" simply means the automated system couldn't read the plate. In cases such as this they use an actual human to read the plate, They can blow up the pic to assist in this.

As for the comment they "let him steal rides". Do you expect them to monitor it EVERY hour of every day? I suspect the "system"merely kicks out unrecognizable plates perhaps once per month then they have to look at it to determine, the plate.

It sounds like, (from the OP's post), like they got the plate right, (his friend didn't deny using the road), merely is now looking to get a "special deal". He is stuck in a catch 22 ignore the bill and don't acknowledge ANY form of use, (BUT at plate renewal time he will be screwed), or go in and discuss a payment plan, (at which point he has acknowledged his use of the road).

They may or may not play ball. At VERY least he should request to pay ONLY the actual tolls and have them eat the interest and penalties, (which they are likely to do, UNLESS the photos make it clear he was trying to evade the toll charges.
Again, not advocating for stealing, which appears to be the situation in this case, but this could legitimately and innocently happen to someone (i.e. snow dust covering plate). I just think it's a bit unfair to drop 30 "fines" in someones lap when the behaviour likely would have changed after receiving 1 fine. Sure, daily or hourly "billing" is not feasible, nor is that what I'm suggesting they do. Regular monthly "billing" is sufficient. "Fining", on the other hand, shouldn't wait until the "billing" cycle.

Maybe photo radar would be a better analogy. If photo radar issued the fines only once per month, you could rack up a months' worth of 10-over fines before realizing you're being ticketed, and correct your ways. Sure, you're guilty of each offence, but you likely wouldn't have been guilty 30 times if you received a timely notice.
 
Firstly, "unrecognizable plate" simply means the automated system couldn't read the plate. In cases such as this they use an actual human to read the plate, They can blow up the pic to assist in this.

As for the comment they "let him steal rides". Do you expect them to monitor it EVERY hour of every day? I suspect the "system"merely kicks out unrecognizable plates perhaps once per month then they have to look at it to determine, the plate.

It sounds like, (from the OP's post), like they got the plate right, (his friend didn't deny using the road), merely is now looking to get a "special deal". He is stuck in a catch 22 ignore the bill and don't acknowledge ANY form of use, (BUT at plate renewal time he will be screwed), or go in and discuss a payment plan, (at which point he has acknowledged his use of the road).

They may or may not play ball. At VERY least he should request to pay ONLY the actual tolls and have them eat the interest and penalties, (which they are likely to do, UNLESS the photos make it clear he was trying to evade the toll charges.

The OP doesn't state how long it took to accumulate the charges. Thirty trips from Burlington to Ajax and return would do the $1500 in about two weeks, less than a billing period. If they were for weekend jaunts to cottage country it could take three to four months.

Regardless, the onus is on the driver to know what he/she is getting into.
 
Contrary to all of the signs along the 407, a friend from another province has never received a bill and he uses it a half dozen times a year. Part of me wonders if that is half the reason for all the Florida plates in the GTA. Again, it may come down to how much you stand out, you may get a few free trips, but if they start to see there is a pool of money worth collecting, they will track you down.
Other provinces would have to give the 407 your personal info from plate. So if you're from another province you don't ever get a bill.
 

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