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FACT TRACKERS - In the eyes of the law, an alibi is everything. But in the eyes of Bay Area FasTrak, the laws of time and space simply do not apply.
Take the case of our black Volkswagen sedan. On a recent Tuesday, it was parked securely in a driveway in Los Angeles. Yet, at that exact moment, FasTrak’s automated system claimed it was crossing a bridge 350 miles north. The proof provided was a grainy photo of a light-colored, full-size General Motors SUV.
To FasTrak, a compact German sedan and a massive American SUV are identical, provided they can squeeze a bill out of the owner. In this case, that bill was $10.00 for the toll—plus a staggering 100% penalty—bringing the total to $20.00 for a trip that never happened, in a car that wasn't there.
Presumed Guilty: The Machine’s Word is Law
While our case involves a 350-mile teleportation, others face even more egregious hauntings. Recent reports have uncovered families hounded for months by toll notices meant for vehicles located across the state. Often, the system’s Optical Character Recognition (OCR) misreads a "Q" as an "O" or a "D" as a "0."
In 2026, we are told that Artificial Intelligence can drive cars and write poetry, yet FasTrak’s technology apparently cannot distinguish a VW logo from a Cadillac grille. Despite clear visual evidence, the system's human reviewers often rubber-stamp these violations. Under California Vehicle Code § 40250, the registered owner is held "jointly and severally liable." This legal trap essentially treats the machine’s error as gospel, forcing citizens to prove a negative: that they weren't in two places at once.
The Phantom Lane Glitch
It’s not just about wrong cars; it’s about wrong lanes. In early 2026, a surge of complaints hit the new I-80 express lanes in Solano County. Drivers reported being charged tolls despite never entering the toll lanes. FasTrak’s cameras were reportedly bleeding over, reading tags from the adjacent, non-tolled lanes.
When a system is miscalibrated to overcharge, and then applies a 100% penalty for a bill the driver never should have received, the result isn't a glitch—it’s an unearned windfall for the private contractors managing the software.
The High Cost of Innocence: A Rigged Shell Game
The most frustrating part of this system is the Administrative Review gauntlet. Under CVC § 40255, you have the right to request a review, but the process is a "Time Tax" designed to make you give up:
- The Financial Ransom: To even request a formal hearing, you are often forced to deposit the full amount of the penalty upfront. You are essentially forced to give the government an interest-free loan to prove they made a mistake.
- The Distance Barrier: If the review fails, the law typically forces an L.A. resident to appeal in a Bay Area court. No sane person is going to make a 700-mile round trip to fight a $20 error. The system counts on this.
- The 100% Penalty: By doubling the cost immediately, the system uses financial fear to pressure citizens into paying phantom tolls rather than fighting them. It’s not justice; it’s state-sanctioned extortion.
A Systemic Failure
When a machine fails to distinguish between a VW in L.A. and an SUV in Oakland, it’s a technical glitch. But when a government-sanctioned entity doubles the price of that glitch and holds your DMV registration hostage, it’s a failure of justice.
We are told these are isolated incidents. But when the machine is judge, jury, and bill collector, we must ask: Why is the burden of proof on the person in the driveway, and not the FasTrak machine on the bridge?
(Ziggy Kruse Blue is a freelance contributor to CityWatchLA. Ziggy and Bob can be reached at [email protected])
