On Nov. 20, El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells is calling on SANDAG to conduct an outside, independent investigation of its Toll Road Operations. In a letter sent Monday, November 20, to SANDAG Board Chairwoman Nora Vargas and Executive Director Hasan Ikhrata, Wells asks that the independent investigation be placed on the Dec. 8 Board of Director’s agenda.
A recent court filing against SANDAG and news coverage suggests that as many as 45,000 residents may have been inaccurately charged tolls for the SR-125 toll road.
“Regrettably, it has become apparent that both the SANDAG Board and the public have experienced a decline in confidence in the agency due to a perceived lack of transparency from SANDAG management. To help restore confidence, I call for an independent investigation from an outside entity. The primary objective of this investigation is to comprehensively understand and disclose the root cause(s) of the challenges facing the toll operations,” wrote Wells.
“Specifically, the investigation must determine whether County residents are inaccurately being charged for trips not taken on the toll road. The investigation must include a thorough analysis of the allegations regarding the errors caused by the ETAN software and provide transparency on the history and reliability of the ETAN software.
“To restore confidence in SANDAG, the investigation should ascertain who within the organization was aware of issues with the software, the duration of their knowledge, and explain why the Board Chair and Board of Directors were not apprised of these concerns. Additionally, the Board should be presented with a plan outlining strategies to address numerous challenges apparent with the toll operations.”
