P.R. Laws tit. 9, § 5652
It shall be the obligation of any motor vehicle operator who wishes to use a turnpike to stop at each toll plaza located along the expressway and pay the corresponding toll, except when the toll plaza is equipped with an electronic toll system and the vehicle is equipped with the corresponding device.
The “AutoExpreso” lane may not be used unless the corresponding device has been installed, and driving at a speed higher than the one established therefor shall not be allowed.
Any person and certified driver that violates the provisions of this section shall be subject to a civil fine in the amount of fifty dollars ($50), except in the case of plazas with electronic systems, for which the fine shall be one hundred dollars ($100). Whenever the violations of this section are committed using motor vehicles under a lease agreement, daily rental agreement, or retail installment sales contract, the fines to be imposed for violations of the provisions of this section shall not constitute a lien on the title of the vehicles used to commit the violation nor a ban on the conveyance of said title or the transfer of the license plate registered for said vehicle and the release of liability. In such cases, the fines shall be imposed on the driver or the certified driver who actually committed the violation, according to the motor vehicle owner information that is on record.
In case of emergency, the following vehicles shall be authorized to use the duly identified “ Auto Expreso ” lane:
(a) Fire engines, rescue, and emergency response vehicles, duly identified vehicles of the General Court of Justice, insofar as they are transporting inmates, and federal, state, and municipal government ambulances responding to an emergency call.
(b) Military convoys of the United States Armed Forces, including National Guard units, during mobilization or national emergencies thus declared by the Governor o[f] Puerto Rico or the President of the United States.
The Secretary shall establish, in coordination with the corresponding agencies, the special toll rate to be paid in theses cases, which shall not be greater than the operating costs the Authority incurs for the use of the toll road.
The Secretary shall regulate the application of such special rate. Likewise, he/she shall designate an “ Auto Expreso ” lane to be used exclusively by vehicles responding to a rescue or emergency situation or transporting inmates. Any public official or employee of these agencies who is not in the discharge of the specific functions described in subsections (a) and (b) of this section and who intends to evade toll payment, or any public official or employee who directs or authorizes the former to forego compliance with these subsections without having the authority to do so, shall be prosecuted under the provisions of the Penal Code of Puerto Rico.
History —Jan. 7, 2000, No. 22, § 23.02, renumbered as § 22.02 and amended on June 3, 2004, No. 132, §§ 17, 23; Oct. 17, 2009, No. 125, § 1; Aug. 4, 2012, No. 150, § 1; Sept. 15, 2012, No. 253, § 4.