Simon* had no idea how much money he owed until the letters gushed out of his mailbox.
He assumed his wife had been paying his CityLink tolls so he could travel to work each day.
What should have cost Simon $8000 at most had ballooned to $60,000. There was no hope of him paying that back.
So on Tuesday morning he joined the roll call at the Werribee Magistrates Court, where dozens of toll road cases were listed.
Simon's wife had failed to pay the tolls as their financial strain grew.
They were already struggling with mounting stress so she hid the fines to avoid upsetting him further.
"To be in court for something like this is shattering," he said, outside court.
"It's just about killed my marriage with my wife who I love dearly. It's ridiculous, there's no need for it."
The matter was adjourned but he must appear again in court next year.
Simon's lawyer Melanie Rudolphus said her client's case was devastating – particularly considering he has no criminal history.
"It can be quite humiliating," she said. "Having the court hear your circumstances and why you can't keep up leaves you very exposed."
She said she had heard of one case where a woman accumulated $400,000 in fines.
Fairfax Media visited the Werribee Magistrates Court on Tuesday morning as many stories of financial desperation emerged.
Another woman sobbed at the table laying out the timeline to the magistrate of how she came to owe tens of thousands of dollars for travelling on CityLink.
There had been dashes overseas to see her terminally ill mother while she and her partner had both endured bouts of unemployment.
Although her partner had racked up most of the fines for driving her car on CityLink, now she was representing herself in court desperate to avoid further embarrassment before her life spiralled further into chaos.
One man told the court he was unable to work more than 20 hours a week after undergoing heart surgery.
He wanted to drive a taxi to begin repaying his debt of up to $20,000 but his licence had been revoked because of his fines.
These scenes are playing out in courtrooms across Melbourne.
In the most serious cases the drivers face time behind bars if they default on their debt payments.
Critics of the toll road system say it is placing a massive burden on Victoria's criminal justice system and it is inappropriate for courts to be enforcing what are essentially civil fines.
Now CityLink's operator, Transurban, is seeking to extend its toll concession on the road for up to 12 years in exchange for building the West Gate Tunnel, which will provide an alternative to the West Gate Bridge.
Transurban customer operations general manager Kristine Cooney said 99 per cent of people paid their tolls.
"We do everything we can to help people with their unpaid tolls," she said.
The company offers first-time forgiveness and hardship programs.
Attorney-General Martin Pakula has said the Andrews government has overhauled the state's infringement system to make it easier and fairer for Victorians to manage their fines.
The new system will allow disadvantaged people to undertake community service or other activities if they cannot repay their debts.
*Not his real name.
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