Streetsblog Los Angeles

Image via Metro

This weekend, Express Lanes opened on 14 miles of the I-10 between Alameda Street in downtown Los Angeles and the 605 freeway. The lanes converted existing HOV lanes to HOV/HOT lanes during non-peak hours. This means solo-car commuters can buy their way into the carpool lane if they have a FastTrack transponder. Carpoolers will also need to purchase the transponder. This need is controversial.

But what hasn’t been controversial is the actual conversion. When New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg proposed a congestion pricing fee for some lanes in New York City, the press and many community groups went into over drive. In Los Angeles, there were a handful of angry letters sent to the Metro Board of Directors, and there seems to be grumbling about the transpoder requirement for carpools. Other than that, the hysteria is on hold. Or even non-existent.

The worst coverage of ExpressLanes, and really the only negative mainstream coverage, came from ABC 7′s super reporter David Ono. Ono interviews presidents, travels to disaster zones, and is one of ABC’s anchors. I’m guessing at some point he’s going to look back at this story and regret it. Basically, Ono goes for a ride with a driver next to the I-110 ExpressLanes and does a “man on the street” story that is more than a little slanted against the project.

After the video, read on to see what Ono got wrong.

Read more…

Image:Metro.net

Ever since Metro first announced the details of its ExpressLanes program, converting HOV lanes to variable toll lanes on parts of the I-10 and I-110 debate has been fierce. In legacy media outlets, the debate has been over whether or not it is right or ethical for government to charge drivers for access to the lanes. In outlets devoted to transportation coverage, the debate has focused on a $3 monthly fee that ExpressLane transponder holders will incur if they drive in these lanes less than four times a month.

Picking up the argument that the fee “kills” casual carpooling, L.A. County Supervisor and Metro Board Member Zev Yaroslavsky. At the last meeting of the Metro Board of Directors, Yaroslavsky moved that staff prepare a motion and report on removing the fee. For the record, the fee will not go into effect until the I-10 Express Lanes open later this year under current plans.

Yesterday, The Source highlighted a memo written by Metro staff explaining the $3 charge. After first explaining that this fee is consistent with other toll agencies in the state, the staff report offers two major reasons for the fee: it offsets costs associated with maintaining the accounts and it prevents toll lane users from using Metro’s “free fee accounts” to get transponders which are only used in other regions.

To make sense of Metro’s arguments outlined below, one must first understand that when a driver purchases a FastTrack transponder and account, they’re not giving money to Metro. Metro receives money every time a toll is charged, or a user fee.

So what fees are associated with FastTrack accounts? Metro breaks it down.

For a full copy of the proposal, visit The Source

At first glance, it appears that the account fees are being used to offset the cost of having a customer service center. On second glance, the numbers don’t make a lot of sense. Read more…

(Those of you that follow Streetsblog on Twitter may have noticed the ExpressLanes team at Metro were less than thrilled with our article on the concerns some have with the transponder requirement to access ExpressLanes. We invited them to write a response and Stephanie Wiggins, Executive Officer for the Congestion Reduction Demonstration Initiative, responded. – D)

So, what happens to carpools when toll operations begin on the 110 Harbor Freeway (between Adams Boulevard and the 91 Freeway) on Nov. 10 and on the 10 San Bernardino Freeway (between Alameda Street and the 605) next year? This has been a topic of discussion lately on social media and a few blogs. What we are hearing is some carpoolers don’t understand the rules for carpools when tolling starts. Some are concerned they will have to pay a $40 pre-paid toll deposit, and that “casual” carpoolers who don’t travel these freeways frequently will be forced to use the general purpose lanes because they don’t have the required transponder. Finally, others simply say the ExpressLanes won’t improve the flow of traffic, and that the ExpressLanes may actually discourage carpoolers.

We understand those concerns and want to keep the dialogue going. First, we must point out that we are implementing this multi-faceted ExpressLanes program because we believe it will reduce traffic congestions and improve your commute.

It will do this by increasing travel options with more buses, vanpools, expanded transit stations and more. It also will maximize freeway capacity on heavily traveled sections of the 110 and 10 by converting the carpool lanes to High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes. The HOT lanes allow solo drivers (and two-person carpools on the 10 during rush hours) to use the ExpressLanes for a toll.

To avoid backups in the Metro ExpressLanes, sensors are deployed that measure congestion and adjust the tolls, increasing the toll from 25 cents a mile up to a maximum of $1.40 a mile as more vehicles enter the Metro ExpressLanes.

As we prepare for the launch of the tolling program, we are going to be flexible enough to make adjustments once it begins and throughout the one-year pilot period.

Let’s start by laying out the facts related to carpools:  Read more…

A banner from The Transit Coalition's "We Want Toll Lanes Done Right" page for the I-91 in the Inland Empire.

On November 10, the I-110 ExpressLanes, a type of “congestion pricing” or HOT Lane System, will open on the I-110 from just South of the 91 Freeway going north all the way to just South of the I-10. Early next year, the similar lanes will open on the I-10. In both cases, single-occupancy vehicles will be allowed into what are currently high occupancy or low-emission vehicle lanes (HOV Lanes) for a small cost per mile which will vary pending congestion conditions. If there is too much congestion in the ExpressLane, then it will be closed to all but the carpoolers.

“Everywhere it’s been tried, congestion has gone down,” Mayor Villaraigosa told Streetsblog in our July interview when discussing Metro’s ExpressLanes plan. The Mayor also pointed to the over $200 million Metro received to be a test case for HOV to HOT lane conversion that allowed Metro to refurbish the El Monte transit center, increase bus access along the corridor, purchase 100 new vans for its van pool program, and a laundry list of other improvements.

Yet, many in the transit community fear the coming ExpressLanes, worrying that a “less than smooth” implementation could set the idea of road pricing back a generation in L.A. County.

Nicholas Ventrone, with The Transit Coalition, is one of those that is worried. He warns that by requiring anyone that uses the ExpressLanes, even those doing so “for free” because of a carpool, to have a transponder; Metro is creating an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy and undermining support for the project. Read more…