Congestion pricing details begin to emerge

In recent days Metro has begun to quietly settle on some of the details of converting the carpool lanes on parts of the 10 and 110 freeways into toll lanes. Big-time credit for ferreting out this info goes to Damien Newton at Streetsblog Los Angeles who last week posted about it after going to a sparsely attended meeting on the toll plan in South Los Angeles.

(correction: an earlier version of this post credited Laist.com with going to the meeting. Laist had a fine post, too, but it was based on Damien's post.)

Metro's media office just e-mailed me what the emerging rules are on who can and can't use the lanes. Although earlier discussions had mentioned excluding hybrid cars that already had stickers allowing them to use the carpool lane, Metro now says they will continue to have access to the lane for free, although the minimum carpool requirement on the 10 remains three people.

The idea for the lanes is that the tolls will change by time of day. When demand is high (i.e. during rush hour, for example), the price will be high to lower demand on the lane. Conversely, when there's little traffic, the price will be low. This is the same tolling scheme applied to the 91 express lanes in Orange County.

The other rules, in the words of Metro:

Peak hours

For the 110 freeway, a two (2) person carpool would drive free during peak hours - - consistent with current minimum occupancy. Single drivers, who cannot access the lanes today, would have a choice to buy into the HOT lanes at certain times of the day.

For the 10 freeway, a three (3) person carpool would drive free during peak hours -- consistent with current minimum occupancy. Two person and single drivers, who cannot access the lanes today, would have a choice to buy into the HOT lanes at certain times of the day.

Non-Peak

For the 110 freeway, a two (2) person carpool would drive free during non-peak hours -- consistent with current minimum occupancy. Single drivers, who cannot access the lanes today, would have a choice to buy into the HOT lanes at certain times of the day.

For the 10 Freeway, a three (3) person carpool and 2 person carpool would drive free during non-peak hours -- consistent with current minimum occupancy. Single drivers, who cannot access the lanes today, would have a choice to buy into the HOT lanes at certain times of the day.

So, that's what Metro is saying. The obvious question is what does "certain times of the day" mean? My best guess is that it means when there's capacity available in the lanes, solo drivers can buy their way in. I've asked Metro to clarify and will update this post later when/if they do. I've also asked them to clarify the rules for motorcycles.

(UPDATE: Metro says motorcycles will have free use of the carpool lanes at all times.)

The Metro plan has similarities to the way that other congestion pricing lanes are managed. For example, the 91 express lanes allow carpools with three or more passengers to use the lanes for free with one exception -- eastbound from 4 to 6 p.m., when three-plus carpoolers must pay a toll but get a 50% discount.

Also, carpools of two or more use the toll lanes on the 15 freeway in San Diego County for free.

-- Steve Hymon

photo: Glenn Koenig / LAT
 

Comments

[BOB2]

Calwatch is correct. There is no surplus capacity on the I-10 during the am peak. Now comes word that Caltrans is considering restriping the 10 HOV lane to add a lane to get the capacity to toll. They refused to consider this in 2000-2001 saying, that with the level of bus operations on the El Monte busway, it would be unsafe? Now, its suddenly okay?

Caltrans has been ordered by the Governor's office to support this bizarre Villaraigoza-Bush Administration proposal to toll carpool lanes, and now safety and bus operations don't really matter. Can you say POLITICS.

What is equally frightening is that so many "supposed" democrats supported tolling carpool lanes, the brainchild of the Exxon Mobile supported libertarian "Reason" Foundation. This in the face of bi-partisan oppositon by our Congressional delegaton on this issue of tolling Federally funded interstates lanes we have already paid for??? All of this during a time of unprecedented carpool lane useage due to high gasoline prices. Politics does make strange bedfellows, but not good policy on this one.

[calwatch]

The fatc is that the 10 freeway carpool lane is already at capacity, though. Caltrans statistics from the PEMS shows that it is running at 30 mph with the current speeds. There is no capacity to sell in the hours that matter most.