Tag Archives: carpool lanes

To accelerate the building of 13.5 miles of HOV lanes on I-5 in Santa Clarita area, Metro proposes charging tolls for vehicles with one or two occupants to use the lanes

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Metro this month is providing key details on plans to accelerate an important Measure R project for northern Los Angeles County. The project would add carpool lanes for 13.5 miles in both directions to Interstate 5 through the Santa Clarita area. A toll for vehicles with one or two occupants (at peak hours only for vehicles with two occupants) would be charged to use the lanes — with the tolls being used to finance the construction of the carpool lanes about 30 years earlier than planned in Metro's long-range plan.

There's a lot more detail in the Q & A that follows in the post. The absolute crucial details: the lanes would be managed to maintain speeds of at least 45 mph, the number of general traffic lanes would remain the same and the new lanes will add capacity to the freeway, especially when coupled with the new truck lanes being built on either side of the Newhall Pass.

There are two community meetings scheduled this month to discuss the project. The public can ask questions and provide feedback. Content at all meetings will be identical; please attend the location most convenient for you. All meetings are open to the public and we urge you to invite your friends and neighbors.

Tuesday, February 26th, 2013, 6-8 PM
Sports Complex – City of Santa Clarita
20880 Centre Pointe Pkwy
Santa Clarita, CA 91350
Served by Santa Clarita Transit Lines 5 and 6

Thursday, February 28, 2013, 6-8 PM
Rancho Pico Junior High School
26250 Valencia Bl
Stevenson Ranch, CA 91381
Served by Santa Clarita Transit Line 7

Below is the Q&A on the project with a lot more detail and there's a short Power Point on the project after the jump. I'm interested in your thoughts on the project, particularly if you live in Santa Clarita or elsewhere in northern L.A. County.

What exactly is the project proposing to do?

The project would use a public-private partnership to build one carpool/toll lane in each direction to the I-5 freeway for 13.5 miles between the 14 freeway and Parker Road. A private firm would be hired to help fund, build and manage the lanes and be paid back with toll revenue. That would allow the project to be completed by 2019 instead of 2040 or later.

This stretch of freeway includes some of the fastest-growing areas in Southern California — the city of Santa Clarita has gone from 79,000 people in 1979 to more than 201,000 in 2012 and is expected to add 50,000 more people in the next 30 years, not including growth in the unincorporated parts of the Santa Clarita Valley. Not surprisingly, traffic congestion in the Santa Clarita Valley and surrounding areas has worsened; the average one-way commute time of 32.7 minutes for Santa Clarita residents is among the highest in Los Angeles County.

The carpool/toll lane will be used for free by those in cars with three or more passengers. Buses, van pools and motorcycles would also use the lanes for free. Cars with two people will be able to use the lanes for free outside of peak hours — during peak hours they will be charged a toll. Single motorists will be charged a toll at all times.

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50K transponders issued so far; preparations underway to launch ExpressLanes on 10 freeway in early 2013

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Here is the news release from Metro:

Following on the heels of the successful opening of 11-miles of Metro ExpressLanes along the Harbor Freeway and with more than 50,000 Fastrak® ExpressLanes transponders issued, motorists this week will begin seeing messages on the giant display message boards along the

I-10 San Bernardino Freeway in preparation for the opening of the ExpressLanes along this stretch of freeway in early 2013.

The large electronic digital ExpressLane message boards will display information regarding the program. No date has been set for the official opening of the ExpressLanes along the 10 San Bernardino Freeway but work is progressing for a possible late January/early February opening.

“We encourage San Gabriel Valley commuters to get their FasTrak transponders now so they will be ready to enjoy all the benefits of the ExpressLanes when the lanes open on the 10 freeway next year,” said Duarte Mayor and Metro Board Member John Fasana. “With the successful opening of the I-110 ExpressLanes, we look forward to seeing how the I-10 ExpressLanes will reduce traffic congestion in the San Gabriel Valley.”

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Metro ExpressLanes flowed well on 110 on Tuesday morning

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The above photo was taken at 7:15 a.m. this morning of the northbound 110 freeway; the ExpressLanes are the two far-left lanes. As you can see, traffic was flowing smoothly in the heart of the morning rush hour.

The ExpressLanes averaged about 1,200 vehicles per hour during the rush hour Tuesday morning, which is about 85 percent of weekday volume. Speeds averaged 60 mph and never fell below 45 mph, the target minimum speed on the ExpressLanes.

The average end-to-end toll this morning was $9.35; the maximum toll is $1.40 per mile or $15.40 for the entire 11-mile trip on the ExpressLanes on the 110 freeway. The minimum toll is 25 cents per mile or $2.75 for the entire 11 miles.

Three reminders:

•The toll you see posted on the electronic sign at the time when you enter the lanes, is locked in. In other words, if you enter the lanes and it’s $3.85, the toll rate is 35 cents and you will pay 35 cents per mile for the entire time you’re in the lanes.

•There are many ways to get FasTrak transponders; please see the ExpressLanes website to order online. Transponders can also be obtained through AAA (members get a discount), at Metro Customer Service Centers in Gardena and El Monte and discounts are available at Albertons and Costco.

•The $3 Monthly Account Maintenance Fee will not go into effect until after the I-10 ExpressLanes open in early 2013.

And so it begins: ExpressLanes — Los Angeles County's first foray into congestion pricing — open Saturday night on 110 freeway!

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The first freeway in Los Angeles County opened in 1940 (the Pasadena Freeway), the first carpool lane in 1973 (the El Monte Busway) and Saturday at 10:02:26 p.m. the first HOT lanes debuted as part of the new ExpressLanes on the 110 freeway between Adams Boulevard and 182nd Street.

Here’s the email we just received from ExpressLanes Executive Officer Stephanie Wiggins:

At 10:02:26pm HOT lanes on the 110 were delivered to LA County.
Birth Length: 11 miles (Between Adams Blvd and 91 freeway)
Birth Weight: extremely heavy
Posted Toll Amount (NB) (Harbor Gateway Transit Center to Adams Blvd): $4.10
Posted Toll Amount (SB) (Adams Blvd to 91 Freeway): $3.40

 

Obviously traffic is fairly light on a Saturday night but the ExpressLanes may get a better workout tomorrow when the Clippers play at Staples Center at 12:30 p.m. followed by a Lakers game at 6:30 p.m. The first big rush hour test will begin early Monday morning.

The carpool lanes on the 110 remain free for carpoolers, vanpools and motorcycles. The big difference between now and life before 10:02:26 p.m. tonight is that single motorists can use the lanes in exchange for a toll. The toll will change depending on the amount of traffic; when there’s plenty of extra space in the carpool lanes, tolls will be less expensive. When there’s less space due to heavier traffic, the tolls will be pricier — the idea being to limit the number of cars so that the carpools are always flowing at a minimum of 45 mph.

Tolls for single motorists will vary between 25 cents per mile and $1.40 per mile. If you enter the lanes, the price of tolls is locked you pay is locked into the amount per mile at the time you entered the lanes.

Another key difference between the new ExpressLanes and days of yore is that ALL VEHICLES, EVEN CARPOOLERS, ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE A FASTRAK TRANSPONDER IN ORDER TO USE THE LANES. I put that in bold caps because it’s the question we’ve been getting time and again.

All the information you need about getting a FasTrak transponder can be found here. Also, here’s a recent post on The Source succinctly explaining some of the basics about the ExpressLanes. And here’s the news release posted yesterday on the new lanes.

Finally, a short editorial message from yours truly: The ExpressLanes are a one-year experiment funded largely by our friends in Washington D.C. The reason that Metro is trying HOT lanes — which are used in other areas around the country — is that the status quo on area freeways wasn’t all that great. It’s time to try another way to manage the freeways to see if there’s a way to improve traffic flows and raise some revenues that will be pumped back into much-needed traffic.

If you have questions, fire away and we’ll try to promptly answer them!

 

Live chat transcripts on ExpressLanes is posted!

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Here is the full transcript from the live web chat with ExpressLanes Executive Officer Stephanie Wiggins from last Friday about Metro’s ExpressLanes project, which opens on the 110 freeway on Saturday. To get a FasTrak transponder to use the lanes — and everyone who uses the lanes must have one — please click here.

Questions are in bold.

Good morning Stephanie! Thanks for joining us today to answer questions about ExpressLanes. This is a new thing for Los Angeles but we gather it’s pretty common in other parts of the country/world. Can you name a few other cities that are using ExpressLanes and how they are working out?

Great question! ExpressLanes, also known as High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes, are working well in 14 cities in the U.S., including San Diego, Orange County, Seattle, Minneapolis, Atlanta and Miami. It takes a while for the public to adjust to the new system but they typically like ExpressLanes once they start using them. ExpressLanes benefit everyone by providing reduced travel times, improved air quality, and more frequent transit service.

Several people have told me they have driven on the stretch of the 110 that will soon become express lanes. But they have been ticketed and cited for being in those lanes without the transponders prior to the lanes turning into express. Are these tickets valid being that they were issued before Nov 10? thanks. Ginger Chan

Ginger, The 110 ExpressLanes are not in operation until November 10. However, if commuters are driving alone in the 110 HOV lanes today, they are in violation of the minimum occupancy requirement and could receive a citation. To confirm the validity of the ticket they should contact the CHP.

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How to enter and exit from ExpressLanes

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We’re at t-minus eight days until the opening of the ExpressLanes on the 110 freeway on Saturday, Nov. 10. We’ve been posting tips from the ExpressLanes teams on how to use the lanes. Today’s lesson: how to get into and out of them! From the team:

“It’s important to note that the ExpressLanes are separated from the general purpose lanes by double solid white lines. This is a change from the typical carpool lanes which are separated from the general purpose lanes by double solid yellow lines.

Why the change? In 2011, the State passed a law requiring Express Lanes to conform to the federal requirement that double white lines serve as the buffer striping to separate the general purpose lanes from the Express Lanes. It’s a moving violation to cross the double white lines so never cross a double white or double yellow line. The double white lines are in effect 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The 110 ExpressLanes have designated entry and exit points indicated by a single dashed white line. For more information on how the ExpressLanes will work, check out the above video.

 

Still need a transponder? Order one here.

ExpressLanes FAQ, part one — 10 days and counting until Los Angeles County's first congestion pricing project opens.

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We’re now 10 days from the opening of the ExpressLanes on the 110 freeway between Adams Boulevard and the Artesia Transit Center. The project is posting a top 10 of frequently-asked questions until then. Here’s part one; we’ll do our best to answer any remaining questions on our comments board.

Also, I know that many readers have complained about the FasTrak maintenance fee of $3 per month for those who use the ExpressLanes three or fewer times each month. As the FAQ says, those fees do not begin until after ExpressLanes opens on the 10 freeway early next year.

Metro reaches milestone of issuing 20,000 FastTrak transponders for ExpressLanes

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The ExpressLanes project on the 110 freeway opens on Saturday, Nov. 10. Here’s the news release from Metro:

Reaching another significant milestone in its Congestion Reduction Demonstration Initiative, Metro announced today that it has issued more than 20,000 FasTrak® transponders in advance of the Nov. 10 debut of the Metro ExpressLanes on the 110 Harbor Freeway.

Beginning tomorrow (Oct. 31), Metro will start counting down the days to the opening of the first Express Lanes in Los Angeles County with messages on digital messages signs (DMS) over the 110 Harbor Freeway Metro ExpressLanes.

“The public’s support for this project has been impressive as we issue more than 20,000 FasTrak transponders before the start of operations,” said Metro CEO Art Leahy. “Commuters have just a few more weeks to get the FasTrak transponders they will need to travel in the ExpressLanes when they open on the 110 Freeway. Opening your account now will ensure you’re ready to enjoy the advantages of the 110 Metro ExpressLanes on the very first day.”

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Special guest appearance by Mel tomorrow!

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Mel the Metro ExpressLanes Van.

If you don’t have your ExpressLanes transponder yet — and think you will use one — Mel, the Metro ExpressLanes Van, will be out and about tomorrow, setting up transponder accounts on FasTrak®.

Visit her at the Farmer’s Market at L.A. City Hall tomorrow, as well as the following two Thursdays between 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. at 200 N. Main St. in downtown L.A. 90012.

Mell is traveling around the region to bring FasTrak® accounts and transponders to commuters so they will be ready to use the Metro ExpressLanes when the lanes open on the 110 Harbor Freeway on Nov. 10 and on the 10 San Bernardino Freeway early next year.

Transponders can also be ordered online.