L.A. County considers congestion pricing for 110 and 10 freeways

[marmar]

from the Los Angeles Times:



L.A. County considers congestion pricing for 110 and 10 freeways
Under the proposal, tolls of 25 cents to $1.40 per mile would be charged for solo motorists in HOV lanes. Fees would rise and fall in relation to the volume of traffic.

By Dan Weikel
June 9, 2009


Los Angeles County transportation officials are considering prices of 25 cents to $1.40 per mile for solo motorists who use the high-occupancy toll lanes that have been proposed for the 110 and 10 freeways.

Like other tollways in Southern California, officials plan to use congestion-based pricing -- tolls that rise and fall in direct relation to the volume of traffic -- to keep individual motorists, carpools, van pools and buses in the high-occupancy lanes at a minimum speed of 45 mph, even during rush hour.

Under the tentative pricing schedule, 25 cents per mile would be charged when demand is lowest for the lanes, while the maximum toll, $1.40 per mile, would be in effect during the busiest part of the day. Vehicles carrying more than one person would not be charged.

"The project should go a long way to relieving congestion in the region and on two of our more congested freeways," said Caltrans District Director Douglas Failing, who announced the proposed tolls and other developments in the project at a news conference Monday. .........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-tollway9-2009jun09,0,7960912.story

[StrongBad]

1. Hmmm. My first reaction to this is negative, but I can also see how it might work.

Don't really know how to feel about this one.

[county worker]

2. Those who can least afford it will be hurt. Those who can afford it will pay no attention to the

social engineering that is intended. Those in the middle will take notice. People will just take the surface streets and congest them more. Almeda Street and such.

I use to drive the 10 to work and back, Figueroa to Ave 43 on the way home.

[ContinentalOp]

7. I look at it the other way around.

Get those assholes doing over 100 in their BMWs off into their own lane and not weaving in and out of traffic.

[county worker]

14. I moved away from Los Angeles because of the congestion.

I read once that in the 1800's the average speed in Los Angeles was just what it is today.

[ContinentalOp]

18. That's kind of weird.

Like saying "I moved away from Manhattan because of all of the tall buildings" It is a city after all. ;)

[county worker]

20. I was living in Burbank and waited until 1:00 AM to go to the ATM thinking that I would be the only

one there. I was wrong there was a line. I eventually moved to the boonies to get away from the lines everywhere.

I use the think that Los Angeles was the center of the universe.

[izquierdista]

8. You could take the big yellow car

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAPMvhD62kA
Oh that's right, it was a better idea for everyone to have their OWN car.....

[Bluenorthwest]

12. Fantastic video! Thanks!

[county worker]

15. Some of us cannot work 8 to 5. I drive because I may have to work late or come in early.

There isn't a one size fits all rule like you would like. Your mythical world were we all do the right thing according to you doesn't exist thank God.

[izquierdista]

19. They run more than twice a day

That's kind of the idea of PUBLIC transportation, it's there when you need it.

[county worker]

22. I don't live in LA anymore. My public transportation runs once a day.

It's called the Clean Air Express. It runs between Santa Maria, CA and Santa Barbara, CA. If I took that and worked overtime I could not get home at night.

Many people in this country do not live or work where public transportation is convenient. Of course in the "pure" world they would leave their homes and jobs and move to some city where they could ride the bus. Then you can grow your own vegetables and live stock.

[izquierdista]

23. Most people

That's because there are damn few places where public transportation exists, and is convenient. I don't see why you have this "pure" burr up your ass that everyone has to have their own private transportation. And how does this proposal on the Santa Monica and Harbor freeways concern you in any way?

[flvegan]

3. Sort of like the UK model.

Sort of.

[TahitiNut]

4. I call 'em "chauffeur lanes" ... solo working poor need not apply.

:puke:

[ContinentalOp]

9. I hate to be peddling stereotypes...

but the working poor are generally over in the right lane doing under 75 anyway.

[TahitiNut]

13. In the many years I drove California freeways, the people I saw in the HOV lanes ...

... included chauffeur-driven fat-cats, non-working mommies driving precious to school or daddy to the office, and other folks that weren't crunched for time. The people who couldn't "car pool" because they worked two jobs or a job and school and couldn't find others with the exact same schedules got screwed. In some/many cases, people would take a family member along (who would otherwise NOT even be there) to then take the car ... and would double the mileage on drop-off and pick-up.

By crowding the traffic into 1/3rd less space, they were guaranteed to have MORE crowding and LONGER time on the highway ... driving UP the use of gasoline and number of fender-benders. (Especially dangerous were the abrupt speed changes needed to merge into/out of the slow-moving traffic.) I regard the HOV lanes to be totally and utterly brain-damaged and any comprehension of queuing theory makes it obvious.

I had far less of a problem with metered on-ramps. :shrug:

[pinniped]

5. I think LA's more interested in fleecing motorists than relieving congestion.

The article fails to mention how much this scheme will net LA County annually.

[ContinentalOp]

6. Sounds great to me! -nt-

[ContinentalOp]

25. Actually, maybe not. I think I misunderstood it the first time around.

So this would take existing carpool lanes and allow single drivers to drive in them for a fee?

[MindPilot]

10. Get rid of the fucking car pool lanes.

Lose the carpool lanes and let everyone use the entire freeway. Carpool lanes are a failed attempt at social engineering; micro managing drivers instead of addressing the real problem which is too many cars and not enough road. You don't fix that by taking some road away from most drivers and allocating it to those few lucky enough to live near a co-worker, not need a vehicle during work and soccer moms in SUVs. (for the life of me I cannot figure out how a child--or a motorcycle--qualifies you for a carpool lane.)

[TahitiNut]

17. Amen.

:applause:

[JuniperLea]

11. It would save money and gas in the long run...

Less time on the road is less gas used, no matter how you slice it.

I've always thought they should just open those stupid lanes up anyway. They are useless most of the time. I don't use them even when I have a passenger... they are either clogged and slower than the rest of the traffic, or they are wide open with no one using it while traffic is bumper to bumper. And forget about the safety issues! They don't allow near enough room to get in and out of them in time to make your way across four or five lanes of traffic to make your exit! If they just open them up, everyone will go faster.

[MadHound]

16. Another day, another reason that I'm glad I don't live in California

Don't get me wrong, California has some stunning natural beauty, but the state has been so overrun with people that the sheer numbers are detracting from the state. Traffic jams, congestion, pollution, all these by products of too many people trying to live in a limited area.

[Ikonoklast]

21. I have trouble with taxpayers paying twice to use the roads.

They already paid the taxes to build and maintain these roads, and are now being asked to pay for them yet again, even if it is just for using the HOV lane.

If the real reason is to relieve congestion, do away with the under-utilized HOV lanes and open all lanes to traffic.

[devilgrrl]

24. Let us call "Tolls" for what they really are.... TAXES!!!!!

:popcorn: