The ExpressLanes toll lanes pilot on the 110 and 10 Freeways hasn't been a total runaway success so far. While traffic moves well in the carpool/toll lanes, average speeds have dropped in the regular lanes since the program kicked off. And then there's the thorny transponder issue. Everyone who uses the ExpressLanes has to get one, at an initial cost of $40 plus a monthly $3 service charge for drivers who use the lanes four or fewer times a month--that's whether they're using the lanes as part of a carpool, or paying for the privilege of zooming past traffic. But there's a sliver of good news from LA County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky's website out of today's Metro board of director's meeting: the monthly fee will be dropped for all transponder owners. If you live in LA County and use the ExpressLanes four or fewer times each month, you just made $3. Congratulations! But don't go spending all that money just yet--the fee has only been suspended for six months, as Metro assesses the impact of the change. Yaroslavsky says that the move won't have much impact on the project's bottom line, but thinks it was "an unfair fee."
· A monthly toll road fee exits early [ZevWeb]
· 110's New Toll Lanes Speedier But Regular Lanes Are Slower [Curbed LA]
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