The 405’s new tolled express lanes opened up on Dec. 1 signifying the completion of a freeway widening project that added lanes and improved infrastructure, but rush hour traffic backups remain a regular occurrence.
Too many cars and not enough space on the roads. But those willing to pay up to a $10 toll, as well as carpoolers, can use the two new express lanes to speed by traffic. Already, a steady stream of cars in the express lanes pass by traffic on the 405 Freeway.
The debut of the lanes raised some eyebrows and prompted questions from some about the new cost. Transportation experts who spoke to The Register said while not everyone will choose to use the express lanes, or can afford to use them, there are benefits to all drivers on the freeway: the lanes punching above their weight for the amount of traffic they carry, having the option to bypass slow traffic when arriving on time is especially important, and a steady revenue stream for maintenance.
“It’s basically a win-win for almost everybody, the express lanes,” said UC Irvine economics professor Jan Brueckner, a member of the university’s Institute of Transportation Studies.
The 405 Express Lanes are composed of two lanes in each direction from Costa Mesa to the Los Angeles/Orange County border and need a FasTrak transponder to use. Solo drivers always need to pay a toll. Three-person carpools are always free and two-person carpools ride free during non-peak hours. Drivers with designated veteran or disabled person plates may also use the express lanes for free.
Brian D. Taylor, a UCLA professor of urban planning and public policy, said express lanes replace expending time in traffic with spending money.
“The difference between that is when someone pays in time, who gets the revenue? No one. There is no revenue. It’s paid time. It’s gone,” Taylor said. “When you pay a fee you get revenue. Well, you can do all sorts of things with those revenues.”
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