Gary Gallegos, executive director of the San Diego Association of Governments, is credited with spearheading the express lanes across San Diego County. Though not necessarily of the same design, toll lanes are also planned on Interstates 10 and 110 in Los Angeles County and Highway 91 in Riverside County.Īnd motorists on Orange County’s traffic-heavy roads are already familiar with toll roads - they are present on Highways 73, 241 and 91, the last of which runs to the Riverside County line. The new four-lane I-15 corridor, officially known as the I-15 Express Lanes, is seen as a model for the future projects. Toll lanes are planned in San Diego County along Interstates 5and 805 and Highways 52 and 78in coming years. Also, the analysis did not examine how many of the registered luxury cars regularly use the toll lanes. It is generally understood, for example, that San Diego County is already home to a larger share of luxury cars than many parts of California, given its relatively higher per-capita income. Many variables could account for why a larger share of luxury cars use the toll lanes compared with all the roads across the state. The findings provide one look at the make-up of the I-15 toll lane vehicles. In its analysis, the Times compared the share of registered I-15 FasTrak cars of all makes with the 2011 market share of vehicles on all California roads, as published on the California New Car Dealers Association website.Figures for San Diego County-only registrations were not available. Fares are automatically charged as drivers, who place transponders on their windshields, pass under electronic sensors. Solo drivers pay between $0.50 and $8 to use the express lanes, depending on how far they travel and how congested the outer lanes are. On I-15, fee-paying solo drivers share the express lanes with car-poolers, bus riders and motorcyclists, who all use it for free. The North County Times analysis tallied vehicle data for all FasTrakusers on I-15 in San Diego County.įasTrak is an electronic tolling program used across California. All over the nation there are Lexus lanes, and whether we like it or not, we can look forward to more of them as planners look to (use) price to move vehicles off the road,” said Eric Noble, president of the Orange-based consulting firm The Car Lab. “These are lanes for the people who can and are willing to pay more. The findings by the North County Times, according to one auto industry expert, fuels the argument that toll lanes are “inherently inequitable.” On the other side, planners say these new lanes benefit all drivers by reducing overall freeway congestion paving the way for rapid bus lines and giving the public choices for how to move across the county. That’s about 1.5 times the share of BMWs registered in California.īy contrast, nonluxury vehicle brands Honda and Toyota account for a smaller percentage of the toll lane cars compared with their overall share across California.Īs the San Diego region plans more toll/car-pool corridors, critics say drivers who can’t afford the tolls - or find a partner to drive with - will be stuck in gridlock. BMWs made up 5.8 percent of the toll lane vehicles.
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