Slow Express Lanes Causes L.A. County Metro to Tinker With Toll Pricing

Express Lanes on the 110 and 10 freeways have become clogged with solo-commuters, resulting in a drop in speed that potentially jeopardizes federal funding. Steve Scauzillo of the San Gabriel Valley Tribune reports that L.A. County Metro officials are now looking at raising prices further to disincentivize use of the Express Lanes during the most congested periods. However, Metro Board members confused by the dynamic pricing strategy aren’t convinced that raising prices will result in faster moving traffic.

The new pricing raises the maximum from $1.40 to $1.50 per mile but only on congested segments and not when delays are caused by road work or an accident. [Shahrzad Amiri, Metro’s executive officer] couldn’t say exactly how much more solo commuters would pay, but said Metro only could raise peak tolls 30 cents more per year. “The current maximum price ... does not appear to be enough of a disincentive for toll-paying customers to choose not to enter the ExpressLanes,” she wrote in a report to the board.