The Bay Area has long resisted freeway toll lanes of any sort - but that is about to change Sept. 20 when 14 miles of the southbound lane of I-680 from Sunol (East Bay) to Milpitas (South Bay) open as an Express or High Occupancy Toll lane.
Bay Area transportation planners will be closely watching how motorists take to the new express lane - in anticipation of more to open. Already Mr. Roadshow has issued a warning (see below).
"From 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays, solo drivers who pay a fluctuating toll can join carpools of two or more in the fast lane.
Tolls, all of which will be collected electronically from FasTrak transponders by overhead antennas, will range from a minimum of 30 cents when traffic in the other lanes is light to a maximum of whatever it takes to keep traffic flowing at 50 mph or faster. Express lane officials estimate that cost will average $4 to $6. Toll amounts will be displayed on signs before the express lane entrances. Motorcycles and eligible hybrid vehicles can use the Express Lane free."
From Roadshow: Problems on new I-680 toll lane:
"Tolls will help pay for enforcement, and drivers need to stop cutting across the double white lines.
In addition, there are two toll readers near every merging spot that will detect drivers who suddenly veer out of the carpool lane to try to avoid being charged.
I took a test drive on 680 this past weekend and I have a plea: Slo-o-o-o-ow down. I'm a slow-lane guy who went into the carpool lane to test the new roadway. And man, was I scared. Yep, scared."
Thanks to MTC Library
Read the full story: Bay Area's first express lane to open on I-68
Tolling All Lanes
Bay Area transportation planners are studying a radical idea to reduce traffic congestion and fund driving alternatives: tolling all lanes on a freeway. Even more radical, the plan considers tolling parallel roads.
When Carpool Lanes Cause Mayhem
A newly widened Bay Area freeway serves as a reminder of the futility of HOV lanes. There are better ways to manage and mitigate traffic.
Congestion Pricing in the San Francisco Bay Area
Planners call them “express lanes,” but make no mistake, they are congestion pricing in action, and they're successful. The Bay Area network of what the Federal Highway Administration calls “high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes” is growing.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Chicago breaks ground on $3 billion megadevelopment
The new neighborhood, titled Foundry Park, will one day host 3,700 residences.
California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO resigns after $600,000 scandal
Under Ian Choudri, the authority used taxpayer dollars to fund first class flights and trips to nightclubs.
Want to study the Missouri River? Soon, you may need unanimous approval from 10 states
Legislation would require 10 governors’ permission to study or build projects moving water outside the basin.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority