The Convoluted California Carpool Lanes
Convoluted Carpool Lanes
Carpool lanes started as a simple energy-conservation and pollution-reducing incentive: multiple people riding in a car get access to a special lane that typically moves faster than other lanes of traffic. Over time, transportation agencies and regional governments have piled on a range of goodies into these lanes. Electric vehicles and hybrids got special access to carpool lanes. Next, money got special access where you could pay to play no matter your car or occupancy. These goodies provided the rich with ways to move faster than everyone else. These goodies also priced out and thus excluded the poor.
Now, it seems there is some recognition of the inequality and unfairness built into these carpool goodie schemes. For example, the Bay Area’s Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) is experimenting with “Express Lanes Start” that offers access to the carpool lane (now called Express Lanes) at a 50% discount for those who meet maximum income requirements. The starting premise on the website struck a comedic chord: “Do you need to travel in the I-880 Express Lanes?” Well, who exactly wants to avoid the express lane? Surely each and every person wants to get from A to B faster than everyone else!
Back to First Principles
The carpool lanes are a classic example of how a simple concept has become overly complicated by layer upon layer of government policies and programs either offering goodies to certain constituencies or fixing one problem with new problems. If the objective of high occupancy lanes is to reduce cars on the road and to reduce pollution, then going back to first principles makes sense. The rich and poor alike can find like-minded people to share a ride. No need to over analyze this problem with convoluted carpool lanes.
Bewildering Dynamic Pricing Rules
These convoluted rules for carpool lanes come with equally bewildering dynamic pricing rules. The toll for travelling just a few miles can go sky high. For example, California’s highway 880 that runs the eastern length of the East Bay can exact a heavy toll on those who want to pay to play. I recorded some sample price data on May 23, 2023 going north on highway 880. The accompanying approximate distances distances come from Google maps.
- Fremont Cushing (the location of a Tesla factory) to Mowry is 4.7 miles and cost $7
- Fremont Cushing to Decoto is 7.5 miles and cost $11.75
- Just before Alvarado to Whipple is 2.5 miles and cost $7
- Just before Alvarado to Hesperian/238 is 9.2 miles and cost $14
This pricing makes no sense to me. My youngest brother explains that the prices are set to keep traffic moving at the speed limit (the supply and demand balance of dynamic pricing). However, these prices are so high that surely only the very rich and the very rushed will pay: an express lane for the elite. Even a 50% discount seems like an insufficient consolation for the poor.
Instead of a method for saving energy and reducing pollution, express lanes look more like a convoluted method for generating revenues for transportation agencies.
