Would You Pay $1.40/Mile to Use the Carpool Lane Solo?

Metro wants to test out their own brand of congestion pricing called ExpressLanes, which would allow solo drivers to access carpool lanes for a price. For one year, starting in December 2010, Metro will convert carpool lanes on the I-10 (El Monte Busway) and the I-110 (Harbor Freeway Transitway) freeways to toll lanes.

Those who travel via public transit or carpool would not have to pay, but solo drivers could end up paying as little as $0.25 or as much as $1.40 per mile to access the lanes, depending on the time of day and traffic flow. Revenues would then go back to the project's operation budget and into funds for improving public transit along the same corridors.

"The purpose," explains Metro in a press release, "of the demonstration is to squeeze more capacity out of crowded freeways in a region where building new freeways is almost impossible because land is not available and there is a lack of funding for new construction."

Chime in: You can opine here in LAist's comment section and also on the record at a series of upcoming public meetings: