The signage clearly displayed the cost, but failed to tell me the entire onramp to the 605 North was closed.” (Richard Yaussi/Facebook) “I made good time on the eastbound 10 tollway yesterday, using the express lanes to get to the 605. when there's no traffic).” (Brad Horstkotte/Facebook) And send $50 fines to someone (me) who accidentally strays into the lane out of force of habit, after having driven in those lanes on the weekend for 15 years (at 11 p.m.
110 freeway express lane violation free#
Take lanes that have been free for years, and start charging for them. “I hope this pilot program crashes and burns. On MetroExpressLanes Facebook page we found these recent comments: Many people are sick of the confusing tolls, the late mail and the government-ese responses from Metro. Ferguson checked her mail on May 29 and didn't have the ticket. Yet along the top of the envelope, a machine has printed a different date: May 29. Here's the next curious part: The postage on her envelope was dated May 28, one day after the Memorial Day weekend. In Ferguson's case, her ticket was dated May 23, 2013, which is seven days before the penalty was due, even if it didn't arrive until the deadline.īy the end of the day on May 30, Ferguson had paid the $3-odd fine by calling customer service for the Metro Express Lanes. Notices of toll evasions are sent out up to seven days before the penalty is due, according to Jager. “I don't know how the mailing system works,” Jager said.
Then he added this second, curious, comment: Jager said he couldn't comment on who is responsible for what happened to Ferguson, explaining that he didn't know who delivered her mail or where she lived. “She is lucky she didn't get a ticket from CHP. Rick Jager, a Metro spokesman, had a curious response to Ferguson's ticket, which was due to be paid to Metro pretty much right that minute, or else: Her ticket, for “toll evasion,” showed she used the 110 northbound between Slauson Avenue and 39th Street, a section of about 1.6 miles designated as part of a Metro Express Lane. She didn't even know she was on a toll road because - lucky woman - she very seldom has to actually drive on the crammed 110. She didn't have the FasTrak “transponder” required of all motorists who use the experimental, congestion-priced route that has been in effect since November. She drove with a passenger on the 105, then the 110, as she returned home from LAX the morning of May 13, the date of her violation. 4 p.m.-7 p.m.), but will have toll-free use during off-peak hours. Vehicles with two occupants will pay a toll during peak hours (5 a.m.-9 a.m. On the I-10, vehicles with three or more occupants will be able to use Metro ExpressLanes toll-free at all hours. On the I-110, vehicles with two or more occupants per vehicle will be able to continue using the Metro ExpressLanes toll-free.
We went to the website and found this Metro rule about how the fees work:Īll vehicles traveling on the Metro ExpressLanes must have a FasTrak® transponder. A few days notice would be good to open the mail, send out a check for what was being asked. I was frustrated because I wasn't given time to understand what the violation was about. It doesn't seem reasonable to demand payment on the same day it arrived. I don't have a problem paying the $3 fine. Sometimes motorists don't even realize they were on a toll road until the demand for payment arrives in the mail. Many people are angry about the new tolls and surprise tickets. Had she failed to pay the $3.05 due on that very day, she would have owed $28.05 for being “late.” But not so much about the ticket as its due date - May 30, the same day the ticket arrived in the mail. Amanda Ferguson, 42, of Echo Park, on May 30 received in the mail a toll road ticket for driving on the 110 in South L.A.