'Cheating' drivers aren't paying Highway 101 express lane tolls

[ZLoth]

From SF Gate:

'Cheating' drivers aren't paying Highway 101 express lane tolls

If you've ever been stuck in traffic on a Bay Area highway and wondered if the people flying by you on express lanes were actually paying the tolls, your suspicions were correct: A lot of them are cheating Highway 101's newly installed express lane toll system.

Peter Skinner, the executive officer of the San Mateo County Transportation Authority, told SFGATE that cheating drivers have become a "legitimate concern" ever since the county's new express lane system was installed on Highway 101, between Palo Alto and South San Francisco.

FULL ARTICLE HERE

Of course, what's a major problem....

A glaring problem: The agency is hamstrung in catching these cheating drivers because state law has made it illegal for automatic cameras to take photos of passengers inside cars, according to Skinner. Instead, the agency relies on CHP to catch violators in real time, which is a burdensome safeguard.

[Rothman]

My word.  Well, new school toll collection with old school enforcement...

[wanderer2575]

A glaring problem: The agency is hamstrung in catching these cheating drivers because state law has made it illegal for automatic cameras to take photos of passengers inside cars, according to Skinner. Instead, the agency relies on CHP to catch violators in real time, which is a burdensome safeguard.

This didn't occur to anyone during the planning stage?

Maybe after the Ohio Turnpike finally gets its new toll system online, they can donate their old gates and toll tickets to California.

[ElishaGOtis]

One aspect that makes enforcement difficult is the fact you can enter or exit the "express lanes" at any point. Not only does that alone make HOV enforcement difficult, but also it also makes toll collection more complicated. They're not really true "express" lanes...

[ZLoth]

One aspect that makes enforcement difficult is the fact you can enter or exit the "express lanes" at any point. Not only does that alone make HOV enforcement difficult, but also it also makes toll collection more complicated. They're not really true "express" lanes...

Extremely true. One time while I was driving to the bay area a few years ago, someone passed me to the left, merged right to avoid the express lane toll gantry, then merged left again and sped away. I didn't have a dash cam at the time, but I can guarantee you that it was a solid lane line on the right.

Of course, there are reasons why those "Express" lanes are called "Lexus Lanes"....

[citrus]

One aspect that makes enforcement difficult is the fact you can enter or exit the "express lanes" at any point. Not only does that alone make HOV enforcement difficult, but also it also makes toll collection more complicated. They're not really true "express" lanes...

Extremely true. One time while I was driving to the bay area a few years ago, someone passed me to the left, merged right to avoid the express lane toll gantry, then merged left again and sped away. I didn't have a dash cam at the time, but I can guarantee you that it was a solid lane line on the right.

Of course, there are reasons why those "Express" lanes are called "Lexus Lanes"....

These days it's more like "Tesla lanes", especially since EVs often don't have to pay!

[Voyager]

The lanes in the East Bay and in LA are separated, but they thought they'd just throw this as a regular lane you can switch in and out of and it wouldn't cause problems? It has somehow made the 92/101 interchange even worse due to the fast lane getting stopped when people cut out of the toll lane to avoid the sensors.

[jdbx]

The lanes in the East Bay and in LA are separated, but they thought they'd just throw this as a regular lane you can switch in and out of and it wouldn't cause problems? It has somehow made the 92/101 interchange even worse due to the fast lane getting stopped when people cut out of the toll lane to avoid the sensors.

Not all lanes in the East bay, the separations only exist at high-conflict points, like I-680 S between CA-242 and North Main St, or I-880 S between I-238 and CA-92.  Otherwise, it's the same dashed line as you describe, and I see the same behaviors of people darting in-and-out to avoid the tolling gantries.

I think that the way they built carpool lanes down in LA makes a lot more sense:  provide limited entrance/exit points to reduce conflict and improve enforcement.

[kphoger]

One time while I was driving to the bay area a few years ago, someone passed me to the left, merged right to avoid the express lane toll gantry, then merged left again and sped away. I didn't have a dash cam at the time, but I can guarantee you that it was a solid lane line on the right.

1.  Single white line or double white line?

2.  In California state law, does it matter?

[jdbx]

One time while I was driving to the bay area a few years ago, someone passed me to the left, merged right to avoid the express lane toll gantry, then merged left again and sped away. I didn't have a dash cam at the time, but I can guarantee you that it was a solid lane line on the right.

1.  Single white line or double white line?

2.  In California state law, does it matter?

Most of the express lanes in the Bay Area have a dashed line, but in the cases where it's not, a double white line is employed, and it is well-marked that it is illegal to cross the double white lines.

[mgk920]

One time while I was driving to the bay area a few years ago, someone passed me to the left, merged right to avoid the express lane toll gantry, then merged left again and sped away. I didn't have a dash cam at the time, but I can guarantee you that it was a solid lane line on the right.

1.  Single white line or double white line?

2.  In California state law, does it matter?

Most of the express lanes in the Bay Area have a dashed line, but in the cases where it's not, a double white line is employed, and it is well-marked that it is illegal to cross the double white lines.

I learned looooong ago that the most key tenet of ANY law is that "you can do whatever you da*n please, as long as no one calls you an it".  That is shown to me to be more and more correct every day.

Mike