Carpool Lane Congestion and RCTC's Interstate 15 Corridor Improvement Project

Southern California's carpool lanes may appear to be dated given noticeable peak hour congestion, but that is no reason to simply do away with the system. According to Caltrans, the goals of carpool lanes are to reduce congestion and improve air quality on the State Highway System.

The law states that the carpool lane is used "to stimulate and encourage the development of ways and means of relieving traffic congestion on California highways and, at the same time, to encourage individual citizens to pool their vehicular resources and thereby conserve fuel and lessen emission of air pollutants."

Dedicated lanes for high occupancy vehicles is a viable alternative, according to the state government. In many cases, such lanes are the only alternative, in meeting federal air quality conformity standards for capacity-increasing improvement projects in metropolitan areas in conjunction with improving options for alternative high occupancy vehicle travel such as expanded bus and train services and marketing campaigns to form carpools. Carpool lanes represent one approach being used in regions throughout the state to respond to growing traffic congestion, declining mobility level, air quality and environmental concerns.

Yes, there are some corridors where the carpool lane may be lightly used during some hours. We've brought our views into the court of public opinion earlier this week on this one.

Many commuters sold on ridesharing

Those principles and benefits of carpool lanes are all good, and many commuters were sold on that notion. Guess what? Combined with the Inland Empire population growth, the carpool lanes are now jammed too during the rush hour. Under the federal law, carpool lanes are officially congested when the high occupancy vehicles in these lanes fail to maintain a minimum average operating speed of 45 miles per hour 90 percent of the time over a 180-day period during the morning or afternoon peak hours.

There have been claims that solo hybrids and electric cars are contributing to the chaos. There are some who are demanding that the exemption be abolished. Caltrans believes the state's rising population–and not solo clean vehicle access–is the primary reason for congestion in the carpool lanes. “More people are driving more cars longer distances. Our research shows that vehicle miles traveled increased faster than population growth," according to Caltrans' Chief of Traffic Operations Robert Copp. "So, with population increases, we get more traffic, more congestion." That may be true, but placing solo hybrid restrictions could be one solution to explore given that they are not really high occupancy vehicles. Restricting such access in congested areas is not the cure-all solution, but it would certainly help. The reality is that it probably won't be much longer until the majority of cars would be considered clean as more hybrids and electrics are introduced in the marketplace and prices come down.

Speaking of solo's, the other exempted vehicles are motorcycles. Should they too be restricted? Positively not. Motorcycles are considered a high occupancy vehicle simply due to safety and their small size. If a motorcycle is stuck in the general purpose lanes, that makes the roadway more hazardous. One corridor does restrict motorcycle access to its high occupancy vehicle lanes, the 91 Express Lanes. They must have a FasTrak transponder and hop into the 3+ lane. Motorcycles should be exempted from needing to register for a FasTrak transponder and pay tolls during the PM rush hour, period. There is no excuse to motorcycle safety. Automated enforcement systems can certainly detect these high occupancy vehicles.

Combating Carpool Lane Congestion

Moving forward, Caltrans will explore several strategies to reduce carpool lane congestion, including:

• Adjusting hours of HOV operation
• Modifying vehicle entrance and exit points in HOV lanes
• Increasing enforcement by the California Highway Patrol, and
• Limiting hybrid access in congested areas.

Identifying bottlenecks and the modification of access points which could include the addition a transitional weave lane certainly should be looked at by traffic engineers. There may be cases where carpool congestion is caused by a bottleneck. That's why we're keeping a close watch on the 91 Express Lane extension and the bottleneck along the I-15 south at El Cerrito Road where the highway goes to three lanes with no high occupancy lane.

There have also been local discussions of changing the occupancy requirement for carpool from 2 to 3 during congested periods. That should be looked at on a corridor-by-corridor basis by traffic engineers. We understand that such a change will be a bit chaotic at first as 2-person carpools are displaced, but strong marketing campaigns to form 3+ carpools and plans implement all day transit service should be able to offset this issue. Long term plans may include doubling the capacity so that there are two carpool lanes in each direction. The I-15 Express Lane facility in San Diego County is a prime example.

Model high occupancy vehicle infrastructure: San Diego County I-15 Express Lanes

In San Diego County, the I-15 Express Lanes corridor between Escondido and San Diego has been nationally recognized for its innovative design. It is the first section of a regional system of interconnected Express Lanes. It fosters public transit with the presence of bus infrastructure. It encourages shared ridership with park & ride lots. There's no toll for 2+ carpools and vanpools, buses, and motorcycles. They do not have to preregister ahead of time or mount a transponder. They can get on for free and go! Intelligence-driven enforcement combined with heavy fines combats carpool and toll payment cheating. Starting in 2014, the corridor will offer an all day express bus rapid transit route. This multi-modal high occupancy toll lane facility features:

• Dual 2+ carpool lanes in each direction with the option of solo drivers to buy their way in with a FasTrak under real-time marketplace tolls. Much of the corridor also features a movable barrier where the number of carpool lanes in each direction can be adjusted easily. Under special circumstances, the barrier could be moved where one direction of the corridor would have 3 carpool lanes, the other would have 1.
• More than 20 access points that give travelers a wide range of options of where to enter or exit the lanes. 
• Direct access ramps that allow travelers to enter the Express Lanes from surface streets. New and improved transit stations are located less than a few blocks from these ramps, thus providing the bus transit infrastructure for high speed express bus services both from public agencies and the private sector.
• Robust bus transit stations less than a few blocks from the corridor: Unlike LA's I-110 Harbor Transitway where the transit stations were placed in the freeway median, the stations are placed on either side of the freeway, thus making non vehicular access more pedestrian and bicycle friendly. Speaking of the notion of placing transit stations within the median of the freeway, such proposals generally must be discouraged. Getting to stops is hard enough. Patrons are often required to bridge over or under several lanes of rushing traffic. Once they are finally on the platform, the environment is chaotic. Cars may be whizzing by at high speeds in both directions, producing noise and unhealthful air around the station. That's why it's better to place the transit hubs on either side of the freeway.

Concept: What a direct access ramp with supporting bus infrastructure from San Diego's I-15 Express Lanes may look like if replicated in Temecula. An extension of Bedford Court serves as the direct access ramp. Numerous casino buses, private carpools and future public express buses would utilize it. A transit station on the opposite side of the freeway would cater to connecting RTA buses and potential local high speed rail toward Los Angeles to the north and San Diego to the south. A gateway into the Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve would also support the transit station and serve as a tourist stop. View map.

Could the Inland Empire use robust transit infrastructure like this? Let's see what our folks at the Riverside County Transportation Commission have planned.

Riverside County: Interstate 15 Corridor Improvement Project

The Riverside County Transportation Commission's Interstate 15 Corridor Improvement Project was recently reevaluated, right-sized, and re-prioritized as it emerges from its original plan of a 43.5 mile corridor improvement, to a more focused 14.6 mile stretch of tolled express lanes running North from Cajalco Road in Corona to State Route 60 (SR-60). The original proposal was to run the HOT lanes between SR-60 and SR-74 in Lake Elsinore and to build carpool lanes between SR-74 and the I-215 in Murrieta. Because of predicted growth in Temecula, we've advocated for the carpool lanes to be dual and to run through to San Diego County where it would seamlessly link with the I-15 Express Lanes. Under the current political and economic climate, that will not happen anytime soon; so prepare for more bottleneck shifting.

According to RCTC, the project has undergone the reevaluation of its project limits in order to deliver a project that could be constructed in this economic recovery period. The project originally was relying, in part, on local Measure A funding, the half-cent sales tax dedicated to County Transportation, for a large portion of its funding source.

Concept: Dual high occupancy express lanes along the I-15 freeway just north of Cajalco Road which supports free non-transponder carpooling complete with infrastructure to support future rapid express buses and private sector intercity coaches like Greyhound. The access point pictured is actually officially proposed by the Riverside County Transportation Commission as part of a scaled-down version of the I-15 tolled express lane project. Also pictured to the right is infill marketplace job growth at the Corona Crossings area.

When the Measure A funding endured multiple years of unanticipated downturn, the I-15 CIP was evaluated for what could feasibly be built that would bring maximum benefit to the public. RCTC was therefore forced to downsize the I-15 Project which is now focused on the highest traffic impact areas within the corridor.

No more excuse making

We will continue to hold the state accountable for supporting policies that would entice the local marketplace to grow and for getting our transportation infrastructure to a point of where it needs to be and county officials should think likewise and pass resolutions to demand the state to stop misspending our money. Wasteful government spending of our transportation money positively should not be tolerated. With carpool demands high and growth on the way for the corridor, the I-15 needs robust infrastructure to support the high occupancy vehicle traffic so it does not become the next 91 Freeway Corona Crawl. The corridor needs to mimic San Diego County's I-15 Express Lane system with bus transit infrastructure and usage policies that support free non-transponder carpooling. Charging mandatory tolls and transponder preregistration on carpoolers which drives non-registered HOV's out of the express lanes should not be a substitute. The state simply has no excuse for this downsizing.

Addressing the I-15 Southbound Bottleneck in Corona with Private Jobs

(2/18/13) – IE Transit Talking Points Short

Commuters and travelers who frequently use the southbound I-15 through Corona are well aware of a major bottleneck near El Cerrito Road which can cause congestion to spill over onto the eastbound 91 Freeway, thus creating miserable traffic conditions in the area during the PM rush hour and weekends.

A proposal by the Riverside County Transportation Commission would have addressed this; the proposal was to add two High Occupancy Toll Lanes and a single general purpose lane from the 60 Freeway, through the Corona bottleneck, to Lake Elsinore where southbound traffic demands normally decline. Now, RCTC has proposed a scaled-back version, where the added lanes would terminate at Cajalco Road.

Should that be the case, the infamous bottleneck will merely shift 2 miles south from El Cerrito Road to Cajalco. RCTC cites the lack of tax revenue as the reason behind the project reduction. Lackluster private sector Inland Empire job growth is certainly a problem, no question. 

However, Riverside County Supervisor Kevin Jeffries, an RCTC member whose district includes Lake Elsinore, has it right when he wrote in an e-mail, “Our focus really needs to be on private sector job creation here in Riverside County so that our residents don't have to spend hours commuting to and from work everyday.” That’s right. Let’s get some manufacturing, logistics, and other service-sector jobs into this region by designating areas as specific plans. Portions of the additional tax revenue can be used to fund transportation projects. RCTC can then start planning again for multi-modal transportation options for the I-15 Freeway and finally clear the infamous Corona bottleneck.

Let's tour and critique the RCTC-Proposed I-15 Tolled Express Lanes in Riverside County

A virtual tour and opinion piece of how the proposed I-15 tolled express lanes can benefit Riverside County transportation.



"Express Lanes - 2 Miles," an overhead sign along northbound I-15 might say just past Railroad Canyon Road by 2020. From a future transit center, commuters can hop aboard a soon-to-be public express rapid bus and be at work in Orange County in about an hour, cruising along in the express lanes. Or, a family can hop aboard a private bus line headed to Disneyland Resort and enjoy a quick trip there.

Working to improve traffic capacity and operations on Interstate 15, the Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC) and California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) District 8 are exploring multi-modal lanes for the highway from just north of the I-15/ I-215 separation near Murrieta, northward to State Route 60 (SR-60) near Ontario.

The project includes the study of two build alternatives with a no-build alternative. Alternative 1 proposes to add one Carpool (HOV) lane and one regular lane in each direction from SR-74 to SR-60 and one HOV Lane from I-215 to SR-74. Alternative 2 will add two Tolled Express lanes and one regular lane in each direction from SR-74 to SR-60 and one HOV Lane from I-215 to SR-74. Both would support fast trips for buses and carpools. The widening of the freeway will occur by utilizing the unpaved center median whenever possible.

The proposed I-15 Corridor Improvement Project (CIP) stretches approximately 44 miles in length, traveling through Murrieta, Wildomar, Lake Elsinore, Corona, Norco and portions of unincorporated Riverside County.



What are the I-15 Tolled Express Lanes?
Tolled Express Lanes are RCTC-proposed dedicated lanes with limited entrances and exits that provide travel time savings, trip reliability, a facility for rapid express buses, as well as congestion relief in the general purpose lanes if usage policies are written correctly. RCTC proposes to develop the toll rate policy and will be compatible with the current toll system used on State Route 91 in Orange County.

RCTC proposes that all vehicles that use the tolled express lanes be required to have transponders, an electronic FasTrak reader captures the transponder ID and bills the account established by the driver. The Transit Coalition opposes the transponder requirement for carpools and seeks to abolish the FasTrak mandate for any 2+ or 3+ HOV for both corridors to encourage carpooling, attract private sector transit bus lines, and to better redistribute the traffic flow (read more about TTC's position here).

Tolls collected from solo motorists would be used to pay for the project's construction along the corridor. RCTC reports that no public funding has been allocated for the HOT lanes; however The Transit Coalition believes the state can and should provide funding for this project. Local officials must continue to hold the state accountable for its actions and ensure state transportation tax funding is making it to the highways and rails as it should.



Future Concepts: Heading Northbound on I-15
Under Alternative 2, the northbound I-15 carpool lanes would become a pair of high occupancy toll lanes at Highway 74. The southernmost HOT lane entry point would be here. Any 2+ carpool and any other high occupancy vehicle with at least 2 persons should be able to get on free and go without needing to pre-register. The express lane toll for solo vehicles should also vary, based on the amount of traffic in the HOT lanes and travel speeds of the regular lanes (supply-and-demand congestion pricing). In the example pictured above, the I-15 is free-flowing at 65-70 MPH all the way to the 60 freeway; so the maximum posted toll is $0.60. During peak congestion, a solo motorist can expect to pay up to $8-10 to travel to SR-60 and about $3-5 to SR-91.

At this entrance to the I-15 Express Lanes, three toll amounts are displayed on the overhead toll sign. The top amount displays the minimum toll amount of $0.50 to the next HOT lane exit, Indian Truck Trail. The second row displays the toll amount to travel to the 91 Freeway which is $0.50 because the freeway is free-flowing. The last amount shows a $0.60 toll to the 60 Freeway, the end of the Express Lanes. The bottom, "CARPOOLS 2+ NO TOLL" displays the 2+ occupancy requirement needed for toll free, non-transponder travel.

Tolls may change as traffic conditions change, but solo motorists always pay the toll displayed on the sign upon entry; toll amounts are locked in upon entry.



Conceptual Access Point north of Lake Street
I-15 Commuters originating from northern Lake Elsinore headed north normally use Lake Street. A HOT lane access point a mile north of Lake Street would yield many benefits for carpools originating from Alberhill and other communities in the area. Also pictured is a sign listing possible direct exits/ramps from the HOT lanes. These ramps would be designed for park & ride patrons and rapid express buses headed to/from future transit stations, each located a block or two from the ramp. The RCTC-proposed direct access ramp to the 91 Express Lanes is also included on the exits list.

Conceptual Access Point near Weirick Road
Another intermediate conceptual access point should be placed near Weirick Road, allowing traffic to/from Temescal Canyon communities streamlined access.



RCTC-Proposed Direct Access Ramp to SR-91 Express Lanes
RCTC has proposed adding a new tolled express lane direct connector to and from the 91 Express Lanes to the I-15 Express Lanes. This will provide direct access from eastbound 91 Express Lanes to a new median express lane southbound on I-15 and from a new northbound median express lane on I-15 to the westbound 91 Express Lanes. Traffic entering or exiting I-15 at Ontario Avenue, El Cerrito Road, Cajalco Road (pictured) and points south will be able to use the direct connector to or from the 91 Express Lanes.



The Transit Coalition believes that it is essential for carpools to have free access to HOT lanes without a requirement for transponders and objects to pre-registration policies that would result in a reduction of carpools instead of single occupancy vehicles.

If HOT lane policies are set correctly, free mobility will be a long-lasting reality for HOV traffic traveling along Southern California freeway corridors. With public express buses, 2+ or 3+ private HOVs, motorcycles, and private sector bus lines having their own set of dedicated free-flowing lanes through traffic-choked corridors, the public-private benefit would be enormous.

Please note that this tour and HOT lane ideas presented are conceptual and have not been endorsed by any public entity.

Read more about TTC's position here.