There’s a lot of buzz about the news that some Southland carpool lanes will soon become express toll lanes. Will it help ease traffic? What will it mean for the ridesharers who currently use these lanes? We went to Stephanie Wiggins, executive officer of the Congestion Reduction Demonstration Initiative, to bring you answers to the most-often asked questions about the conversion.

  CommuteSmart News: Why convert carpool lanes to toll lanes?

  Stephanie Wiggins: "The idea is to better manage traffic by changing motorists' behavior. The toll lanes will use congestion pricing, so the cost to use them will be higher during peak traffic hours. In cities where they've instituted these types of tolls, it has worked to shift people to other modes such as vanpools and express buses as well as to traveling off-peak hours—and by ensuring all lanes operate at capacity, it improves overall traffic flow."

  CSN: Which carpool lanes will switch to toll lanes?

  SW: "There will be two: The I-10 El Monte Busway between Alameda and the 605 Freeway, and the I-110 Harbor Transitway between Adams Blvd. and the Artesia Transit Center. That’s a total of 28 lane miles on the 10 and 33 lane miles on the 110."

  CSN: What’s the schedule?

  SW: "We just finished public hearings for the toll policy, and a draft plan will circulate late this summer. Tolls will be operational December 2010, and the demonstration project—which is funded by the US Department of Transportation—runs for one year."

  CSN: Will carpoolers have to pay tolls?

  SW: "Carpoolers will still ride free with the same occupancy restrictions in place now—that is, minimums of two-person carpools on the I-110 and three-person carpools on the I-10 during peak hours, two-person carpools off-peak."

  CSN: What about hybrids?

  SW: "The legislation that allows hybrids solo access to carpool lanes is set to sunset January 2011 so at that time they would also be subject to tolls."

  CSN: How much will tolls be?

  SW: "The board will be evaluating a proposal of a minimum toll per mile of 25 cents to a maximum of $1.40 per mile."

  CSN: What about people who can’t afford the tolls?

  SW: "We’re looking into ways to make the lanes accessible to people of all income levels. One proposal may be to provide credits for regular transit users that they could redeem for free access to express lanes on those occasions when driving a car is necessary."

  CSN: How will tolls be paid?

  SW: "Electronically...and without the need for the vehicles to stop to make payments, similar to the process for San Diego’s I-15 and the 91 express lanes."

  CSN: What other changes are planned?

  SW: "A large portion of the $210 million grant is going to buses and associated amenities designed to improve traffic flow on the 110 and 10 freeways. That includes increased transit service, formation of 100 new vanpools, expansion of Park & Ride facilities and other infrastructure improvements. The aim is to do more than move people to a toll lane but, rather, make a more significant shift to other modes as well."

  For more information on the express lanes, go to metro.net