By Theo Hayes

 By as soon as 2010, driving on some L.A. freeways won't be so free. Fact is, getting on the fast lane on at least two of L.A.’s busiest freeways, will be a matter of money, and depending on the time of day, it could cost you more or less. It’s all part of a new model of traffic management called “congestion pricing”.
 Officials announced the strategy that would turn portions of the San Bernadino (I-10), the Harbor Freeway (I-110) and Foothill (I-210) freeways into toll lanes, at a joint press conference earlier this year with U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and other high-ranking transportation officials.
    Studies provided by the Los Angeles California Metropolitan Transit Authority (LACMTA) indicate that LA’s four major corridors are operating at about 60% of capacity because of stop-&-go traffic and under usage of the HOV lanes.
    The plan is to convert 85 High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) or carpool lane miles immediately east, south, and downtown of LA, into High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes. Specifically, it will consist of 28 miles of toll road on the I-10 San Bernardino Freeway, from Alameda street to the I-605; 24 miles of toll road on the I-210 Foothill Freeway, from the I-710 to I-605; and 33 miles of toll road on the I-110 Harbor Freeway, from 182nd street to Adams Boulevard.
    With the pilot program—funded by a $213.6 million federal grant — commuters would be charged for the use of the designated lanes based on the amount of traffic congestion. Costs would typically be higher during morning and evening drive times when traffic is at its peak. Commuters could pay as little as $.50 per mile to as high as $1.00 per mile during peak hours.
    “The concept is simple but the idea is bold, to make L.A. an easier place to live, a better place to do business and a cleaner place to raise a family,” Secretary Peters said.
    The state legislature has until October 15 to approve the usage of the federal transit funds. The program is expected to generate $786 million to be funneled into more transit, vanpools and other transportation options to increase mobility and ease congestion.
    Officials believe the strategy will help to alter the behavior of L.A. commuters (70% of whom drive to work alone), while opponents argue that such a move would create “Lexus lanes” that would be used by the more well to do commuters.
    Peters called it a common misconception.
    In fact that is not the case. 90 percent of the people use the lanes only 10 percent of the time. They use it when they're going to be late picking a child up from daycare and having to pay late fees. They're using it when they have an important business meeting. But everyone doesn't use it every day.
    “This is an important, bold new effort on the part of the federal government, on the part of the city, the county and the state, to work in a partnership to really do something about traffic,” said Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. “We've got to dream about a Los Angeles where we don't have the ignominious distinction of being the traffic congestion capital of the United States, when we don't have the dirty air that comes with it.”