Metro permanently decriminalizes use of 10, 110 Freeway express lanes without transponder
The Metro Board has voted to permanently decriminalize use of the express lanes on the 10 and 110 Freeways.
The proposal, which was introduced by Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn in 2018, calls for a "pay-as-you-go" model. In the current model, all drivers using the express lanes on the two extremely busy freeways are subject to a $250 citation.
Drivers often received the fine in the mail, after license plate numbers were captured by cameras underneath the transponder checkpoint.
Instead, drivers will now be able to use the lanes and "simply pay the congestion toll and a small processing fee which are sent in the mail," said a statement from Hahn's office.
"I proposed this plan back in 2018 because I know how intimidating the Express Lanes can be for drivers and that plenty of people haven't gone through the trouble of getting a transponder," Hahn said in the statement. "It is gratifying to know that the pay-as-you-go model has been working and that we can make this a permanent option for drivers and make our freeways a little more friendly."
The pilot program was instituted in 2019, and in the time since, data compiled by Metro shows that more than 900,000 people used express lanes without transponders after the risk of citations were dropped.
