Toll Lanes Take an Early Toll : Users lacking transponders indicate a need for more public education

Private toll lanes opened last week on an Orange County stretch of the Riverside Freeway. There are high hopes that this is a model for getting new roads built when government is increasingly strapped for cash.

The 10-mile-long section is reputed to be the first private road anywhere to run directly adjacent to a freeway, offering commuters a faster alternative. The innovative project deserves credit, but there are some wrinkles to be worked out.

Transponders installed in vehicles make possible a fully automated pay system. There are none of the toll booths and change baskets of traditional toll roads; instead, overhead antennas automatically debit prepaid users’ accounts as the cars pass by. However, the very first driver on the tollway was hit with a $100 fine for failure to have a transponder, and that same day California Highway Patrol officials took their own count and concluded that at least 30% of the cars on the toll road did not have the requisite technology installed.

That’s a lot of fines in the early going. Clearly, some more public education is needed. The California Private Transportation Co., which operates the new road, says that warning signs and widespread publicity make clear the requirements for motorists. They can get the transponders through an 800 number or in person at an office in Corona.

In the early going, the new 91 Express Lanes have not always proved user-friendly for the day-tripper or the tourist. But having an entirely automated system means that occasional users may pass up the road altogether, or buy transponders and get stuck with a bank of unused tolls. Once burned, these motorists may not try the toll lanes again. To date, the operator will not disclose the number of cars using the toll lanes or the percentage of violators. In the absence of fuller disclosure, it will be difficult to determine the success of the road, at least for now.

The financial difficulties of a new toll road serving Washington, D.C., point up the obvious importance of getting anticipated volume. Whatever operators can do to make the California road more inviting would be welcome, especially increasing access.