Trying to Boost Traffic With Half-Price Tolls

Kevin Jellison got some unexpected change when he pulled into the toll plaza Saturday morning along the San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor.

The 24-year-old Lake Forest resident was ready to pay the normal $2 toll, but he got $1 back thanks to a new promotion that cuts in half the cost of using the road for three consecutive weekends.

The promotion is part of an effort by the Transportation Corridor Agencies to boost sagging ridership on the toll road, which is running below projections. Jellison said the price cut is a good idea, but he had an even better one.

“They’d get more people down here if it was free,” he said.

Herein lies the problem for officials who operate the toll road and must persuade motorists to pay to drive the 15-mile route between Newport Beach and San Juan Capistrano. Their job is especially challenging on weekends, when traffic on Interstate 5 is relatively light--removing a big incentive to use the toll road.

“Hopefully, it will allow people to travel the road who haven’t traveled the road before and to see how it benefits them,” said Michele Sperl-Miller, spokeswoman for the Transportation Corridor Agencies. “It’s a nice surprise for them.”

Officials won’t know whether the promotion boosted ridership until Tuesday, when the numbers are computed. But toll road attendant Barbara Jones said Saturday’s traffic appeared greater than normal.

“It’s kind of early to tell,” she said. “. . . It’s a little heavier than usual.”

After studying the effects of the promotion on ridership, the agency’s board of directors will decide in August whether to implement a variable pricing plan. The board might consider raising prices during weekday rush hour and lowering tolls on weekends or weekday nights, she said. Right now, the toll is $2 at all times for motorists driving the full 15 miles.

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Several drivers Saturday were surprised and “tickled pink” to have a dollar knocked off the toll price, Jones said.

“I give them a dollar back and you would think I was giving them the crown jewels,” she said.

Only time will tell if the San Joaquin Hills tollway continues to attract more riders. It has struggled to do so since opening almost two years ago.

According to a ridership study released last year, the road had an initial projection of 97,000 daily riders but was getting only about 54,000.

Ridership continues to hover at about 53,000 on weekends, Sperl-Miller said. But weekday ridership has grown to 73,369, a 31% increase compared with the same time last year, she said.

On Saturday, some riders said they hoped the $1 toll would become permanent.

“For $1, it isn’t bad,” said Jim Busuttil, 39, of Chino Hills.