Starting Sunday, there will be two ways to ensure smooth passage down the freeway between Lynnwood and Bellevue: 1) become president of China; or 2) take the shiny new toll lanes.
That’s when the existing HOV lanes on I-405 are being converted to “express toll lanes,” to go along with an added toll lane in each direction south of Bothell. The toll lanes promise to keep you moving at least 45 miles per hour if you pay anywhere from 75 cents to $10, depending on when you drive.
Carpoolers can still use the lanes for free, but only with three or more occupants and only if you follow a simple, approximately 14-step process that involves funding a “Good To Go” account, acquiring a pass with a transponder, setting that transponder to HOV mode, putting your right foot in, taking your right foot out, doing the hokey pokey and turning yourself around.
For our latest poll at HeraldNet.com, we asked if you think all the maneuvering will help ease traffic. Only 3 percent said it will — by coincidence, that’s the same percentage who have extra money to throw at the Lexus lanes.
Another 7 percent said maybe, and 12 percent said they can’t tell because the whole thing is too confusing. That’s understandable, since it requires new road signs that resemble flowcharts.
But easily the top response, with 78 percent, was that it won’t help because the regular lanes will get more crowded. That seems like the logical gut reaction.
The state Department of Transportation disagrees, saying toll lanes are needed to reduce congestion. The DOT says speeds in the regular lanes will improve.
Traffic engineers seem like smart enough people. Do we believe them or do we trust our gut?
We’ll see, but in the meantime I know one word that has a nice ring to it: telecommuting.
— Doug Parry, @parryracer
For our next poll, we’d like to know how you think the Seahawks will fare after their 0-2 start:
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