Recently, the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority has finished construction on the new express lanes toll road on the I-10 Freeway with the intent to free up common congestion and traffic.
The Transportation Authority has also provided maps where the expresslanes are usable and the methods of payment. Currently, there are two methods of payment described on their website at sbexpresslanes.com.
The first is through FasTrak, which is an invoice and tolling website. The second is through using transponders that can be sent after an application process. Tolling prices are dynamic and vary based on both the traffic throughout the day and the distance being traveled in the expresslanes.
Additionally, express lanes come with attached tolls that, when unpaid, will attach an extra $25 to the FasTrak account of the user after a certain amount of time. These fees, if still ignored, can result in them placing DMV holds on a license.
Commuter students are the demographic at the University of La Verne that are the most affected by the implementation of these lanes. Between them, there seems to be a common opinion on the matter though.
“I personally don’t see myself using them,” Victoria Quintero, sophomore business major, said. “If they’re here to free up congestion, then by having people paying to use them, I don’t think I would need to myself since traffic will be better anyways. Also, I wouldn’t want to pay to use the new lanes they added.”
Most ULV students seem to be of a similar opinion, as well. The majority find the express lanes to be an unnecessary expense for them in the same way Quintero does.
—Jordan Alcasas
Jordan Alcasas is a sophomore journalism major with a concentration in print and online journalism. He is the news editor for the Campus Times, and previously served as social media editor and a staff writer.
