Work in progress

1. 1

2. Stop405tolls.org accomplishments
4
- Bills presented in the House and Senate
- Tolls eliminated at night and weekends
- Entry/exit points expanded
- Will be restoring GPL from SR 520 to 70th St
- Some consistency between I-405 and SR 167

3. 8
Representing
31,000+ frustrated
constituents

4. Topics
1. Toll Goals
2. Performance
3. The Selfish Lanes
4. At What Cost?
5. Perception is Reality
6. Solutions
9

5. • Congestion Relief?
• Congestion Management?
• Social Engineering?
• Revenue Source?
10
What is the purpose of the ETL?

6. Reduce:
Make congestion shorter and/or less severe.
Methods:
1. Increase Capacity
2. Decrease Demand
3. Improve Efficiency
4. Change your definition of Congestion
11
Reduce vs Manage Congestion

7. Management: Isolates or displaces the congestion
from one lane into other lanes or roads.
12
Reduce vs Manage Congestion

8. 13

9. 1. HOT lane >45mph
2. Operate without a deficit
14
In the 405ETL legislation,
What are the criteria for success?

10. 1. GPL performance
2. Reduction in VMT
3. Customer Satisfaction
(VMT- vehicle miles traveled)
15
What are NOT criteria for success?

11. For ETL to be successful, GPL MUST fail.
Bonds will guarantee no more improvements to
GPL.
WSDOT is responsible for the entire highway, not just chosen lanes.
(GPL – General purpose lanes
ETL – Express toll lanes)
16
WSDOT Secret: GPL Must Fail

12. NO.
Compare the highway
- Toll only, no increased capacity (north of 522): Worse
- Capacity added (south of 522): Better
Compare the highway
- before ETL
- with ETL
- after ETL (nights & weekends)
WSDOT is responsible for the entire highway, not just select lanes.
17
Does charging a toll improve performance?

13. 18
http://www.wstc.wa.gov/Meetings/AgendasMinutes/agendas/2016/May17/docu
ments/2016_0517_BP7_I405_SixMthUpdate.pdf
Tolls
increased
congestion
More capacity,
decreased
congestion
Exacerbated
by increased
inflow from
Kirkland
Undeniable Proof Tolling Increases Congestion
(No capacity
added before
70th)

14. • Net loss in overall efficiency across all lanes
• Increased pollution
• frustration
• Social Inequity
“Needs of the FEW outweigh the Needs of the MANY”
“Creates winners and losers.” – Reema Griffith, Executive
Director WSTC
19
Problems

15. • Chamber of Commerce members report employees arrive late
more often
• Trucking Operating costs >$100/hr, but they can’t use the ETL
• Realtors and homecare givers not permitted to carpool
• Deliveries to Bothell area include transportation surcharge
• Some businesses stopped doing business in the area
• Some people have stopped shopping in the area
20
More Problems

16. And More Problems
• Dealing with Customer service
• Over 1 Million Billing Errors since 2010
• Litigation against WSDOT
• Complexity
• Rental Cars surcharge up to $25/day
21
http://bit.ly/tollbillingerrors

17. Yes, more…
• Motorcycle stickers often don’t work
• Passes don’t work on 100’s of models of cars
• Tolling company finally provided proof of PCI
compliance
• $64,000 Credit card theft of GtG customers
22
http://www.kiro7.com/news/good-to-go-customers-credit-cards-stolen-in-64000-
scam/92835044

18. Customers lost millions of hours dealing with billing errors:
6.5 Million communications with Customer Service last year alone.
(Avg 10 per GTG pass holder)
23
http://www.wstc.wa.gov/meetings/agendasminutes/agendas/2016/May17/documents/2016_0517_BP8_
AnnualTollReport.pdf
WSDOT Secret:

19. WSDOT Lies: HOT Lanes
FHWA Purpose: Sell Surplus Capacity of HOV Lane
Problems:
1. No Surplus Capacity (artificially induced)*
2. 3 lane section treated same as 5 lane section
3. Texas A&M study confirms ETL Decrease Carpooling
4. WA motorists paying twice for these lanes
5. Expensive to operate
6. Unpopular
24http://bit.ly/etlsandcarpools

20. WSDOT Secret: Value Pricing
Value Pricing makes the ETL too expensive
for most so remaining SOVs go faster.
“Selfish Lanes”
25

21. Reality of Value Pricing
$ Creates Price uncertainty
$ Stratifies traffic by economic status
$ Doesn’t reduce congestion
• No Increase Capacity
• No Decrease Demand
• No Improved Efficiency
26

22. Social Inequity
28
$0
$10,000
$20,000
$30,000
$40,000
$50,000
$60,000
$70,000
$19,000 $35,000 $56,000 $93,000 $190,000 $471,000 $1,000,000
20th 40th 60th 80th 95th 99th 100th
Tax WA
Tax US
Tax ORTaxes
Income
WA already has the most regressive tax
structure in the nation
US Census

23. Truths of Value Pricing
See presentation from Nov 2015 WSTC
meeting and watch the replay on tvw.org
29
Social inequity
http://www.wstc.wa.gov/meetings/agendasminutes/agendas/2015/November17/default.htm

24. WSDOT Secret:
Unauthorized Removal of 1 GPL
“▪ Northbound, North of SR 520 Interchange to
NE 70th Street: No changes are proposed for this
section of freeway. This roadway will continue to
have four general-purpose lanes and one HOV
lane.”
-Kirkland Nickel Project Environmental
Assessment February 2005, Ch 4 p3
http://wsdot.wa.gov/NR/rdonlyres/9073AD38-8183-4EAB-8480-
2B63529BDF82/0/Chapter4.pdf
30

25. Safety
• The ETL are so complicated, it takes:
– 6 youtube videos
– a small book worth of webpages
– interactive map just to operate.
– Mobile app to see prices
(WSDOT promoting distracted driving?!)
32
http://bit.ly/etltraining

26. Safety
WSDOT
Youtube
channel
33
http://bit.ly/etltraining

27. Too Complex
34

28. Safety
• Many more Accidents
• 2,416 Citations in 90 days
• Dangerous for Motorcycles
• When there is an accident,
it has a bigger impact
35

29. Trip Reduction
2+ 36

30. 45mph Myth: FHWA Guide on HOV Lanes
“The purpose of this document is to provide
information useful to States as they plan, design,
operate, and manage HOV and HOT facilities. It is
intended to be non-binding and should not be
construed as a rule of general applicability. This
document provides examples for States to follow in
evaluating proposed significant changes to the
operation of an HOV lane, to include conversion of
an HOV lane to a High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lane.”
--Federal-Aid Highway Program Guidance on High
Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) Lanes
37
http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freewaymgmt/hovguidance/chapter1.htm

31. New Barriers to Carpooling
38

32. New Barriers to Carpooling
• FlexPass Required ($45)
• 3+ Required
• Limited entry/exit points
• Confusing/complex HOT system
• Can use the lane as an SOV
39

33. BEFORE ETL
90% of HOVs = 2 person carpools
40
10% other HOVs

34. After ETL
85% of HOTs = solo drivers
41
15% HOVs
The “Selfish Lanes”

35. WSDOT Secret: ETL = Lower Capacity
42
Before: 100% HOV2+ 1,000 cars/hr = 2,000 people
After: 85% SOV 1,000 cars/hr = 1,150 people
Difference = 850 fewer people/hr

36. http://wsdotblog.blogspot.com/2015/02/i-405-express-toll-lanes-part-1-what-is.html
43
WSDOT Lie:
“The main goal of HOV lanes
was (and still is) to maximize
the movement of PEOPLE rather
than vehicles” -- WSDOT blog

37. WSP: ETL are Unenforceable
http://archive.heraldnet.com/article/20150918/OPINION03/150919056 44
" if you want to expedite your morning commute on I-405, tint your windows, set
your flex pass to HOV and you will truly be “Good-To-Go.”
--Jeff Merrill is president of the Washington State Patrol Troopers Association.
(Everett Herald)
WSTC is asking if can they get sophisticated surveillance equipment to detect
number of passengers and then match with license plates to catch cheaters?
WRONG FOCUS

38. 46
$8M 0.5%
405ETL $0.75 toll WA Gas Tax
Cost
$0.21 28.0%
$0.54 72.0%
$1,013M 99.5%
$10,6B 0.3%
$3.13T 99.7%
IRS
$0.54 1.1%
$49.46 98.9%
405ETL $50.00 toll

39. $0.15 – Roadway Toll Operations and Maintenance
$0.20 – Customer Service Center
$0.19 – WSDOT overhead and Credit Card Processing
$0.21 – Available for Highway Maintenance & Improvements
Drivers pay 75 cents to get 21 cents of road maintenance – 28% ROI
This doesn’t include the $2 pay-by-mail or
the $25 service charge rental car companies charge. 47
Cost

40. Gas Tax vs Congestion Tax
200 invoices sent to refineries to collect
$2 Billion for gas tax.
5,139,609 tolls processed to collect $7.6 Million
for toll tax.
48

41. Transportation Futures Survey
49
“Indexing the gas tax, a vehicle emissions fee
and increases in gas tax or tabs are all preferred
to tolling and Pay-Per-Mile (PPM). ”
– Key Findings, Washington Voters Poll
http://www.thefuturestaskforce.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Transportation-
Futures-2015-Survey.pdf

42. WSTC opinion on Gas tax vs Tolling
“Few revenue collection systems can match the
efficiency of fuel taxes, which are collected at
less than 1 percent of gross revenues.”
-- WSTC report Washington State Road Usage
Charge Assessment – Phase 4; Jan 5,2016; p.18
50
http://www.wstc.wa.gov/StudiesSurveys/RoadUsage/RUC2013/documents/2016_011
2_RUCReport.pdf

43. The toll on Tolling
Class action lawsuits regarding excessive fees &
fines have been raised in Texas, California,
Virginia, Massachusetts, Florida, Washington.
Win or lose, Lawsuits cost taxpayers
Why are we putting our citizens through this?!
51
Cost
www.miamiherald.com/news/business/tourism-cruises/article41835621.html

44. 10 years of toll profits lost
Cost to build toll system: $111,000,000
Annual Revenue: $20,000,000
Annual operating cost: $10,000,000
Annual Profit: $10,000,000
It will take 10 years to earn back the money we
spent building the toll system.
That money could have been spent on Real
Improvements.
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20160211/BLOG17/160219937
53

45. 54
SR522 to I-5 = $0.75
NE 8th St to SR522 = $0.75
NE 8th St to I-5 = $4.50
Pricing map taken April 4, 2016, 2:54PM
Inconsistent pricing

46. Variable Pricing = Unpredictable
WSDOT claims ETL provide a more predictable commute. FALSE
Petition Comments:
I used the new rate tool just as I was leaving work last night in Bellevue. I access I-405
at the NE 6th Street on-ramp. The tool said the rate was $2.00 from Bellevue to Hwy
522. When I reached the on-ramp 10 minutes later, it was $4.00. My desire is to go to
I-5, but that was $5.25, so I get off at early and take back-roads home. Note: I have 3
carpooler’s at times, but schedules are not consistent, so many times instead of 4 of
us, there are two, which still means we need to pay to use the HOV lane. The obvious
alternative is to slog through traffic adding an extra hour or more to the commute
each way, every day. --Dale
55

47. #FAIL: FlexPass doesn’t work for 100’s of vehicles
due to metallic windshield
See complete list posted at:
http://www.king5.com/story/traffic/news/2015/09/15/405carpoolerstolls/72345394/ 56
Sample of the list:

48. Infrastructure changes resulting in
traffic improvements
• 5 contiguous lanes (southern half)
• Moving buses to shoulder lane
• 160th St braid ramp
57
Working

49. Tolling changes resulting in traffic
improvements
58
Working
(none)

50. Miami’s ETL problems today
will be our ETL problems tomorrow
Source: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/fl-95-express-barriades-
reaction-20150508-story.html
59
This was taken from a news article in the Sun Sentinel:
“The toll for the express lanes fluctuates depending on the volume of traffic. The
state relies on this form of congestion pricing to keep the traffic in the express
lanes moving.
But in recent years, higher tolls haven't been enough to dissuade drivers from
using the lanes, especially on northbound I-95.
For eight consecutive months up to March, the northbound express lanes failed
to meet the state's goal of moving traffic faster than 45 mph 90 percent of the
time.
Officials saw a slight improvement in travel speeds in March, with travel speeds
45 mph or faster 48 percent of the time. In February, speeds exceeded 45 mph
only 38 percent of the time.
Last year, the state raised the maximum toll on the express lanes to $1.50 per
mile or $10.50, with the idea it would discourage some drivers from entering. Too
many cars mean slower speeds. But $10.50 has not been a big enough deterrent.”

51. WSDOT Lie
• Didn’t widen the road for 10mi of 17mi
• WSP reports accidents way up
• WSDOT admits slower on weekends
• True cost over $450,000,000 60

52. Even a solution that works is a failure
if it isn’t what they want.
64
Perception is Reality

53. Perception is Reality
65
• Public frustration is exacerbated by seeing
others benefit from their pain.
• When solo drivers can buy their way into the
HOT lane, we are not in this together.
• For the HOT lane system to work,
the majority must lose.

54. WSDOT Lie: Customer Dissatisfaction
66
http://www.wstc.wa.gov/Meetings/AgendasMinutes/agendas/2016/May17/documents/2016_051
7_BP7_I405_SixMthUpdate.pdf
WSDOT Misleading with statistics…

55. Customer Dissatisfaction
67
What they didn’t say…
• 42% of paying users are NOT satisfied.
• People who only use the GPL (majority of
users) were not included in the survey
http://www.wstc.wa.gov/Meetings/AgendasMinutes/agendas/2016/May17/documents/2016_051
7_BP7_I405_SixMthUpdate.pdf

56. Listen to the public outcry
Stakeholder approval must be a
primary measure of success 68

57. What is coming…
69

58. What is coming…
70
Bellevue south to SR 167
Today: 2 GPL + 1 Carpool
GPL GPL
GPLGPL HOT $
HOV
HOT $
Future: 2 GPL and 2 ETL (no new capacity for GPL and making HOV 3+)

59. 71
Truth: Why the HOV Lane was Congested
Under 1300 vph. (Capacity was not the issue)
Causes:
- Friction between carpool lane and GPLs
- Buses entering/exiting
- Buses driving slower than cars
- Vehicles exiting
- Uneven pavement, odd markings, kinks
- Ongoing construction, multiple lane
markings
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/03/cell-phone-users-slow-traffic/?_r=0

60. 72
Solutions
1. Eliminate tolling
2. Allow 2 person carpools at all times
3. Eliminate the need for a FlexPass
4. Add capacity north of SR522 as promised
5. 1 HOV lane with double white lines
6. Run a 1 year pilot WITHOUT tolls for
comparison before building any more ETLs
Short Term

61. 73
Solutions
1. Complete the Master Plan
2. Direct Access ramps (also supports BRT)
3. Improve alternatives to driving a car*
4. Create incentives to reduce demand
5. Take advantage of new technologies*
6. Leverage Eastside Rail Corridor (ERC)
Long Term
Uber Growth –
https://techcrunch.com/2016/07/18/uber-has-completed-2-billion-rides/

62. 74
Call To Action
1. Continue to learn about the ETL from more
sources than just WSDOT
2. Work with other legislators and candidates
to stop this madness
3. Volunteer to help spread the word

63. Toll booth near Costco in Woodinville expresses public opinion well
75
Not a partisan issue

64. 76
Questions
Website: http://stop405tolls.org
Twitter: stop405tollsnow
Hashtag: #405ETL
Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/stop405tolls/
Emails stop405tolls@gmail.com