Q. My household has four sticker transponders from the Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA), and I’ve been thinking about also getting a switchable transponder to use on the 405 Express Lanes to travel for free when there are enough passengers. My plan would be to move this switchable transponder to whichever car we’re using on a particular day. But what happens when I drive the 405 tollway with a sticker transponder on the windshield AND a switchable transponder in the same vehicle? Your enlightenment on this would be greatly appreciated.
– Gary Pulford, Costa Mesa
A. Get that switchable transponder, Gary, which officially is called a FasTrak Flex.
“You can move the switchable transponder,” said Joel Zlotnik, a spokesman for the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA), which manages the new 405 Express Lanes. “The system will know (there are two transponders aboard) and charge you the lowest available toll. … You will get the free toll.”
On the 405 Express Lanes, if there are three occupants, you adjust the Flex transponder to show this and your travel is free. For the first three and a half years, two occupants can ride for free during non-peak hours (see 405expresslanes.com).
Gary, Honk recommends you get your transponder from the TCA, which operates the 241 and 73 tollways, for $20 and avoid the OCTA’s required deposit. Should you ever go solo on the 405 Express Lanes, your toll will show up on your TCA bill.
(The TCA sells the Flex transponders as a courtesy; on TCA tollways, the Flex doesn’t help with discounts.)
Q. I consider myself a good driver – no tickets or accidents in many, many years. But now that I’ve seen the ever-bent lane dividers on the westbound 405/101 transition being constantly repaired for years, I worry about the very long stretch of those bendable dividers on the new Orange County tollway. It’s only been in use a few weeks and dozens were bent into the roadway. It’s less of an issue, perhaps, on the toll section where there seems to be more clearance to avoid the ones protruding into the traffic lane. But I worry about the hazard to the left-most regular traffic lane. Many drivers are easily intimidated by sudden occurrence of such obstacles. I think this very long-distance use of that method of lane division is a very poor decision that’s going to cause people some serious damage or injury. How do we get the transit agency to reconsider these lane dividers?
– Gene Goldstein, Woodland Hills
A. Well, Gene, it is safe to say those dividers, called channelizers, are here to stay for a while – at least.
Not too long ago, the 241 Toll Road, also in Orange County and near the 91 Freeway, added a bunch, and 11,000 of them were put in for the new 405 Express Lanes, the roadway you are talking about.
The channelizers, of course, are to keep cheaters from going in and out of the Express Lanes to dodge the charging system.
At least some channelizers, such as the 405’s, are plastic and bendable so police cars and ambulances can roll over them when responding to emergencies. When hit, they generally pop back up.
Zlotnik says they meet Caltrans’ standards, are watched via camera 24 hours a day and taken care of immediately if warranted. A crew, each month, goes out and replaces any ones that are missing or too damaged.
The OCTA has been operating the 91 Express Lanes, which has channelizers, for two decades, Zlotnik said, and he wasn’t aware of a loose or bent one causing a problem.
To ask Honk questions, reach him at honk@ocregister.com. He only answers those that are published. To see Honk online: ocregister.com/tag/honk. Twitter: @OCRegisterHonk
