Over $800 million went toward using express lanes around the Bay Area between 2023 and 2024, according to the Bay Area Toll Authority. FasTrak runs the toll-collecting service, to maintain Bay Area roads and bridges and environmental friendliness. Payments are made to be given access to express lanes and to cross Bay Area Bridges. However, there shouldn’t be charges for using any lanes on California’s roads.
Freeways and bridges are public goods, paid for by taxes and maintained by a local government or the State of California. People must pay taxes, but to use the “express lane,” they must pay once more. According to FasTrak itself, unpaid tolls can warrant fines; the fines increase each time depending on the bridge or express lane crossed. It makes no sense to be punished for using a pure public good, fully paid for by tax dollars.
FasTrak provides fee reductions for clean-air vehicles, as part of their objective is to help reduce carbon emissions, as stated by the FasTrak website. According to the National Library of Medicine, the carbon emissions from the combination of rush hour and heavy traffic significantly contribute to air pollution. FasTrak’s actions are counterintuitive toward the objective of environmental friendliness, leaving one lane open while leaving the others extremely congested. By allowing express lanes to be toll-free, the flow of traffic can speed up and ensure that cars emit carbon for a shorter period of time.
According to Commissioner Adrian Allen of the Northern California Employment Security Commission, some benefits that come with FasTrak include saving time and money, ease of access, and less impact on the environment. However, the service only allows people who pay to save time, which makes FasTrak a private company running public roads. Money isn’t saved at all; it is further spent because money outside of taxes is collected for maintaining roads.
By removing FasTrak’s authority to collect tolls across the Bay Area, taxpayers can save money and reduce their environmental impact. The company’s goal is positive, but its methods take money from drivers when costs aren’t necessary.