The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District gave an update this morning on the first 30 days of all-electronic toll collection on the span.
During carpool hours, some vehicles with two occupants are using the Carpool Only lane, which requires three or more people per two-axle vehicle, District spokeswoman Mary Currie said.
The carpool lane on U.S. Highway 101 north of the bridge requires two or more people.
A FasTrak account is required, and motorcycles, buses and vehicles with a white DMV clean air decal also are allowed, Currie said.
Carpool hours are 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays, and the Carpool Only lane is open to all traffic during non-carpool hours.
On March 27, the first day of all-electronic tolling, vehicles were passing through the Toll Plaza in excess of the posted 25 mph limit, Currie said.
The California Highway Patrol was purposely more visible at the site during the first few days of new tolling and reminded drivers through the media to slow down.
“Now, 30 days into the new tolling program, we are starting to see some of the highway speeds returning,” Currie said. “We want to educate and remind motorists that the speed limit in the toll lanes is 25 mph,” Currie said.
The educational and readjustment period for the new tolling program will end soon and CHP enforcement will begin, Currie said.
The update also showed FasTrak use on the Golden Gate Bridge increased from 72 percent between March 27 and April 12 last year to 83.3 percent during the same period this year.
Weekend FasTrak use increased from 59 percent to 74.1 percent and the average total FasTrak use rose from 69.3 percent to 81.4 percent during the two March 27-April 12 time periods.
James Lanaras, Bay City News
