Metro's media office just e-mailed me what the emerging rules are on who can and can't use the lanes. Although earlier discussions had mentioned excluding hybrid cars that already had stickers allowing them to use the carpool lane, Metro now says they will continue to have access to the lane for free, although the minimum carpool requirement on the 10 remains three people.
The idea for the lanes is that the tolls will change by time of day. When demand is high (i.e. during rush hour, for example), the price will be high to lower demand on the lane. Conversely, when there's little traffic, the price will be low. This is the same tolling scheme applied to the 91 express lanes in Orange County.
The other rules, in the words of Metro:
Peak hours
For the 110 freeway, a two (2) person carpool would drive free during peak hours - - consistent with current minimum occupancy. Single drivers, who cannot access the lanes today, would have a choice to buy into the HOT lanes at certain times of the day.
For the 10 freeway, a three (3) person carpool would drive free during peak hours -- consistent with current minimum occupancy. Two person and single drivers, who cannot access the lanes today, would have a choice to buy into the HOT lanes at certain times of the day.
Non-Peak
For the 110 freeway, a two (2) person carpool would drive free during non-peak hours -- consistent with current minimum occupancy. Single drivers, who cannot access the lanes today, would have a choice to buy into the HOT lanes at certain times of the day.
For the 10 Freeway, a three (3) person carpool and 2 person carpool would drive free during non-peak hours -- consistent with current minimum occupancy. Single drivers, who cannot access the lanes today, would have a choice to buy into the HOT lanes at certain times of the day.
(more)
Sen. Barack Obama, Thursday night in Denver:
"And for the sake of our economy, our security, and the future of our planet, I will set a clear goal as president: In 10 years, we will finally end our dependence on oil from the Middle East."
If you're wondering what that means exactly, this chart from the U.S. Energy Information Administration shows the sources of oil used by the United States. The EIA also says:
"The United States consumes about 21 million barrels (882 million gallons) of petroleum products each day, almost half in the form of gasoline used in over 210 million motor vehicles traveling over 7 billion miles per day."
If you do the math, Americans are using about 3.78 million barrels of oil from the Middle East each day. So, if Obama is elected, the U.S. has a decade to find a lot of that oil somewhere else, reduce its oil use and/or find other ways to power our cars -- presumably without doing too much harm to our environment.
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Union spokesman Mike Chavez says the workers went back to work Friday after Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa brokered a three-week cooling off period when negotiations will continue.
via MarketWatch.com - Top Stories on 8/29/08
Go to LADailyBlog.com for full story.
McCain’s veep choice is historic and hardly known
In two short years, Sarah Palin moved from small-town mayor with a taste for mooseburgers to the governor’s office and now — making history — to John McCain’s side as the first female running mate on a Republican presidential ticket.
She has more experience catching fish than dealing with foreign policy or national affairs.
Talk about a rocketing ascent.
In turning to her, McCain picked an independent figure in his own mold, one who has taken on Alaska’s powerful oil industry and, at age 44, is three years younger than Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama and a generation younger than McCain, 72. . .
Feinstein considers run for Calif. governor
SAN FRANCISCO —Sen. Dianne Feinstein says she’s actively considering a run for California governor in 2010, but wants to see the results of the November election before she makes a decision.
Feinstein, who didn’t attend the Democratic convention in Denver because of a broken ankle, told the San Francisco Chronicle that she might choose to stay in Washington if Democrats gain a large enough majority in Congress to move major legislation.
“I can’t say that since this (convention) started I haven’t thought about it, because I have,” Feinstein, 75, said Thursday of a possible run. “I want to see how close to 60 votes we can get in the Senate, what the committee structure is and how best I can use my time. . .
LAPD on the hunt for serial killer
An elusive serial killer, linked to 10 slayings in South Los Angeles and Inglewood over nearly two decades, resurfaced early last year to kill again, Los Angeles police officials said.
Long stretches of time between known killings and a disjointed, often dormant investigation that spanned different generations of detectives left police unclear for years that a single man was behind the slayings. The latest slaying was tied conclusively to the others by DNA analysis in May 2007.
“The day those tests came in, we realized we had a serial killer on our hands who has been active for 23 years,” said LAPD Det. Dennis Kilcoyne, who heads a task force of seven detectives charged with solving the killings. . .
