This is a post in a facebook group for an Issaquah community. It was posted just a few days ago. I will leave the author anonymous. This was from a person who lives locally, has a FlexPass and started driving in the #405ETL on a regular basis:
Who here knows a lot about these Good To Go lanes? I’ve been going up to Bothell a lot lately. There’s probably 20 camera check point. When I’m that lame with a carpool I flip my tag to HOV. While driving I notice it only says Express Lane. Nothing about 2+ ppl. Then a billboard has each exit at .75 cents. So if I’m in that lane does
1) carpool does not apply to the express TOLL?
2) do I get charge .75 (or whatever the fee is for the hour) at each photo? Or is it for the full duration of that drive up 405.
3) when does the HOV tag apply to 405?Can’t wait to see how much I just racked up the last 3 days!
If you think the express toll lanes are a functional operation, try explaining them to someone. Better yet, explain it to someone that English is not their first language.
Not only are the Express Toll Lanes a convoluted mess of rules and exceptions, they create confusion, stress, and danger for people who don’t understand them as well as for the drivers around them. Our lawmakers should be passing laws that make our lives better and safer, not more dangerous or difficult or stressful.
I challenge you to post a comment below that explains how to use the #405ETL so that the person who wrote the post above can understand. I will follow up on this post later with a brief primer of their operations and we can see how well you did.
Stop405Tolls 
Maybe try to stop voting for democrats
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It really isn’t a D vs R thing. People on both sides originally voted to try them out. People on both sides agree we now need to get rid of them after seeing exactly how flawed the system really is. The primary person blocking their removal happens to be a Democrat. In the bigger picture, Trump’s proposal for $1 Trillion is expected to be financed primarily with toll lanes and toll roads. Educating people to see this is a failed system that no amount of technology can make socially equitable and they still don’t address the issue of congestion.
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I can answer those questions in 75 words. I challenge you write a 75 word response explaining how to read an analog clock. For matter, can you give me a 75 word explanation of how to convert all of the most common weights and measures found in a typical baking recipe to a single measurement scale?
We use much more complicated things than express toll lanes every single day of our lives. Take a few minutes to understand them and you can save close to an hour a day. Here’s a 90 second video with everything you need to know: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CINx7Ay2KIo
To answer his questions in 75 words:
1) Big enough carpools can use those lanes for free with a flex pass. The number of people needed to drive free is at the bottom of the price signs.
2) You only get charged once based on how far you go.
3) Whenever the pass is switched to “HOV” it sends a signal so you get a free ride. The tolls are only for people who chose to pay them when they’re not carpooling with enough people.
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Pasqual, thank you for at least trying. But it is much more complicated than that. And as I’ve pointed out before ( https://stop405tolls.org/2016/06/27/toll-system-so-complicated-even-wsdot-education-videos-got-it-wrong/ )
If it takes a whole youtube channel, an interactive website, and many pages on the WSDOT website to explain it, it’s too complicated. In fact, WSDOT even got it wrong in their video and pulled the video down only after we exposed it. In fact, we have called errors in the toll prices to their attention repeatedly too.
Please watch for the next blog post where I will explain in a “brief” article the complete rules for using the #405ETL.
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Respectful debate is welcome. Trolling is deleted.
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