Have you noticed the drive to Las Vegas has gotten considerably better?
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Long gone are the days of it being a four lane highway. It has been widened and repaved for the stretch stemming from the I-10 to the Strip.
2UrbanGirls was stumped as to who funded the expansive renovation and more importantly how would the costs be recouped? If you are a regular traveler, you will see a shiny new California Highway Patrol headquarters that is used for weighing trucks but appear to have additional purposes. They will soon begin enforcing tolls.
Nancy Pfeffer, a consultant for the Southern California Area Governments, is a transportation planner and go to for creating plans to convert general purpose lanes to toll lanes, at the expense of minority and low-income drivers.
According to her website, Network Public Affairs:
…examines the impacts of transportation and goods movement projects and policies on minority, low-income, and other specific population groups. These findings support policy makers in their decisions.
She has been successful in producing studies to support implementing toll lanes on I-580 near Livermore, CA, I-10/I-110 in South LA and the I-10/I-15 was recently explored.
Pfeffer’s company has also played a role in the support of widening the I-710. Her studies conclude the conversions have no impact on minorities and low-income communities and to ensure they can still afford the lanes, she has designed “equity programs” to reduce fees that are already a burden for those making just enough to not cover the increasing cost of rent.
The the San Bernardino Associated Governments (SANBAG) commissioned the study in 2013.
How many low-income families will be able to afford to travel to Las Vegas under a toll system and what would that cost look like? Many can’t afford the minimal tolls charged to travel from San Pedro to USC, let alone a minimum three hour drive between San Bernardino and Clark County’s.
2UrbanGirls reached out to Ms. Pfeffer who hasn’t responded at the time of this publishing.  For disclosure, this author has previously worked with Ms. Pfeffer regarding the carshare industries focus on implementing components of transportation legislation SB 375 and Job Access Reverse Commute (JARC) dating back to 2005.
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