A look at who bears the burden of toll lanes

Plus big cash in Spokane elections and even more fat-cat dough in Seatt

Sparing a few bucks to zip by a traffic jam via a toll lane is a privilege enjoyed mainly by well-to-do Washington drivers.

That factoid comes from a 2021-2022 study from the University of Washington, which raised some eyebrows on the state Transportation Commission last week to shed some light on whether toll lanes—namely high-occupancy toll lanes (HOT)¹—are serving hard-pressed commuters.

(Image by Shutterstock)

Here’s why you should care about this. On paper, tolls are supposed to manage demand on the roads and fund transportation projects. It’s important whether drivers use what they paid for, but it’s doubly important whether people of lesser means bear the same burden traveling the highways as their peers.