KIRO News reports, “Drivers on I-405 will have to think of a new slogan for their commutes. It turns out, calling the express toll lanes the ‘Lexus lanes,’ is not quite accurate. It’s more like the Ford freeway, or the Ford fast lanes. Maybe the Chevy shuffle.” WSDOT studied eleven months’ worth of I-405 Express Lanes data and found that, “Drivers with Fords use the toll lanes the most, with Chevy drivers close behind them,” the report adds.
The Herald (Everett) editorial board doesn’t quite agree. In a recent editorial, the newspaper contended, “And, yes, [the express lanes] have earned that Lexus lane nickname. Survey data from the state shows that about 80 percent of express lane drivers, those paying tolls and driving in carpools, report incomes above $75,000, well above the county’s median salary of $67,000.”