I can't comment on the recent issues, but it's always been a peeve of mine that the express lanes operate even when it's not in the main commute direction at th

I can't comment on the recent issues, but it's always been a peeve of mine that the express lanes operate even when it's not in the main commute direction at the time. For example, the 680 lanes operate M-F, 5am-8pm. But northbound traffic in the morning isn't that bad, nor is southbound traffic in the evening. Almost no one would pay to use the express lane at these times, so you wind up with a lane that's almost completely empty and makes traffic denser in the other lanes.