Declaring that it's time to try something new in the war on traffic, Los Angeles County transportation officials unanimously voted Thursday to make some motorists pay tolls to use carpool lanes on two local freeways.

If all goes as planned, tolls for those lanes will take effect on the 10 and 210 freeways in the San Gabriel Valley by the end of 2010.

On the 210, it is expected that tolls will be implemented between Pasadena and the 605 Freeway. On the 10 Freeway, tolls probably would be charged on the stretch between downtown Los Angeles and the 605.

Carpool lanes on the 110 Freeway south of downtown also may become toll lanes -- if the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has money left over.

"This is a great opportunity to think outside the box and to try something that has been tested around the world and has worked," said Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, a member of the MTA board. "Part of the reason that Los Angeles has not been able to grapple with gridlock is because we've been unable to make the tough decisions."

Events moved quickly this week after the MTA learned that the U.S. Department of Transportation was prepared to offer local transit officials more than $200 million to buy about 60 high-capacity buses and upgrade Metrolink train service in the San Gabriel Valley. In exchange, the MTA board had to agree to try on its freeways some so-called congestion pricing, a toll scheme in which the charge varies by time of day.