HOT Lanes instead of HOV. Are they worth it? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

sfloriII · #1 10-28-2005, 11:19 PM

Washington Post article here:

The DC area is now leaning towards converting HOV lanes to HOT lanes that require a much more expensive toll to keep congestion to a minimum on some lanes. Tolls would rise and fall as traffic congestion rises and falls to always keep the HOT lanes relatively free of traffic. One article I read said that some HOT lanes in the DC area may charge as much as $13 to drive on them!

I think this stinks. Our tax dollars paid for these roads and so they should be free and available to everyone. Just this summer the Dulles toll road, near my house, raised its toll charge. I now take back roads and keep the $45 or so I had been spending a month on tolls. They aren't getting another dime from me!

What do you think? Do you have HOT lanes in your area and are they effective?

Ali Al-Chalabi · #2 10-28-2005, 11:25 PM

Where will the money from the tolls go? If the roads were already built and are maintained by tax dollars, will the toll proceeds replace some of the funding from the federal government?

Ara T. · #3 10-29-2005, 12:00 AM

Whats HOV and whats HOT stand for? i dont think they say in the article.

MTI · #4 10-29-2005, 12:38 AM

High Occupancy Vehicle (minimum numbers of riders)
High Occupancy Toll (Pay Your Way In)

#5 10-29-2005, 12:55 AM

Remember that song...Hot Line Hotline gotta get er on the Hot Line, I think Disco Duck was the B side.

sixto · #6 10-29-2005, 12:55 AM

I believe the toll lanes around SoCal don't require high occupancy. Carpool and FastTrak are separate programs. Seems unfair that those who can pay for it can have their own lane but why should driving be different than any other aspect of life?

Come try the right lane carpool lanes in Santa Clara County sometime. Talk about a stupid way to qualify for federal funding.

Sixto
87 300SDL

sixto · #7 10-29-2005, 12:59 AM

That was the Sylvers. Better known for Boogie Fever.

Sixto
87 300SDL

sixto · #8 10-29-2005, 12:59 AM

Disco Duck was by Rick Dees.

Sixto
87 300SDL

sixto · #9 10-29-2005, 01:00 AM

And now you know something about me you were probably better off not knowing

Sixto
87 300SDL

Azimyth · #10 10-29-2005, 01:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MTI

High Occupancy Vehicle (minimum numbers of riders)
High Occupancy Toll (Pay Your Way In)

See, I though HOT was Highly Over Taxed

Kuan · #11 10-29-2005, 08:07 AM

We started those here this year. Traffic is just as bad. I don't mind not using it during rush hour, but during off peak hours they still charge $0.25 to get on, and they striped a big double white line to separate the lane from regular lanes so you can't get in them except at designated points.

We paid for these same roads with the agreement that they would be HOV lanes during peak hours and they would start and end at a certain point. Now we can't even use them during non-peak hours where there were none before. They basically took roadway that was paid for already and are making people pay again if they want to use them, and they're making us pay for expansion work on the same highway at the same time. How lame.

sfloriII · #12 10-29-2005, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ali Al-Chalabi

Where will the money from the tolls go? If the roads were already built and are maintained by tax dollars, will the toll proceeds replace some of the funding from the federal government?

The designation of the money depends on the area. In VA, the Dulles Toll Rd. (which was suposed to remove the tolls years ago, after the road was paid for) increased the toll to help pay for the expansion of the DC subway into the area. Only problem is that the expansion of the subway has now justified the building of 2400 new homes at the end of the subway line! So there will be an increase of traffic, not a decrease. STUPID!

Like Kuan said, the HOT lanes will be what the HOV lanes used to be, and will now charge a toll all the time. Dammit, we already paid for these roads with our tax dollars and the Dulles Toll Rd. has already been paid for by its own tolls!!! Seems like highway robbery to me.

BrierS · #13 10-29-2005, 07:08 PM

Unless I missed something, the lanes now are for car pooling or similar? The proposed use would be for those with money enough to pay for the right to drive in these lanes?

boneheaddoctor · #14 10-29-2005, 09:15 PM

Its great for the wealthy who can afford to drive alone in the HOT lanes while even more people get crammed into alread overcrowded lanes who have no alternative but drive as they have no carpoolers who drive the exact route they do....

So my opinion is its great for 1% of the people at the expense of the other 99% who are struggling paycheck to paycheck already.

sfloriII · #15 10-30-2005, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BrierS

Unless I missed something, the lanes now are for car pooling or similar? The proposed use would be for those with money enough to pay for the right to drive in these lanes?

That's right. So I guess all those carpoolers will be joining us guys in the "regular" lanes so our commute will be even longer!

The proposed HOT lanes are also attracting the attention of those that live 20 or so miles south of DC. So that they can use the HOV lanes, groups of strangers will regularly drive into the city together to save both time and gas. In DC, you'll see lines of people on the sidewalks around 5:00 pm. Someone will pull up to the sidewalk and two or three people (depending on the HOV requirments) will get into their car for the drive south of the city. People who ride in stranger's cars for HOV reasons are called "Slugs".

So the Slugs don't like the idea of HOT lanes either, because then they too will have to ride in the regular lanes with the rest of us schmucks.