High-occupancy toll lane

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FasTrak high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes along Interstate 15 southbound in Escondido, California, displaying the variable fee. I-15 Express Lanes.jpg
FasTrak high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes along Interstate 15 southbound in Escondido, California, displaying the variable fee.

A high-occupancy toll lane (HOT lane) is a type of traffic lane or roadway that is available to high-occupancy vehicles and other exempt vehicles without charge; other vehicles are required to pay a variable fee that is adjusted in response to demand. Unlike toll roads, drivers have an option to use general purpose lanes, on which a fee is not charged. Express toll lanes, which are less common, operate along similar lines, but do not exempt high-occupancy vehicles.

Contents

History

The HOT concept developed from high-occupancy vehicle lane (HOV) systems in order to increase use of the available capacity, as it was found that HOV lanes were underutilized compared to general purpose lanes.

Most implementations are currently in the United States. The first practical implementation was California's formerly private toll 91 Express Lanes, in Orange County, California, in 1995, followed in 1996 by Interstate 15 in northern San Diego. [1] [2] According to the Texas A&M Transportation Institute, as of 2012 there were 294 corridor-miles of HOT/Express lanes in operation in the United States and 163 corridor-miles under construction. [3]

The first HOT lane implementation in Canada was along the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) freeway in Ontario. [4] Existing high-occupancy vehicle lanes were redesignated as HOT lanes for a 16.5-kilometre (10.3 mi) stretch of the QEW between Oakville and Burlington. [5] The initial system consisted of $180 permits valid for three months, though HOT lanes with electronic tolling infrastructure were announced as part of forthcoming expansions to Ontario Highway 427. [6]

Design

An in-vehicle, switchable FasTrak Flex transponder fitted to the dashboard of vehicles for use in Greater Los Angeles, CA, US Switchable FasTrak transponder.jpg
An in-vehicle, switchable FasTrak Flex transponder fitted to the dashboard of vehicles for use in Greater Los Angeles, CA, US

Some systems are reversible, operating in one direction during the morning commute and in the reverse direction during the evening commute. The toll is typically collected using electronic toll collection systems, automatic number plate recognition, or at staffed toll booths. Exempt vehicles typically include those with at least two, three or four occupants, those that use approved alternative fuels, motorcycles, transit vehicles and emergency vehicles. [7]

The fee, which is displayed prominently at entry points to the lanes, is adjusted in response to demand to regulate the traffic volume and thereby provided a guaranteed minimum traffic speed and level of service. [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]

The Los Angeles Metro ExpressLanes HOT system requires vehicles to be fitted with manually "switchable" transponders where the driver selects the number of occupants, based on which the appropriate fee is charged. [13] [14] California Highway Patrol officers have in-vehicle devices which display the declared occupancy of a vehicle, which they can verify visually and cite any driver(s) with fewer occupants than declared (and tolled for). [15] The new system proved itself to be highly effective in reducing the rate of lane-use violations, with it falling to 40-50% of the violation rates of other comparable California highways, from more than 20-25% (nearly one out of four or five) to just 10% (one in ten). Other transportation officials in California took note of this, subsequently leading to the Bay Area officials of Alameda County to adopt a similar system for the (then) planned Interstate 580. [16]

Funding and construction

Implementation of these systems can be prohibitively expensive, due to the initial construction required—particularly with regard to providing access to and from the express toll lanes at interchanges. However, the long-term benefits—the decrease in delay to able motorists and increased funding for the transportation agency—may outweigh the costs. To offset costs of construction, many transportation agencies lease public roads to a private institution. As a result, construction may be partially or fully funded by the private institution, which receives all of the income from tolling for a specified period. [17] [18]

Criticism

Afternoon rush hour in Miami, where tolled express lanes have become congested and "closed" Miami traffic jam, I-95 North rush hour.jpg
Afternoon rush hour in Miami, where tolled express lanes have become congested and "closed"

Because HOT lanes and ETLs are often constructed within the existing road space, they are criticized as being an environmental tax or "Lexus lanes" solely beneficial to higher-income individuals, since one toll rate is charged regardless of socioeconomic status and the working poor thus suffer greater financial burden, although some states offer tax deductions or rebates to low income individuals for toll payments. [19] Supporters of HOT lanes counter with the fact that because HOT lanes encourage the use of public transit and ride sharing, they reduce transportation demands and provide a benefit for all. [20] However, HOT lanes have demonstrated no guarantees in eliminating traffic congestion, bringing into question their fundamental usefulness aside from raising funds for private institutions and local governments. [21]

Examples

High Occupancy Toll Lanes (HOT lanes)

Reversible HOT lanes along Interstate 95 in Northern Virginia 2019-06-24 13 15 01 View south along Interstate 95 from the overpass for Virginia State Route 234 (Dumfries Road) just north of Dumfries in Prince William County, Virginia.jpg
Reversible HOT lanes along Interstate 95 in Northern Virginia

Express Toll Lanes (Express lanes)

See also

Related Research Articles

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The Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) is a 400-series highway in the Canadian province of Ontario linking Toronto with the Niagara Peninsula and Buffalo, New York. The freeway begins at the Peace Bridge in Fort Erie and travels 139.1 kilometres (86.4 mi) around the western end of Lake Ontario, ending at Highway 427 as the physical highway continues as the Gardiner Expressway into downtown Toronto. The QEW is one of Ontario's busiest highways, with an average of close to 200,000 vehicles per day on some sections. Major highway junctions are at Highway 420 in Niagara Falls, Highway 405 in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Highway 406 in St. Catharines, the Red Hill Valley Parkway in Hamilton, Highway 403 and Highway 407 in Burlington, Highway 403 at the Oakville–Mississauga boundary, and Highway 427 in Etobicoke. Within the Regional Municipality of Halton the QEW is signed concurrently with Highway 403. The speed limit is 100 km/h (62 mph) throughout most of its length, with the exceptions being between Hamilton and St. Catharines where the posted limit is 110 km/h (68 mph).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">400-series highways</span> Ontario freeway network

The 400-series highways are a network of controlled-access highways in the Canadian province of Ontario, forming a special subset of the provincial highway system. They are analogous to the Interstate Highway System in the United States or the Autoroute system of neighbouring Quebec, and are regulated by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO). The 400-series designations were introduced in 1952, although Ontario had been constructing divided highways for two decades prior. Initially, only Highways 400, 401 and 402 were numbered; other designations followed in the subsequent decades. The network is situated almost entirely in Southern Ontario, although Highway 400 extends into the more remote northern portion of the province.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">FasTrak</span> Electronic toll collection system in California

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Managed lane</span>

A managed lane is a type of highway lane that is operated with a management scheme, such as lane use restrictions or variable tolling, to optimize traffic flow, vehicle throughput, or both. Definitions and goals vary among transport agencies, but managed lanes are generally implemented to achieve an improved operational condition on a highway, such as improving traffic speed and throughput, reducing air pollution, and improving safety. Types of managed lanes include high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, high-occupancy toll lanes, express toll lanes, reversible lanes, and bus lanes. Most managed lane facilities are located in the United States and Canada, although HOV and bus lanes can be found in many other countries; outside of the US and Canada, many countries use active traffic management that manage all lanes of a highway.

References

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  3. Urban Land Institute (ULI) (2013). "When the Road Price Is Right – Land Use, Tolls, and Congestion Pricing" (PDF). Urban Land Institute. Retrieved 2013-04-09. See Figure 2, pp.6
  4. "Canada's First High Occupancy Toll Lanes Open September 15". Newsroom. Government of Ontario. September 14, 2016. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
  5. Lupton, Andrew (September 15, 2016). "QEW HOV lanes become HOT lanes today for single drivers". CBC News. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
  6. "Ontario Moving Forward On Highway 427 Expansion". Newsroom. Government of Ontario. March 3, 2016. Retrieved November 4, 2017. High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lane infrastructure will be included in the construction work. A 15.5 km stretch of dedicated HOT lanes with electronic tolling in both directions on Highway 427, from south of Highway 409 to north of Rutherford Road, will open in 2021.
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  11. "Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance". Archived from the original on 2015-10-03.
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  15. Metro ExpressLanes: Rules of the Road (YouTube). Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. July 24, 2012. 2 minutes in.[ dead YouTube link ]
  16. Richards, Gary (2014-07-11). "Bay Area carpoolers must use FasTrak in express lanes under new law". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved 2015-07-05.
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  19. Malone, Kenny (2014-06-23). "Are Lexus Lanes Really Lexus Lanes?". WLRN. Retrieved 2015-04-28.
  20. MTC Planning - HOV/HOT Lanes Archived 2008-06-03 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved October 6, 2009
  21. Cohen, Josh (2017-11-03). "Will expansion of HOT Lanes Help Commuters?". Next City. Retrieved 2018-03-25.