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DC-area drivers blast I-66 tolling system as fees hit $40 mark
Fox News ^ | 12/5/17 | Greg Norman

Posted on 12/07/2017 3:11:40 AM PST by markomalley

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For those who don't live in the DC area, the Virginia government (both parties tbh) has set up these variable-priced HOT lanes for express lanes throughout the area. The pricing is based upon the average speed of traffic on the express lanes.

So when the express lanes are moving, tolls are quite reasonable, but when the express lanes slow down or stop then the tolls start to skyrocket.

Interstate 66 inside of the I-495 Beltway was formerly HOV (2 or more people per vehicle) during rush hour. Even with that restriction, it always backed up when it got close to the Potomac River. The reason for this is that I-66 turns into Constitution Avenue in Downtown DC.

Naturally when they add the HOT option for single drivers, the tolls are going to skyrocket during peak hours.

Bottom line is that until they add additional lanes to I-66 or make additional limited access routes of ingress into DC from Northern Virginia (right now, there are literally only three routes that are "limited access": I-395, I-66, and the George Washington Parkway), that's just going to be how it is.

1 posted on 12/07/2017 3:11:40 AM PST by markomalley
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To: markomalley

What’s the big deal? It’s just money. /sarc


2 posted on 12/07/2017 3:12:46 AM PST by Cowboy Bob
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To: Cowboy Bob
"What’s the big deal? It’s just money. /sarc"

It's just YOUR money. Most of those drivers are government employees who live to regulate and vote Democrat.

3 posted on 12/07/2017 3:18:54 AM PST by Truth29
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To: markomalley

I suspect this is a managed situation. Over the past decade in NYC, more streets have been shut down and congestion has increased. Some politicians have brazenly admitted that this is by design....that they want more people riding bicycles and taking public transportation. Meanwhile, tolls rise and hassles increase because, well, people are willing to put up with it. I suspect a privatized roadway would work much better.


4 posted on 12/07/2017 3:19:17 AM PST by DoodleBob
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To: markomalley
Bottom line is that until they add additional lanes to I-66 or make additional limited access routes of ingress into DC from Northern Virginia (right now, there are literally only three routes that are "limited access": I-395, I-66, and the George Washington Parkway), that's just going to be how it is.

Or just reduce the size of the federal government

5 posted on 12/07/2017 3:25:56 AM PST by fso301
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To: DoodleBob

These streets have been shut down to non-HOV traffic since the 80s. The tolls give single drivers a legal way to use them during rush hour that previously didn’t exist. The only legitimate complaints here are from people legitimately heading to the airport, or from people caught by the half hour extension made either side of the rush hour schedule.


6 posted on 12/07/2017 3:27:39 AM PST by Eepsy
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To: markomalley

If you have two people in your car, you ride HOV free. Encourage carpooling.

Funny thing is that taxpayers already paid for the road. Now they’re paying for it again.

I ride HOV 3 on 95 and 395 and don’t pay.


7 posted on 12/07/2017 3:30:12 AM PST by KingLudd
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To: markomalley
I've been confused by the express lanes on I-66 and the beltway for some time. The signage is confusing and since I don't have to drive there regularly, I've not tried to figure it out. I gather that if I stay in the regular lanes and avoid the express lanes, nothing has changed. Ok by me.

Assuming the above is correct, I'm slightly surprised by the current furor. The HOV lanes were installed years ago to promote carpooling. But carpooling remains the exception, not the rule, so the HOV lanes are hugely underutilized -- or would be, except that a lot of solo commuters have been using them illegally. I gather that it's the illegal freeriders who are complaining now. People with legitimate carpools still don't have to pay the toll.

As I understand it, the current action merely opens the HOV lanes to solo commuters who are willing to pay a fare. This is an expansion of availability, not a contraction. This makes sense. That said, the sticker shock is understandable. The pro-toll people, mostly Democrats, talked in terms of $6-7, and tolls were a tough sell at that price. But when they rolled it out this week, the variable tolls hit $34 the first day and spiked over $40 the second day. Promises made, promises broken, quite in the spirit of Obamacare.

What Virginia really should have done is start with a $6 toll, perhaps with a variable peak at $10 at maximum congestion, and see if that helped. The toll could always be raised more if necessary. I'm not opposed in principle to tolls to ration traffic in high congestion areas, but ya gotta be a little smart in how you roll them out.

8 posted on 12/07/2017 3:30:34 AM PST by sphinx
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To: markomalley

Elect democrats, this is what you get.


9 posted on 12/07/2017 3:33:22 AM PST by I want the USA back (Islam mandates warfare against unbelievers and is absolutely incompatible with Western society.)
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To: markomalley

How do they enforce the HOV rules when the highways are jammed? Robo-cameras?


10 posted on 12/07/2017 3:36:46 AM PST by Dr. Sivana (There is no salvation in politics.)
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To: markomalley
So when the express lanes are moving, tolls are quite reasonable, but when the express lanes slow down or stop then the tolls start to skyrocket.

I thought the HOT (express) lanes were based on the level of congestion in the non-express lanes. The trouble with I-66 is there are no non-express lanes to measure.

11 posted on 12/07/2017 3:38:01 AM PST by palmer (...if we do not have strong families and strong values, then we will be weak and we will not survive)
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To: Cowboy Bob

Around the DC area, I wonder how many of those tolls/toll cards are being “subsidized” by the taxpayers, govt credit cards, etc?


12 posted on 12/07/2017 3:39:34 AM PST by FrankR (On the knees is not a good place to be...a man on the knees is only half a man.....)
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To: markomalley

I think this is being done to give politicians and senior bureaucrats an easy commute.


13 posted on 12/07/2017 3:39:47 AM PST by Jonty30 (What Islam and secularism have in common is that they are both death cults)
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To: Dr. Sivana

The HOV violation fines are (were) enormous, so they had no problem funding enforcement. With the switch to HOT the fine revenue will drop since many people who cheated would pay even large fines if they were caught and don’t mind paying $40. Before the large fines came, there were people who cheated daily and paid the small fines.


14 posted on 12/07/2017 3:40:36 AM PST by palmer (...if we do not have strong families and strong values, then we will be weak and we will not survive)
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To: markomalley
How does the system "know" if you have a second person in your vehicle? Are there cameras?
15 posted on 12/07/2017 3:42:05 AM PST by Jess Kitting
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To: I want the USA back

The richest counties in the nation and these liberals whine about a measly $40 commute? Ha!


16 posted on 12/07/2017 3:46:41 AM PST by From The Deer Stand
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To: FrankR

Expense reports reimbursed for the royal. For everyone else, welcome to pay to play, the peasant edition.


17 posted on 12/07/2017 3:49:05 AM PST by blackdog
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To: Jess Kitting
How does the system "know" if you have a second person in your vehicle? Are there cameras?

There is a special kind of EZ Pass called an EZ Pass Flex:

Note the switch: if you have over the HOV number of people (either 2 or 3), you flip the switch into the "HOV" position.

The trick is to know how they determine people are attempting fraud when flipping that switch.

I believe they use police on the ground for that purpose.

18 posted on 12/07/2017 3:51:49 AM PST by markomalley (Nothing emboldens the wicked so greatly as the lack of courage on the part of the good -- Leo XIII)
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To: fso301
Or just reduce the size of the federal government

Bingo! We have a winner. Not only DownSize DC, but decentralize the agencies that are there. There is no reason to concentrate the corruption and insanity.

19 posted on 12/07/2017 3:53:02 AM PST by Texas Fossil ((Texas is not where you were born, but a Free State of Heart, Mind & Attitude!))
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To: palmer
I thought the HOT (express) lanes were based on the level of congestion in the non-express lanes. The trouble with I-66 is there are no non-express lanes to measure.

I thought so as well. However, I got caught one time on a Saturday when there was an accident right at the terminus of I-95 South express lanes. It cost me $5 for 25 miles and $20 for the last two miles because the express lanes were blocked due tot the accident, causing that two mile stretch to skyrocket in price.

(BTW, the question is: why use the express lanes on the weekend? Answer: because I-95 in VA can get clogged up 24x7)

20 posted on 12/07/2017 3:58:31 AM PST by markomalley (Nothing emboldens the wicked so greatly as the lack of courage on the part of the good -- Leo XIII)
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