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Not so HOT lanes - Local commuters are about to be taken for a ride
Washington Times ^ | July 13, 2009

Posted on 07/13/2009 6:27:35 AM PDT by La Lydia

Virginia is trying to pull a fast one on motorists who live along the Interstate 95/395 corridor, and we all will be moving slower and paying more as a result...The latest plan effectively hands ownership of Interstate 95/395 to a foreign corporation for the next 80 years. Transurban Group, Melbourne, Australia, will lease the existing high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes for the 64-mile stretch between Spotsylvania, Va., and the Pentagon. Transurban will be responsible for building new access ramps and performing maintenance for the lanes. Drivers interested in a congestion-free ride can pay an expected $1 - or more - per mile to use the HOT lanes while the regular lanes are gridlocked...

The devil is in the details...The Beltway gets new lane construction where it is needed most; 95/395 does not. Instead, between Garrisonville Road and the Pentagon, three lanes will be squeezed into the existing two-lane space...

The commuter who undertakes the 64-mile journey from Spotsylvania would pay a shocking $33,280 each year to use the toll lanes...common commutes from a town such as Dumfries would cost drivers $8,840 each year...adjusting upward for inflation...

...Only those who register for and install a special car-pool tracking device will be allowed into HOT lanes...Because it is in Transurban's interest to minimize the number of nonpaying customers, VDOT agreed to contract language that will actively discourage ride sharing on the Beltway....

...According to the Beltway contract, Virginia taxpayers are on the hook once again if, between now and 2087, improvements are made to free, non-tolled roads in the vicinity of the toll lanes. These agreements ensure that the toll-road company will enjoy a monopoly at taxpayer expense...free roads will be neglected and not expanded to create congestion that will force motorists into the tolled lanes...

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Front Page News; Government; US: Virginia
KEYWORDS: economy; highways; i95; stategovt; transportation; va2009
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To: muawiyah
The amount of bypass traffic on the Beltway in the DC area used to be estimated at 35%. Eventually they got around to doing some meaningful surveys and discovered it was about 2%.

I suspect that's the same problem in Atlanta.

Actually, the amount of "through" traffic in Atlanta is huge. The last study I saw put it at around 25% of all traffic over the course of a day (going from memory here). I-75 is one of 2 significant routes to Florida from the north, with the other being I-95. It's highly evident during spring break when the north/south traffic is much higher.

The I-285 bypass loop around Atlanta is essentially useless for travelers trying to bypass the city. Each interchange on the loop is a small city of its own, and commuter traffic is huge. It's faster to drive straight through the city.

I routinely drive through Atlanta on my way to Florida. I find that if I want to avoid major traffic jams and stoppage, I have to be through Atlanta by 0630 in the morning. In other words, I have to get up at 0300 hrs and be on the road by 0430 or I can easily add 1 hour to my drive time due to Atlanta's traffic.

The extremely limited access lanes on I-75 were an idea that was passed around several years ago. I-271 in Cleveland, OH has them and they work well there. But Atlanta's liberal politicians decided that the HOV lanes were a better idea so travelers get to mingle with commuters. Got to kiss the backside of the tree huggers once in a while, I guess. Even at the detriment of your own constituency.

81 posted on 07/13/2009 11:59:15 AM PDT by meyer ( "The world is a beautiful place and worth fighting for. But not without Freedom.")
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To: wildbill

It started out that there were not a lot of “park and ride” facilities...After a long while “park and ride” facilities started to pop up, and those places support both the bus ridershhip and the HOV lanes...Because at most of them now you can get up and on the HOV lanes from those places...

They learned, yet I still feel the efforts are under-utilized...


82 posted on 07/13/2009 12:01:36 PM PDT by stevie_d_64
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To: meyer
You're locals are on the highway twice a day, 5 days a week. Your out of town people (beyond the SMSA) are on the highway once a day, two days a week.

We can work some limits here for guestimating precisely how much of that traffic is from out of town.

What we have with this premise is that a local would generate 10 trips and an out of towner would generate but 2 trips. It would take 5 out of towners to equal one local.

With 5.28 million people in the SMSA, you'd need out of town traffic representative of 26.50 million people driving through every day.

Not likely that happens.

What that means is that out of town traffic is definitely less than half the traffic on the interstate in question, and probably more like 2%, just like the DC area, which is also on I-95 and which is much closer to a far higher population area than Atlanta.

83 posted on 07/13/2009 12:12:58 PM PDT by muawiyah
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To: muawiyah
Lord help me. You mean there is more than one Mechanicsville in VA?? Forget Mechanicsville. Lower Hanover County. If it is not in Lower Hanover, it doesn't count.

:-)
Maybe I should start over. I can drive from my little place near Grapevine Bridge on the Hanover/Henrico County Line to Sterling, VA in 1 1/12 Hour if I leave at the right time and take the back ways along the way. (Different backways for different times of day.)

Sure has gotten complicated. Was just saying I can see how you make the trip into downtown Richmond in the time period you stated. Don't ask me what time period. I have lost that memory, LOL!

84 posted on 07/13/2009 12:21:29 PM PDT by Protect the Bill of Rights (piddy da foo)
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To: muawiyah
What that means is that out of town traffic is definitely less than half the traffic on the interstate in question, and probably more like 2%, just like the DC area, which is also on I-95 and which is much closer to a far higher population area than Atlanta.

I don't doubt that in rush hour, local traffic greatly outnumbers through-traffic. But at other hours, it isn't that way. When I venture through Atlanta at 0530 or so, many of the vehicles that are travelling southbound heading into Atlanta have non-Georgia plates. More than half at that point. I would venture to say, and this is an educated guess based on observation, that in the wee hours of the morning, more than half the traffic travelling through Atlanta is out-of-state traffic passing through town.

I've made this trip 6 times this year already, so I'm not just passing through occasionally.

Think of how many thoroughfares funnel into I-75. I-71 brings Cleveland and Columbus into I-75 (although Cleveland can take I-77 to I-26 to I-95 if they're going to the Atlantic coast). Virtually all of Michigan must follow I-75 to Florida (and there are a great number of Michigan license plates on I-75 on any given day as a result). Chicago (and areas north) has to take I-65 south and either cut across I-74 from Indianapolis to Cincinnatti or across I-24 from Nashville to Chattanooga and I-75. Ditto for all of Indiana.

Pretty much all of Wisconcin, Missouri, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, and areas westward have few choices if travelling by car. From Memphis south, there are other reasonable choices, but even then, if they travel through Birmingham, Alabama, they will likely take I-20 into Atlanta and then take I-75 south from there.

The truck traffic is enormous as well.

There are changes outside of Atlanta that would certainly help. An interstate highway from Montgomery, Alabama to Tallahassee, Florida would relieve a lot of I-65 traffic from having to funnel into I-75 north of Atlanta. There was also talk a few years ago of an interstate highway from Knox County (Knoxville, TN area) to Savannah, Georgia. This would certainly accomodate some north-south traffic, but given the location, it will likely never be built.

85 posted on 07/13/2009 1:04:06 PM PDT by meyer ( "The world is a beautiful place and worth fighting for. But not without Freedom.")
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To: meyer
BTW, out of towners KNOW about Atlanta's traffic problem. My understanding is you have to have "made it through" by 5:30 AM or you're just simply dead and should find a place to park for the next 4 to 5 hours.

It would appear the out of towners use those early morning hours to EVADE the locals!

86 posted on 07/13/2009 1:06:21 PM PDT by muawiyah
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To: muawiyah

Not true.


87 posted on 07/13/2009 1:08:44 PM PDT by Dave W
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To: Dave W

Dave, I live here and I know how to get there without getting stalled by traffic.


88 posted on 07/13/2009 1:11:12 PM PDT by muawiyah
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To: Dave W

Dave, I live here and I know how to get there without getting stalled by traffic.


89 posted on 07/13/2009 1:11:15 PM PDT by muawiyah
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To: muawiyah
It would appear the out of towners use those early morning hours to EVADE the locals!

Absolutely! That is why I make sure that I leave early enough to get through Atlanta by 0600 Hrs. I mean all the way through and out the other side by 0600 hrs.

Incidentally, my afternoon rides through aren't as bad, but I tend to plan my trips to pass through Atlanta between 1 and 3 PM. After 3 PM, you get the afternoon rush hour traffic.

90 posted on 07/13/2009 1:11:48 PM PDT by meyer ( "The world is a beautiful place and worth fighting for. But not without Freedom.")
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To: La Lydia

Texas finally squashed this over the Trans Texas Corridor and sell/leasing Texas roads to outsiders.

Contact Texas legislators and see what legislation worked there.

This has to be stopped in it’s tracks.

USA Taxpayer monies paid for those roads to be built.
They are selling roads that we all paid for. Not to be allowed!!!


91 posted on 07/13/2009 3:07:47 PM PDT by ridesthemiles
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To: w1andsodidwe

In fact, they are going to encourage more travel, not less. “

Lots more gasoline usage, also.
Hard to be free of foreign oil when you are forcing motorists to drive separately.


92 posted on 07/13/2009 3:09:26 PM PDT by ridesthemiles
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To: ridesthemiles

They didn’t stop the monster, but they slowed it down. What a huge opportunity for graft and taxpayer cheating that sucker is. Isn’t the Spanish firm still involved? Did the Legislature outlaw their involvement?


93 posted on 07/13/2009 3:29:58 PM PDT by La Lydia
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To: muawiyah

During my fifty years in Virginia I knew a lot of wonderful people, and I was known by many people. I also knew lots of arrogant pups like you who only listen to their own voice. You have no idea who I am, nor do I know, or care, who you are. Your boastful and combative self is obvious, and probably masks some deep seated feelings of inadequacy, which you, no doubt, have in abundance.


94 posted on 07/13/2009 3:44:10 PM PDT by billhilly
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To: billhilly

You are a strange little whippersnapper ~ no sense of humor ~


95 posted on 07/13/2009 3:46:29 PM PDT by muawiyah
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To: muawiyah

You are correct. I assume you are avoiding them because of that fact?


96 posted on 07/13/2009 10:57:39 PM PDT by Republic of Texas (Socialism Always Fails)
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To: Married with Children
I even jumped in the HOV lane ...

Wow. If I did that on I-270 near DC where I live, I'd be looking at a possible $500 fine and 1 point. Ouch.

97 posted on 07/14/2009 3:43:07 AM PDT by pnh102 (Regarding liberalism, always attribute to malice what you think can be explained by stupidity. - Me)
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To: muawiyah
Great. You're freakin' blind, senile and your driving 150 mph down I-95 to Ashland when you meant to go to Ashburn and you jump all over others for pointing out your ridiculously obvious error.

Bless your heart.

98 posted on 07/14/2009 5:35:11 AM PDT by Hatteras
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To: Hatteras

Just hold your tongue there sonny.


99 posted on 07/14/2009 5:37:08 AM PDT by muawiyah
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To: muawiyah
As a matter of fact, THAT'S where I've seen you before...


100 posted on 07/14/2009 5:48:11 AM PDT by Hatteras
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