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Bill calling for elimination of express lanes dies in subcommittee
Local 10 News ^ | April 6, 2017 | eff Weinsier

Posted on 04/17/2017 3:52:51 AM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - A proposed bill to ban express lanes in Florida died Thursday in the House Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee.

Despite causing an increase in crashes and confusion, express lanes, according to the Florida Department of Transportation, help move people faster, and that if they were eliminated the state would lose $1.5 billion over 10 years.

All of that money is used to improve and fix roads.

Sen. Frank Artiles, R-Miami, filed SB 250 in January.

It that would have allowed the express lanes to remain in operation only until tolls are collected to pay off the bonds that were created to pay for the project.

Once the bond indebtedness had been met, the bill would require that the tolls be eliminated.

But representatives across the state weren’t in favor of the idea.

"I really do appreciate the safety issues, but as an abundance of caution I will probably be down on this bill today," State Rep. Mike Miller, R -Orlando, said.

There now are at least eight different express lane projects under construction in Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa and Broward County.

"I do think the Ultimate I-4 project is critical for us in Central Florida and to tamper with it right now, I just wanna be abundantly cautious," Miller said.

Rep. Amber Mariano, R. New Port Richey, said she’d like to see the bill develop into something that would change the system to make it better and not eliminate it.

"It is up to our constituents if they want to pay for these lanes or not," she said. "I think it's a great way to move traffic quicker. I’d work with you on a cap they can change. I do think there is a benefit to having this system."

Rep. Michael Grant, R- Port Charlotte, said he wouldn’t support legislation that would affect the entire state.

"Maybe if you said it was going to be just Miami-Dade or Broward County, I might say, 'OK try out as a pilot program,' but it just has so much of an impact on the state moving forward," Grant said.

The bill can still pass if it’s added or attached to a larger transportation bill in the Senate, but a source says that won’t likely happen.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Florida
KEYWORDS: accidents; barbarawatson; bill; congestion; construction; elimination; expresslanes; fdot; florida; frankartiles; funding; hotlanes; i4ultimate; infrastructure; lexuslanes; mattwhillhite; miami; orlando; safety; sb250; spending; subcommittee; tallahassee; tolls; traffic; transportation

1 posted on 04/17/2017 3:52:51 AM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Committee rejects bill that would stop future express lanes (3/28)
2 posted on 04/17/2017 4:08:03 AM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (April 2006 Message from Dan: http://www.dansimmons.com/news/message/2006_04.htm)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

How about outlawing those #!*@ traffic circles.


3 posted on 04/17/2017 4:12:56 AM PDT by Ken H (Best election ever!)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Two things I love about Kentucky: No express lanes and no motorcycle cops.

One thing I hate: Unmarked cars that are extremely hard to spot. they have “normal” license plates, alloy wheels, and tinted windows so you can’t even see the emergency lights. And many of them don’t even have the hand spotlight on the left pillar. They come as SUV’s, Mustangs, Chevy’s and Tauruses. They really suck!

The good news is that I’ve been going 75 in a 55 on my commute (I-65 in Louisville city limits) and they have actually crawled past me and every one else going that speed.


4 posted on 04/17/2017 4:47:27 AM PDT by Mr. Douglas (Best. Election. EVER!)
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To: Mr. Douglas
One thing I hate: Unmarked cars that are extremely hard to spot. they have “normal” license plates, alloy wheels, and tinted windows so you can’t even see the emergency lights. And many of them don’t even have the hand spotlight on the left pillar. They come as SUV’s, Mustangs, Chevy’s and Tauruses. They really suck!

Years ago Road & Track had a photo of the back end of a row of California State Patrol cruisers. Right in the middle was a jacked up Hemi-Charger with wide tires and a license tag reading "Fooled U!"

5 posted on 04/17/2017 4:52:02 AM PDT by BwanaNdege ("The church ... is not the master or the servant of the state, but the conscience" - Luther)
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To: Ken H

“How about outlawing those #!*@ traffic circles.”

They just love them in Boulder, co. and now my town is starting to use them in the skinny pants, hipster neighborhoods. I think it makes them feel all European and stuff.


6 posted on 04/17/2017 4:54:09 AM PDT by dljordan (WhoVoltaire: "To find out who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.")
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To: Ken H

They’re not so bad, once you get used to them. It’s just a matter of yielding to traffic in the circle, rather than blowing through the yellow light right as it turns red in a conventional intersection (as I’ve done numerous times).


7 posted on 04/17/2017 5:06:27 AM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (April 2006 Message from Dan: http://www.dansimmons.com/news/message/2006_04.htm)
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To: dljordan

OT: WHAT KIND OF GUY WEARS SKINNY JEANS???


8 posted on 04/17/2017 5:07:09 AM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (April 2006 Message from Dan: http://www.dansimmons.com/news/message/2006_04.htm)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

There are reports of people being trapped in traffic circles till their gas runs out. Same for the skyways in Minneapolis. People have been seen wearing tie dye clothes and bell bottoms and reading papers with headlines about the ‘76 election and Harmon Killebrew hit another home run.


9 posted on 04/17/2017 5:10:35 AM PDT by minnesota_bound
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To: BwanaNdege

...jacked up Hemi-Charger with wide tires and a license tag reading “Fooled U!


Yikes!

I’d lose him in the corners. :-P


10 posted on 04/17/2017 5:14:25 AM PDT by Mr. Douglas (Best. Election. EVER!)
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To: dljordan
I lived in England for a year and had to get used to them as well as the ones in the rest of Europe. There was one country, Portugal (IIRC), where traffic OUTSIDE of the circle had priority. It was a real mess.

This one in the UK has a cute name but I seem to remember one that had more inner circles and a pull-off area before it in each major road where you could park and 'study' before entering....


11 posted on 04/17/2017 5:30:18 AM PDT by Gaffer
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

“OT: WHAT KIND OF GUY WEARS SKINNY JEANS???”

Skinny jeans and a hoodie pulled up over their head when it’s 90 degrees outside and a little weasel beard. Weak little Nu-men that I want to smack. I’m sorry, I can’t help myself.


12 posted on 04/17/2017 6:53:56 AM PDT by dljordan (WhoVoltaire: "To find out who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize.")
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To: minnesota_bound

You might be thinking of rotaries, which are traffic circles in which the traffic in the circle must yield to incoming traffic, which strikes me as dumb, due to the potential for such entrapment.

On the other hand, if you’re exaggerating, carry on.


13 posted on 04/17/2017 7:39:15 AM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (April 2006 Message from Dan: http://www.dansimmons.com/news/message/2006_04.htm)
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To: minnesota_bound
People have been seen wearing tie dye clothes and bell bottoms and reading papers with headlines about the ‘76 election and Harmon Killebrew hit another home run.

LOL! I believe it!

14 posted on 04/17/2017 8:40:57 AM PDT by Ken H (Best election ever!)
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