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I-95 commuters long for relief
HOT lane meeting in Stafford draws 45 people
By KELLY HANNON
Date published: 7/27/2007
Van pool driver Lisa Gammons has watched traffic in Interstate 95's High Occupancy Vehicle lanes get thicker and thicker over the past 12 years.
Gammons, who drives six people from the U.S. 17 commuter lot in Stafford to downtown Washington, hopes the state's proposal to replace HOV lanes with High Occupancy Toll lanes will speed up her trip--and encourage commuters to ride share.
"The flow is still decent," Gammons said of HOV, "but it's at least 40 percent hybrids at the time I come through, and they're one person, so it's kind of frustrating," Gammons said.
Gammons toured information displays about the HOT lane project last night at the Wingate Inn in southern Stafford with 45 other people. The Virginia Department of Transportation and state Department of Rail and Public Transportation sponsored the session, and officials spent several hours answering questions.
Not everyone was excited about the project.
"We're all taxpayers, we all have a right to use the highway," said Rocklyn Bates of Stafford.
With HOT lanes, "it's like a tax on top of a tax," he said.
Commuters who take the time to car pool, van pool, slug or ride a bus are rewarded for their efforts between Washington and Dumfries--they can escape gridlock in two High Occupancy Vehicle lanes.
At rush hour, only vehicles with three occupants or more can use these lanes (with a few sizable exceptions--motorcycles, law enforcement officers, and anyone with special fuel vehicle license plates registered prior to July 1, 2006).
Two private companies, Fluor Virginia Inc. and Transurban (USA) Development Inc., want to extend two lanes to the Massaponax area, and add a third lane between Washington and Dumfries.
The lanes will become HOT lanes--High Occupancy Toll lanes. The lanes will always be free for vehicles carrying three occupants or more, just like HOV lanes.
But cars with one or two occupants can use the lanes if they pay a toll. Tolls will be set using congestion pricing, which adjusts prices as traffic grows heavier or lighter.
Fluor-Transurban must charge a toll that will deter enough drivers to stay in the regular lanes, so traffic is free-flowing in HOT lanes.
A "free-flowing" speed is defined as 55 mph, said David Ogle, VDOT Fredericksburg District administrator.
Date published: 7/27/2007
Most recent reader comments:
Gas needs to be more expensive, too!
(posted by
FredTaylor
, Sep. 25, 2007 2:41 pm)
If people pay more for gas, they'll be more encouraged to use less of it and move closer to work or buy a more fuel-efficient car. Thanks for pointing that out, Ms. USA! I don't understand why such a simple concept of "work where you live" is met with such hostility and anger. I'm okay with my commute, so I don't complain about it. When it starts to bother me, I'll get a job closer to home or move closer to the job I love. Gas should be like $5.00 a gallon. That would cause some life changes.
Fredtaylor, real helpful point of view.
(posted by
GOUSA
, Sep. 25, 2007 2:41 pm)
How nice that you are fine with the traffic. You too must enjoy the Iraq War, cost of gas, immigration issues, crime, cost of sending kids to college, gangs, lying politicians, etc.etc. etc. That must all be true otherwise, if you don't like it, why don't you move! As you say, pack up and go. Let us all remember fred's point of view if we ever see his comments in future blogs.
Crazy stuff
(posted by
CraigBuck
, Sep. 25, 2007 2:41 pm)
$112 for a round trip? Who came up with that business model?
The answer in two words: "Outer beltway"
Get the interstate traffic, and the dangerous trucks off our Main Street.
Other ideas: Get decent train service. Open HOV to all taxpayers. Get the jobs out of DC.
If you don't like traffic, move closer to work!
(posted by
FredTaylor
, Sep. 25, 2007 2:41 pm)
If you "can't afford" to live closer to work, quit whining about traffic. No one's forcing you to live in this area. At some point, you chose to live here. If you don't like it any more, pack up and go. If you have a low-wage job, there's plenty of them elsewhere, too. If enough of you do that, it'll free up the roads for the rest of us who like it here, traffic and all!
Another Money-making Scam
(posted by
mos
, Sep. 25, 2007 2:41 pm)
Yet another money-making scam for the local counties. The next question should be where this money collected will be spent. I'll bet you that it won't be spent on roads. All these county supervisors in Virginia have the same goal in mind, and that is to find ways to make money for their croneys, so as they can keep funding their reelections. These people don't drive I-95 each day and the fact that you sit in traffic each day really doesn't even appear on their radar. It's all about them making money...
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