HOT Lanes Find Success -- And Congestion

Critics called them "Lexus lanes", but toll roads have won widespread acceptance in many places aroud the country -- except when they too are congested.

May 15, 2004, 11am PDT | Chris Steins | @urbaninsight

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) received federal funding "for a demonstration project under which excess capacity in the HOV lanes would be sold to solo drivers willing to pay a toll. He said 75 percent of the vehicles in the lanes still ride free as HOVs, while 25 percent pay toll... Maryland Transportation Department officials have been dazzled by the high-tech efficiency of the system and attracted by its voluntary approach. Flanagan frequently defends the HOT lane concept against the charge of elitism by using the example of a parent rushing to pick up a child from day care by a deadline after which financial penalties kick in."

Thanks to Transport Policy listserv

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Paying tolls -- and loving it

Published on Friday, May 14, 2004 in The Baltimore Sun