Opponents of High-Occupancy-Toll lanes have long claimed that these lanes, often converted from High Occupancy Vehicle lanes like Miami's I-95, would encourage solo-drivers, especially wealthier ones, to pay to use the express lanes.
During the evaluation period, 95 Express bus ridership rose by 30 percent. However, local bus ridership in the corridor dipped 4.6%, presumably for the same reasons that transit ridership has dipped nation-wide due to the recession, rising fares, and reduced service.
"The U.S. DOT, working alongside the National Bus Rapid Transit Institute, found that the city's 95 Express project has trimmed travel times by as much as two-thirds for users of the bus service on northbound HOT lanes."
"Half of the bus riders surveyed by the U.S. DOT said they had switched over from car travel, "which suggests that the 95 Express bus service in general has had some success over time in attracting private auto users," the report stated."
From Miami Urban Partnership Agreement:
"Free-flowing conditions on the managed-lane network will be ensured through the use of variable pricing based upon demand and the network itself will be used as the back-bone of a bus rapid transit (BRT) system which will be subsidized through the toll revenues.
This is the second project in the nation (after the Houston QuickRide project) to increase the occupancy requirement on high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, in this case from HOV 2+ to HOV 3+."
Thanks to Streetsblog San Francisco
Read the full story: Feds on New Miami HOT Lanes: Good for Transit
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