HOT Lanes

Aerial view of freeway crossing river in Sacramento, California with colorful sunset sky in background.

Tollways for Sacramento?

Road pricing terminology can be confusing, particularly since Californians see so little of it. For example, a Sacramento TV station calls proposed express lanes on Interstate 80 from Solano County to Sacramento a ‘tollway.’

November 20, 2023 - KCRA

Close-up of Caltrans logo on white passenger train

The ‘Three Pillars’ of Carbon Reduction, According to Caltrans

The California Department of Transportation released its draft carbon reduction strategy last month to apply for Carbon Reduction Program funds included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Road pricing plays a prominent role.

August 9, 2023 - CalTrans

Vintage filtered photo of Interstate 405 North and South sign

Toll Lane Rebellion Fails to Materialize in Southern California

The 405 Express Lanes will open in Orange County later this year despite the warnings from a former Huntington Beach mayor of a resident-led rebellion in response to road pricing. But will the toll lanes mitigate congestion? Academics weigh in.

July 25, 2023 - Los Angeles Times

A toll payment facility in Florida.

Tolling All Lanes

Bay Area transportation planners are studying a radical idea to reduce traffic congestion and fund driving alternatives: tolling all lanes on a freeway. Even more radical, the plan considers tolling parallel roads.

March 21, 2023 - San Francisco Chronicle

Northern California Toll Lane

What Is Congestion Pricing?

Congestion pricing raises the cost of driving on certain roadways at certain times, reducing traffic,encouraging alternate transportation modes, and generating revenue from the use of infrastructure.

September 13, 2021 - Diana Ionescu

Northern California Toll Lane

Tolling All Freeway Lanes in the Bay Area?

What's more surprising is seeing who is making the proposal and why. The first step would be to have the concept included in Plan Bay Area 2050.

August 26, 2020 - San Mateo Daily Journal

Brooklyn-Queens Expressway

Shrinking Highways: Could the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway Be the First?

Highways have been razed, replaced with boulevards, and streets have been placed on road diets, but what about lane reductions on interstate highways? That's one recommendation in a report released Thursday by a panel of experts on the BQE.

February 3, 2020 - The New York Times

Virginia Toll Lanes

As Tolls Increase, Vehicle Trips Decrease on Dynamically Priced Express Lanes

When tolls rise on the 66 Express Lanes, trips decrease. according to a new report by the Virginia Department of Transportation.

January 29, 2020 - Patch

Northern California Toll Lane

More Toll Lanes Coming to California Freeways

Solo drivers in the Golden State will have more options to escape traffic congestion on busy freeways – for a price, as transportation agencies increasing decide to convert existing carpool lanes to high-occupancy toll lanes and add new ones.

January 2, 2020 - Los Angeles Times

Highway 290 Construction

New HOT Lanes Open in Houston

The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County opened a new segment of HOT lanes, open to carpools and toll paying solo drivers, on U.S. 290 in Houston this week.

December 17, 2019 - Houston Chronicle

Interstate 95/395 reversible HOV lanes

Solo-Occupant Hybrid Vehicles Lose Access to Carpool Lanes

A change in federal law on Monday meant that over 16,000 Virginia motorists must double or triple-up when using carpool lanes in Virginia. Next month, electric vehicles will need three occupants to drive free on I-395 when HOV lanes become HOT.

October 2, 2019 - The Washington Post

Virginia Interstate Widening Would Convert Free Lanes to Toll Lanes

The Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization is proposing a 45-mile network of high-occupancy toll lanes on I–64 that includes conversions of 16 miles of carpool and three miles of general-purpose lanes. No unpriced lanes would be added.

September 30, 2019 - The Virginian-Pilot

Carpool Lane

Converting a Carpool Lane to a High Occupancy Toll Lane No Easy Task

Supervisors of California's fourth-largest county declared their formal opposition to the conversion of carpool lanes on the Riverside Freeway to high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes, but they are open to toll lanes, under the right conditions.

September 19, 2019 - The Press-Enterprise

Los Angeles Harbor Freeway

If Road Pricing Is Inherently Unfair and Regressive...

Road pricing has its faults as a revenue measure, but it needs to be compared to ten elements of the current system of paying for transportation, including hidden subsidies, says Joe Cortright, an urban economist with Portland-based City Observatory.

February 4, 2019 - City Observatory

Carpool Lane Sticker

220,000 EV Drivers in California to Lose Carpool Lane Perk in 2019

The good news: the Clean Air Vehicle program for electric vehicles will be extended for at least three years. The bad news: not all EVs that have a decal now will be able to be renewed. Congestion on HOV and HOT lanes is a major concern.

September 21, 2018 - Los Angeles Times

Attacking Auto-Dependency by Attacking Auto Subsidies

It's not the car but the driving subsidy that is responsible for many of the ills associated with auto dominance. Asking, "How do we get people out of cars?" is the wrong question, argues Joe Cortright, urban economist for City Observatory.

July 22, 2018 - City Observatory

Maximum Toll on Utah's Interstate 15 Express Lanes Just Doubled

But is it high enough? Everything is relative, and with the prior toll being only a buck per zone, the hope is that $2, which took effect Saturday, will cause some motorists to carpool to keep speeds at 55 mph during peak hours.

July 16, 2018 - The Salt Lake Tribune

Express Lanes

Los Angeles Express Lane Revenue to Fund Electric Double-Decker Buses

Solo drivers who paid a variable toll to use the 10 and 110 freeways in Los Angeles provided $1.4 million to assist in the purchase of the nation's first electric double-decker buses, to be operated by Foothill Transit

July 16, 2018 - CityLab

Maryland Highway Plan Would Destroy Affordable Housing, Displace Low-Income Residents

A local writer compares the plan to expand I-270 and the Capital Beltway to an earlier era of transportation planning.

June 24, 2018 - Greater Greater Washington

Toll Lane Project

Expansion of Maryland Toll Lane Project Increases Cost Five-Fold to $1.1 Billion

A $210 million project to add a single, 7-mile express toll lane on Interstate 95 north of Baltimore was just expanded to two lanes for 10 miles. Financing will rely on toll revenue. Unlike HOT lanes, every motorist will pay to use the lanes.

June 19, 2018 - The Baltimore Sun

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