Express Toll Lanes or HOT/HOV Lanes

[swbrotha100]

I've seen them scattered around the country. Just wondering what you think of them and whether they will make it to an area near you in the future.

[myosh_tino]

I've seen them scattered around the country. Just wondering what you think of them and whether they will make it to an area near you in the future.

Already got'em... I-15 Express Lanes, CA-91 Express Lanes, I-680 Express Lane (southbound only), I-880/CA-237 Express Lanes (converted from HOV-only ramp).  I-580 around Livermore and I-110 in Los Angeles are coming soon.

[Beltway]

I've seen them scattered around the country. Just wondering what you think of them and whether they will make it to an area near you in the future.

The I-495 VA Express Toll Lanes are coming here in December.

Generally well-received when they (like this) are new lanes being constructed on an existing highway.

Generally opposed by many if they involve conversion of un-tolled lanes, such as the proposal on the HOV-3 reversible roadway on I-95 and I-395 in VA, even though the plan is for the lanes to continue to allow HOV-3 and above to ride toll-free.  Opponents say that it would be too easy to change that policy.

[1995hoo]

We have lots of HOV lanes here in the DC area. Some of them are very successful. Do a Google or Bing search for "Northern Virginia slugging" to read about the "slugging" system where people queue up at commuter lots to ride with strangers who need extra passengers to get into the HOV. A similar phenomenon in the San Francisco area is called "casual carpooling" by Caltrans.

As Beltway notes, a new set of managed lanes will open on I-495 in Virginia this year, although technically those are high occupancy/toll lanes and not express toll lanes because they allow for the "HOV rides free" exemption if you get the switchable E-ZPass.

Maryland is building a set of express toll lanes on I-95 northeast of Baltimore, but I believe they're not supposed to be done for a few more years. The difference between ETLs and HO/T lanes is that ETLs require all users to pay–no exemption for HOVs or motorcycles or the rest.

I've driven in HO/T lanes on I-95 in Miami, but I can't comment on how well they work because (a) I'm not familiar with the traffic patterns there and (b) it was a weekend when I drove in them so traffic was lighter anyway. (Why did I drive in them if traffic was lighter? The toll was only 25¢ to go the full length of the lanes and there were fewer people in there, so why not?)

Beltway also mentions the proposed lanes on I-95 in Virginia. They're quite controversial and I think one major reason is that the lanes currently operate as HOV-3 during rush hour and are then open to all traffic at other times of day except when they're being reversed (there is also a short segment where trucks are banned due to having to stop at a weigh station that's not accessible from those lanes). The conversion to HO/T lanes would make them HO/T at all times. In other words, even on a Sunday you'd have to have three or more people (or ride a motorcycle) or else you'd have to pay a toll. In this case I think the complaints about taking away tax-funded lanes and turning them over to a private company to operate as a toll road are very valid complaints, whereas in the case of the I-495 project (which involves building four entirely new lanes) I don't see any basis for complaint because I think that when entirely new lanes are built, it's OK to put restrictions on their use. There are plenty of times outside of rush hour when traffic on I-95 in Virginia is just flat-out heavy, especially on Saturday mornings going southbound, and if you convert the existing HOV facility to HO/T you are in essence taking away two lanes of generally-available capacity.

On I-495 the existing four lanes on each side will remain with two new HO/T lanes, so it's unrealistic for people to argue that the new HO/T lanes will cause traffic jams. That is, suppose NOBODY used the new lanes (unrealistic, but just suppose that happened). All the traffic would then still be in the same number of lanes we already had. On I-95 that won't be the case because by making two formerly-unrestricted lanes "HOV-3 or pay," it's a given that people who previously would have used those lanes will opt for the general-purpose (i.e. unrestricted or "free") lanes. It's quite understandable that the I-95 proposal is controversial, although I think a lot of the opposition to any of these projects runs solely on emotion and very little on rational thought. It really amuses me how people complain about these things but refuse to educate themselves.

[cpzilliacus]

I've seen them scattered around the country. Just wondering what you think of them and whether they will make it to an area near you in the future.

As 1995Hoo and Beltway have discussed, there is plenty of HOT lane capacity coming soon in Virginia near D.C.

Express toll lanes (not HOV/Toll - no vehicle occupant discount) will open in the not-so-distant future along I-95 (JFK Highway) to the north and east of Baltimore.

As long as the tolls are set in such a way to allow free-flow of traffic, I do not have a problem with them, however, at least some of them are a direct consequence of state legislative bodies mindlessly refusing to increase state motor fuel per-gallon taxes.  So I do not (and will not) have much sympathy for people complaining that the tolls are "too high."

[vdeane]

As Beltway notes, a new set of managed lanes will open on I-495 in Virginia this year, although technically those are high occupancy/toll lanes and not express toll lanes because they allow for the "HOV rides free" exemption if you get the switchable E-ZPass.

In a true HOT lane you wouldn't need E-ZPass.  They're toll lanes that give a 100% discount to HOV rides.

[Beltway]

<<< In a true HOT lane you wouldn't need E-ZPass.  They're toll lanes that give a 100% discount to HOV rides. >>>

That is what HOT lanes are ... tolls for those vehicles under the person occupancy threshold, no tolls for those at or over the threshold.

Unless toll booths are utilized, some form of electronic toll collection (such as E-ZPass) will be needed.

[cpzilliacus]

Unless toll booths are utilized, some form of electronic toll collection (such as E-ZPass) will be needed.

At least on the Ca. 91 (Riverside Freeway) lanes in Orange County, Calif., there is a special lane at the toll collection gantry for HOV-3 vehicles (which ride free most of the time, but pay a discounted toll weekdays on the eastbound side between 4 P.M. and 6 P.M.).

From the Ca. 91 Express Lanes site (emphasis added):

If you selected the 3+ Carpool, you agree to use the 91 Express Lanes only when there are 3 or more occupants in your vehicle and to use the 3+ carpool verification lane when traveling through the toll zone. If you fail to use the 3+ carpool verification lane, you agree that we may convert you Account to a Standard account, which has a monthly minimum 91 Express Lanes toll requirement of $7 per Transponder.

Given that the Virginia I-495 express lanes are much more complex in terms of access and egress points, and the right-of-way available might not have allowed for an "extra" lane at each of the many gantries, I think the E-ZPass "Flex" system they have come up with makes much more sense.

[Chris]

HOV lanes are generally underused. The average Los Angeles HOV lane carries 1,300 vehicles an hour, which is substantially lower than the general purpose lanes. They are however, susceptible to queues due to lack of passing options or adjacent mainline congestion.

Most other HOV systems carry even less vehicles per hour, hence they are converted to HOT lanes to increase highway throughput while maintaining the free-flow principle for HOV vehicles.

Personally I think HOT lanes or Managed / Express Lanes should have at least 2 lanes each way to pass slower vehicles and reduce the chances of congestion. The problem with toll lanes is that they can only exist if the mainline lanes suffer from structural congestion, otherwise nobody would want to pay for them.

I also doubt if toll lanes are viable as a long-term solution in fast-growing areas. Places like Houston or Dallas add 100,000 people per year and have fast-growing traffic volumes. If you want to maintain a free-flow condition on the tolled lanes, you need increasingly higher tolls. Some facilities already charge over a dollar per mile, where will it end?

[bugo]

I don't like the only HOV lane that I've driven on.  It was on US 75 north of Dallas.  There was only one HOV lane so if some asshat going 50 gets in front of you, you can't pass them.  I can imagine they might be useful in bumper to bumper traffic, but in normal traffic they're worthless.

[1995hoo]

The traffic engineers would tell you the question is not the number of vehicles per hour in the HOV lane but rather the number of people moved per hour in said lane. I saw a statistic saying that during 2005, during the morning HOV hours (6:30 to 9:30) the two-lane HOV-3 facility on I-395 here in Virginia carried an average of 31,700 people in 8,600 vehicles, while the "mainline" or "local" lanes carried an average of 23,500 people in 21,300 vehicles. The HOV facility might move fewer "vehicles," but it moved more people. I can attest from personal experience that during the HOV hours you get there a whole lot faster.

It bears noting that these lanes are a barrier-separated two-lane reversible center carriageway, so they don't suffer from nearly as many problems as the type of HOV lane that's simply adjacent to the general-purpose lanes with no barrier.

[cpzilliacus]

The traffic engineers would tell you the question is not the number of vehicles per hour in the HOV lane but rather the number of people moved per hour in said lane. I saw a statistic saying that during 2005, during the morning HOV hours (6:30 to 9:30) the two-lane HOV-3 facility on I-395 here in Virginia carried an average of 31,700 people in 8,600 vehicles, while the "mainline" or "local" lanes carried an average of 23,500 people in 21,300 vehicles. The HOV facility might move fewer "vehicles," but it moved more people. I can attest from personal experience that during the HOV hours you get there a whole lot faster.

Persons moved is the key to judging HOV lane success or failure.

It bears noting that these lanes are a barrier-separated two-lane reversible center carriageway, so they don't suffer from nearly as many problems as the type of HOV lane that's simply adjacent to the general-purpose lanes with no barrier.

Barrier-separated HOV or HOV/Toll lanes are the way to go.  Without the barriers, violators will cross over from the adjacent non-HOV lanes, which means that the performance of the HOV lane will suffer, and in  some cases break-down completely, especially if lane changes are allowed anywhere.  At least in Southern California, the  HOV lanes are separated (for the most part) from adjacent non-HOV lanes by solid lines on the pavement, and it is a separate violation of the California Vehicle Code (CVC) to cross those lines (in addition to the HOV violation).

[Beltway]

So what happens if a vehicle hits the "bollards" on the I-495 VA Express Lanes?  Do they breakaway, or rebound back up?  Will it damage the vehicle?  They are only 2 feet from the edge of the lane.

[1995hoo]

....

Barrier-separated HOV or HOV/Toll lanes are the way to go.  Without the barriers, violators will cross over from the adjacent non-HOV lanes, which means that the performance of the HOV lane will suffer, and in  some cases break-down completely, especially if lane changes are allowed anywhere.  At least in Southern California, the  HOV lanes are separated (for the most part) from adjacent non-HOV lanes by solid lines on the pavement, and it is a separate violation of the California Vehicle Code (CVC) to cross those lines (in addition to the HOV violation).

Another issue with having no barriers is that the prudent driver in the HOV lane can't go as fast. I've used the HOV-2 left lane on I-66 outside the Beltway quite a few times over the years (usually on Friday nights when I'd pick up my wife and we'd head to Charlottesville for football the next day), and while it's faster than being stuck in the other lanes, I think if the other lanes are going 10 to 15 mph you'd have to be crazy to go much above 40 in the HOV lane even if that lane is wide-open, simply because it's too dangerous to be going 55+ next to slow traffic. If someone pulls out suddenly into the HOV lane going 15 mph and you're coming up at 60, you won't be able to stop.

I'm going to be interested in seeing how the "495 Express Lanes" HO/T lanes on the Beltway function in this respect. As I'm sure you know, there will be a barrier, but it will consist of hard closely-spaced pylons rather than the Armco-type barrier used on I-395. I don't foresee many people trying to cut through the pylons (though I'm sure some idiot will), but I wonder how people in the right-hand Express Lane will feel psychologically being so close to much slower traffic on the other side of the pylons. There won't be as much buffer space as there is on roads with fully-separated carriageways going in the same direction, such as I-395 or the quad-carriageway part of the New Jersey Turnpike.

So what happens if a vehicle hits the "bollards" on the I-495 VA Express Lanes?  Do they breakaway, or rebound back up?  Will it damage the vehicle?  They are only 2 feet from the edge of the lane.

I've read that they will damage the vehicle but are also supposed to rebound back up. For obvious reasons the project's website doesn't go into detail on that topic other than to say crossing the barrier is dangerous and illegal.

I've been tempted to pull over into the new lanes to stop and check out the pylons but have thought better of it every time. I suppose a better way to do it would be to get stuck in traffic intentionally and then get out of the car to look at the pylons while the traffic isn't moving.

[kphoger]

I remember reading the findings of a California study about some then-recently added HOV lanes.  The lanes in question weren't added onto existing lanes; rather, the fast lane was converted into an HOV lane.  As you can imagine, there was quite a bit of controversy about that, hence the study.  The results showed that the highway's throughput actually showed a small increase even though the HOV lane was less utilized than it had been as a normal mainline lane.

This was attributed to a reduction in lane changes.  As any rush hour driver can tell you, cars darting out from a standstill lane into a flowing lane disrupt the flow of traffic.  Apparently, this disruption causes a measurable reduction in throughput.  By reducing the number of available mainline lanes, the designation of one lane as HOV reduced the occurrence of changing lanes, and thereby improved throughput by enough to offset the lower traffic counts in the HOV lane.

[Beltway]

So what happens if a vehicle hits the "bollards" on the I-495 VA Express Lanes?  Do they breakaway, or rebound back up?  Will it damage the vehicle?  They are only 2 feet from the edge of the lane.

I've read that they will damage the vehicle but are also supposed to rebound back up. For obvious reasons the project's website doesn't go into detail on that topic other than to say crossing the barrier is dangerous and illegal.

I've been tempted to pull over into the new lanes to stop and check out the pylons but have thought better of it every time. I suppose a better way to do it would be to get stuck in traffic intentionally and then get out of the car to look at the pylons while the traffic isn't moving.

Even if they are very flexible, an impact at 55+ mph can do damage. 

If enough vehicles are damaged by inadvertant impacts, one solution would be to remove the bollards, even though that might lead to more violations of the HOT lanes.

[cpzilliacus]

So what happens if a vehicle hits the "bollards" on the I-495 VA Express Lanes?  Do they breakaway, or rebound back up?  Will it damage the vehicle?  They are only 2 feet from the edge of the lane.

Don't know about Virginia - nor do I know how they will "survive" in a heavy winter snowfall (with out-of-control vehicles and routine winter maintenance - they do not look to be especially robust). 

I believe I recall reading someplace that the pylons on Ca. 91 just break away (but that may have changed - and the pylons used on I-495 in Virginia may be different anyway, though they seem to resemble the ones on "the 91").

[cpzilliacus]

Even if they are very flexible, an impact at 55+ mph can do damage.

I recall an episode of a cop reality show with a high-speed pursuit (may have been "Cops" or "Real Stories of the Highway Patrol) where the officer was running over the fiberglass "sticks" (not the pylons used on Ca. 91 - this was before those lanes were built) that Caltrans once used to help separate the HOV lanes from conventional lanes, at least in some parts of Southern California. 

They just banged off the front bumper and made a scraping noise under the car and presumably popped back up.

If enough vehicles are damaged by inadvertant impacts, one solution would be to remove the bollards, even though that might lead to more violations of the HOT lanes.

I suppose the holder of the concession and VDOT and the maintenance contractor(s) will have to see how the pylons perform.

[PurdueBill]

If the dividing sticks are anything like the "flexible" sticks they put up at work to stop "unauthorized" vehicles from accessing walkways and other areas while allowing authorized and delivery vehicles to drive over them (the theory being that the sticks would flex back up behind the vehicle, with their bases being springy), they wouldn't last through many encounters with vehicles at highway speeds.  The stupid sticks at work are nearly all gone in less than a year after having to be driven over by every authorized vehicle day in and day out at low speed. 

[1995hoo]

DC has some flexible pylons at the Pennsylvania Avenue ramp from the Southwest—Southeast Freeway. They're intended to prevent queue-jumping, but they're always lying on the ground in various states of disrepair since the queue-jumpers just run over the things.

It seems a major reason for using pylons on the Beltway instead of Armco is to facilitate emergency vehicle response by providing them flexibility.

[Beltway]

<<< It seems a major reason for using pylons on the Beltway instead of Armco is to facilitate emergency vehicle response by providing them flexibility. >>>

A steel beam guardrail would be way too close to active traffic lanes, given that the separator between the express lanes and the general purpose lanes is only 4 feet wide.  That would not be a safe and modern installation.

A wider outer separator with a solid barrier would need to be at least 20 feet wide, and on the Beltway that was the difference between minor R/W impacts and major R/W impacts, so that is why the current design was chosen.

Also in an emergency that blocked several general purpose lanes, bollards could be temporarily removed so that all traffic could temporarily use both roadways.

[1995hoo]

A steel beam guardrail would be way too close to active traffic lanes, given that the separator between the express lanes and the general purpose lanes is only 4 feet wide.  That would not be a safe and modern installation.

....

Very true, and indeed I regularly think of that issue when I travel on I-395 (which is quite often) as there is very little space between the outer carriageways' left lanes and the barriers. Of course, that road's current configuration was planned and constructed some 40 years ago now, so deviance from modern standards is hardly a surprise.

[cpzilliacus]

DC has some flexible pylons at the Pennsylvania Avenue ramp from the Southwest—Southeast Freeway. They're intended to prevent queue-jumping, but they're always lying on the ground in various states of disrepair since the queue-jumpers just run over the things.

Though when the 11th Street Bridge is done, that will lessen the need for this clumsy way of getting from the I-395 corridor to the D.C. 295 corridor.

Regarding (illegal) queue jumping, did you ever expect that the District of Columbia's municipal police force would ever engage in traffic enforcement?  Aside from electronic speed limit and red light enforcement, the D.C. cops do precious little issuing of traffic citations.

It seems a major reason for using pylons on the Beltway instead of Armco is to facilitate emergency vehicle response by providing them flexibility.

I think that makes a lot of sense.  Emergency responders will be able to use the express (toll) lanes to reach emergencies in both the toll and non-toll lanes.

[1995hoo]

Yeah, I agree about the pylons making sense and being the better option in this particular case. My comment before wasn't arguing with the choice; I was simply saying that I'm going to be interested in seeing how people react when you have very slow traffic in the left lane of the "local" carriageway ("local" being my term because if the new lanes are "Express," the regular lanes must be "local") and full-speed traffic directly to the left separated only by the pylons. I find the pylons on the Beltway far more noticeable, given the bright white color against shiny new black pavement, than I did the ones on I-95 in Miami, which I seem to recall being a dull orange color against dingy old concrete. I can't comment as to going fast in their HO/T lane past slow traffic in the local lanes because, as I said before, it was a weekend. I think I was doing around 70 mph in the right-hand HO/T lane and traffic speeds in both those lanes and the regular lanes varied wildly.

Regarding the 11th Street Bridge and the Pennsylvania Avenue ramp, I believe there is a long-term plan to turn that easternmost segment into a surface-level boulevard, which might eliminate the need for that ramp. Perhaps they'd turn Barney Circle back into a circle.

[Beltway]

The vast majority of I-395 has a 6-foot wide left shoulder, which is about as wide as a car and is a lot wider than 2 feet.