Friday, September 7, 2007
The Governor's response
The Governor's office sent a response to my earlier request imploring him not to support the HOT lanes. Later this weekend I will post an actual image of the letter. It will confirm what we have said about the 24 hour toll and disappoint you in the position he has taken. I urge you to write him requesting that he change his position on the subject.
Questions about HOT lanes you should know and ask
The HOT lanes - To hot to handle?
Here are some of the questions asked that I did not hear get answered. Perhaps they were too hot to handle?
Q. How will you know who is a HOT user and who is carpooling. The answer reported was “that’s still unclear.”
A. The obvious answer, is “we intend to take your picture.” It’s a relatively simple matter to photograph the occupants of the car as well as the license plate number, then use imagining software to determine the number of occupants from the photograph, and finally issue citations electronically to the violators. Every one of these steps except the imaging software is in use today on the red light cameras installed throughout the area. So far the red light cameras are “legal” because they are selective. They only photograph the vehicles running the red lights. These HOT cameras will necessarily have to photograph everyone who doesn’t have an EZ Pass or similar transponder. You can be assured that Fluor, the private company designated to construct the HOT lanes and draw revenues from the tolls, will quickly solve the technology problem. The real problem is whether the citizens who are not violating the law will tolerate being photographed every time they pass a HOT lane toll gate. I encourage you all to not call in sick and take in a Washington Nationals Day game when the new stadium is built. You are going to be on candid camera for sure!
Q. How much will they charge. They said somewhere between 10 cents and one-dollar a mile depending on congestion
A The real answer - “Depending on congestion” means they will charge what the market will bear. At $1.00 per mile it will cost $28.00 to run the whole length of the current HOV lane. At 10 cents a miles it will cost $2.80. Do you think that at least 10 times as many people will pay $2.80 as will pay $28.00? Of course they will. If Fluor gets 11 people at $2.80 for every one-person at $28.00, it’s in their interest to put 11 vehicles on the road rather than one.
Q. Where will these 11 people come from.
A. I’ll answer this one. They will be the drivers who would rather pay $2.80 to drive into Washington DC than pick up two slugs! Every driver who leaves a slug line to pay a HOT toll puts up to two sluggers back into their automobiles and onto Interstate 95. I predict that there will be thousands of additional automobiles put on Interstate 95 almost from the first day.
Q. Have you considered how many sluggers you might end up putting on Interstate 95 because the drivers who used to pick them up are now just paying the HOT tolls? (I asked this one.)
A. We hadn’t really thought too much about that one.
Here are some of the questions asked that I did not hear get answered. Perhaps they were too hot to handle?
Q. How will you know who is a HOT user and who is carpooling. The answer reported was “that’s still unclear.”
A. The obvious answer, is “we intend to take your picture.” It’s a relatively simple matter to photograph the occupants of the car as well as the license plate number, then use imagining software to determine the number of occupants from the photograph, and finally issue citations electronically to the violators. Every one of these steps except the imaging software is in use today on the red light cameras installed throughout the area. So far the red light cameras are “legal” because they are selective. They only photograph the vehicles running the red lights. These HOT cameras will necessarily have to photograph everyone who doesn’t have an EZ Pass or similar transponder. You can be assured that Fluor, the private company designated to construct the HOT lanes and draw revenues from the tolls, will quickly solve the technology problem. The real problem is whether the citizens who are not violating the law will tolerate being photographed every time they pass a HOT lane toll gate. I encourage you all to not call in sick and take in a Washington Nationals Day game when the new stadium is built. You are going to be on candid camera for sure!
Q. How much will they charge. They said somewhere between 10 cents and one-dollar a mile depending on congestion
A The real answer - “Depending on congestion” means they will charge what the market will bear. At $1.00 per mile it will cost $28.00 to run the whole length of the current HOV lane. At 10 cents a miles it will cost $2.80. Do you think that at least 10 times as many people will pay $2.80 as will pay $28.00? Of course they will. If Fluor gets 11 people at $2.80 for every one-person at $28.00, it’s in their interest to put 11 vehicles on the road rather than one.
Q. Where will these 11 people come from.
A. I’ll answer this one. They will be the drivers who would rather pay $2.80 to drive into Washington DC than pick up two slugs! Every driver who leaves a slug line to pay a HOT toll puts up to two sluggers back into their automobiles and onto Interstate 95. I predict that there will be thousands of additional automobiles put on Interstate 95 almost from the first day.
Q. Have you considered how many sluggers you might end up putting on Interstate 95 because the drivers who used to pick them up are now just paying the HOT tolls? (I asked this one.)
A. We hadn’t really thought too much about that one.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
The Washington DC to Fredericksburg High Occupancy Toll Lanes (HOT) will cost you
Did you know that the High Occupancy Toll Lanes are scheduled to run as toll lanes 24 hours a day seven days a week? They will charge a toll on ALL HOV lanes, not simply the one lane that gets added to the HOV lanes under this project. The fees are expected to range from 10 cents to approximately $1.00 per mile. That means if you and your significant other decide to take a road trip to Virginia Beach on a crowded holiday weekend you might end up either sitting in overly congested traffic for hours on end or paying nearly $40.00 just to drive to Fredericksburg. Today you can drive down the HOV lanes during off peak hours for free anytime the lanes are open in your direction. If this initiative passes you will no longer be able to do so.
Later this week I will post some of the questions that were posed at the town hall meeting that VDOT held in Woodbridge in July. You will find the questions and the absence of responses intriguing. In the meantime you can see what they have to say by visiting VDOT at http://www.virginiadot.org/projects/HOT_main.asp. If you can find any mention of the fact that they will turn all of the HOV lanes over to the HOT lane partner anywhere in their guide, please inform me. If this boondoggle offends you write our governor.
Later this week I will post some of the questions that were posed at the town hall meeting that VDOT held in Woodbridge in July. You will find the questions and the absence of responses intriguing. In the meantime you can see what they have to say by visiting VDOT at http://www.virginiadot.org/projects/HOT_main.asp. If you can find any mention of the fact that they will turn all of the HOV lanes over to the HOT lane partner anywhere in their guide, please inform me. If this boondoggle offends you write our governor.
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