I-95 HOT Lanes aka "Toll road" (Woodbridge: office, commuters)

[gomason]

The other day I took the HOT lanes to Stafford and I was amused that they had a sign that said "Exit express lanes to avoid traffic congestion" before the lanes end. I'm pretty surprised that they were that honest about it.

[tgbwc]

Originally Posted by gomason

The other day I took the HOT lanes to Stafford and I was amused that they had a sign that said "Exit express lanes to avoid traffic congestion" before the lanes end. I'm pretty surprised that they were that honest about it.

Are they getting congested? I thought the rates are supposed to increase as volume increases in order to basically keep the traffic flowing.

[airjay75]

Easter getaway, rain, causing I-95 congestion - The Washington Post

This is a good article about some of the congestion that continues at the southern terminus of the 95 Express Lanes. Seems to me that they should be able to raise the toll on the last stretch high enough that you should be able to eliminate the back up. I wonder why transurban isn't raising it so high and instead just telling drivers they may want to bail? The skeptic in me wants to say that they wouldn't make as much money as having a lower toll with a long line of people who have paid it than if they raised it really high such that just a handful of people continued on that last leg of the express lanes.

[gomason]

Originally Posted by tgbwc

Are they getting congested? I thought the rates are supposed to increase as volume increases in order to basically keep the traffic flowing.

It was right before the express lanes end in Stafford. It's the same problem the HOV lanes had when they ended in Dumfries: the 5 lanes merging down to 3 causes a huge bottleneck.

If I recall correctly, there was a huge price to pay to go just from like Quantico to Stafford - like $5 or so dollars I think.

All of this is based on economics which is based on assuming that humans are perfectly rational human beings which is a huge assumption to make. This isn't accounting for the fact that many people don't read signs or react to the signs the way they're supposed to. Also, I remember a study last year saying people were actually more like to take HOT lanes when the prices were higher because that probably meant there was a lot of traffic congestion to avoid.

[ameridreamNoT]

it's basically saying, "pay to take this road, and the end of the tunnel, you'll come back to the same state you were in".

[HDTBill]

Originally Posted by Zack

I used to drive against traffic on both 395 and 66, and can anecdotally say that Hybrids probably made up at least 1/4th to 1/3rd of the traffic in the HOV lanes. Instead of paying tolls, the Hybrid owners basically did(do) the same by buying a more expensive vehicle that gets a little better gas mileage.

If I recall correctly, last year VDoT/Transurban mentioned about 8000-10000 (grandfathered pre-2006) clean fuels plate vehicles still out there. Presumably some of those are my neighbors here in Burke/Springfield and they are apparently pleased to pay a short HOT toll and then get onto the old-style HOV inside the Beltway. Presumably those from Stafford (south) are finding less value to owning a hybrid. Note that my 8000-10000 figure does not include the grandfathered 2006-2011 that can still use I66. Bottom line is we still have some "driver" for hybrid sales as far as HOV incentives for those "grandfathered" hybrid owners.

[supremeess]

So far i haven't gotten caught using the lanes as only person in the car with HOV switched on

[Zack]

Originally Posted by airjay75

Easter getaway, rain, causing I-95 congestion - The Washington Post

This is a good article about some of the congestion that continues at the southern terminus of the 95 Express Lanes. Seems to me that they should be able to raise the toll on the last stretch high enough that you should be able to eliminate the back up. I wonder why transurban isn't raising it so high and instead just telling drivers they may want to bail? The skeptic in me wants to say that they wouldn't make as much money as having a lower toll with a long line of people who have paid it than if they raised it really high such that just a handful of people continued on that last leg of the express lanes.

Transurban may not have enough data yet to manage the pricing well or people using HOV-3 may overwhelm that segment despite high prices. I came back up north on I-95 a couple weeks ago on a Friday and there was a five mile backup in the express lanes (this may have been due to an accident further south). I'm sure anybody who paid that toll and sat in traffic would be very unhappy, and it's not in Transurban's interest to discourage toll payers and make them feel ripped off. On the flip side if Transurban put a $30 segment toll to discourage use, they would get lambasted in the press for price gouging (see Dulles Greenway press), so it's probably a no-win situation for them.

There may not be much of a solution short of extending the lanes further south or adding a fourth lane that would minimize the abrupt drop off in lanes. That's a very busy corridor with minimal alternatives.

[gomason]

Originally Posted by supremeess

So far i haven't gotten caught using the lanes as only person in the car with HOV switched on

You will get caught soon enough so keep trying. There are cops all over the express lanes. Count yourself lucky.

[supremeess]

Originally Posted by gomason

You will get caught soon enough so keep trying. There are cops all over the express lanes. Count yourself lucky.

Im always on the look out for them but thanks anyways