Why 95 Is So Different from Other HOT Lanes

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Originally posted by Bob
[br]I just spent another 45 minutes or so reading a Federal Highway document that I had seen before (link below). While it is a pro HOT propaganda on one hand, it also provides really all of the detailed info we need to show why 95 is such a different beast. In a nutshell, no other HOT was imposed on a highly successful HOV system, and in several cases, the HOT was an actual major new road constructed in the median (new pavement, not re-striping) And that includes SR 91 in LA, which is touted as the greatest thing in HOT. Also, what struck me was that most of these things are only about 10 miles. As you know, what they are proposing for us starts out at over 20 miles and goes to 50. Ours will be the grandaddy of them all. Or so they think, because after the first phase fails, the rest will never get built.

The San Diego system was a failed HOV sytem, as was Houston.

http://www.itsdocs.fhwa.dot.gov/JPODOCS/REPTS_TE/hot/chapter_7.htm

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I-95 is also different from other HOV lanes. People in other places do not understand those differences. Since they don't understand I-95 HOV reversible lanes, they will attack HOV as something that takes away their inalienable right to drive alone.

Shirley and IH-10 are limited access, barrier divided. Most other HOV lanes are painted stripe divided. People in California are dead set against HOV because of the feeble attempts at making HOV work. HOV has been more of a rationale to place more concrete and then claim it isn't working, so make all lanes free flow.

The Bay Bridge between Oakland and San Franscisco collects tolls from people going from Oakland into San Francisco. There is no dedicated HOV lane on the bridge. But there is a dedicated HOV lane leading to the bridge on I-80. The HOV lane starts somewhere near Hercules. Short of the toll booths, the HOV lane ends. At the toll plaza, there is a special booth for HOV and buses. After paying tolls there is another queue to gain access to the bridge itself. Not really a queue jumper. People with EZ-Pass can probably traverse the area faster than an HOV.

If you know someone from California, please explain to them how the reversible lanes of Shirley Highway work. Ask them to petition Darryl Issa (California Congressman) to back off on allowing clean fuel vehicles unlimited access to Shirley HOV lanes.

In my opinion, the Bay Bridge would work better if the major feeds to the Bridge were ramp metered with toll collection at the entrances to I-80, I-580, I-880, I-980, CA-13 and CA-24 within 20 miles of the Bay Bridge.

dickboyd@aol.com

Here is an interesting reference for Shirley Highway

http://www.roadstothefuture.com/Shirley_Highway.html#Introduction



Kindest Regards,

mroyal