Initial Financial Failure of SR91 Hot Lanes in LA

from www.tollroadsnews.info

Information on the intial failure of SR91 HOT lanes and the factors that precipitated investors to bail out and sell back to the county agency. Non-compete clause was major factor. Bob


After seven years of investor ownership they were sold for $207m plus some debt defeasement on Jan 1 2003 to Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA). The investors had other avenues for their investment and the local managers had tired of constant political demagoguery and litigation about the toll concession's no-extra free lanes or "non-compete" provision.

As part of the buy-out of the concession and the transfer to OCTA the restriction on extra free lanes was quashed.

see www.91expresslanes.com

One of the real problems with HOT lanes on 95 is that the "experts" continually point to the success of other lanes around the country. Problem is, there is no analog for us, since we are massively successful as an HOV lane. Of course, any failed HOV, such as in Denver, will be a ringing "success" as at HOT lane. How could it not be? I will repeat, what is being proposed here has no analog anywhere in the world. I would be glad to look at any documentation, but I have seen nothing else that isn't a rinky dink failed HOV lane that has been converted, usually for about a 10 mile length.

No, wishing them away wouldn't work. We can't seem to even wish YOU away.

But, as for proposing ideas to improve the whole system, we have posted many here. All the ideas essentially work to encourage ride-sharing, or discourage solo driving, or spread congestion out over time. You never seem to answer them, NoSUV. Wonder why?

Hmm. And you never offer any ideas of your own, either, do you?

Hmm. What DO you do, NoSUV?

Here is my constructive suggestion, even though I know this is not an effective forum for actually doing anything, and all there are here are the sluglines.com personalities and the trolls. (I think it is all hopeless, and I am going to get out of here at the earliest possible time.) We don't need HOT, as follows (just thinking outside the box here): 1. Re-stripe the express lanes to 3 lanes from Potomac Mills to Springfield. 2. Make HOV violation prohibitively expensive (i.e. loss of license as soon as possible in the progression of sequential violations). 3. Extend the express lanes to Fredericksburg. 4. Build an I-95 bypass from the New Jersey state line to Richmond, with no off-ramps, to off-load a lot of the thru traffic (18-wheelers and tourists) (I know, nobody in MD or VA will want to pay, even though it would solve all their commuting problems). 5. Extend HOV hours on the express lanes to reflect the actual "rush hour."
And finally, don't engage NoSUV in discussion. He or she argues from a position of ignorance and denial, and is not capable of evaluating the validity of his or her argument.

Which of you has written to your delegate to recommend the bypass? Or are you hoping he will figure it out on his own? Make sure you tell him to increase your taxes appropriately.