Some like it HOT, HOT, HOT

Of course I’m referring to the new High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes which VDOT has recently started work on in Northern Virginia along the western side of the 495 Beltway. Essentially the HOT lanes allow folks stuck in traffic to electronically pay via EZ Pass, a toll dynamically set by real-time traffic conditions to drive in the HOV lanes. Personally, I believe such a system is long overdue. I know at Jim Moran’s town hall meeting on transportation a few months ago there were concerns from my neighbors, the fake Virginia, that HOT lanes would only serve the wealthy. While it is true that generally those with more disposable income will tend to use the HOT lanes more often, I believe it is a benefit to all the cars on the road. By reducing traffic on the regular lanes, the speed of traffic will increase. Also, the “rich” will subsidize the infrastructure used by everyone. And I’m pretty sure if someone was in an emergency (i.e. need to pick up a child from daycare, hot date) the driver wouldn’t mind paying a buck or two to expedite their trip.

My biggest fear however is that if the revenue for the HOT lanes are not strictly reinvested into public transit, roads, and other transportation related expenses, then the state will increase the fees disproportionately to the value it provides the citizens. To a lesser degree, there is also the concern of how more roads leads to more sprawl but I think recent history has shown flexible work weeks and telecommuting are ways to fight sprawl and in the future we may be able to add the Dulles Metrorail Extension.

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About the author

Amit Singh

I'm left handed but right brained.