HOT Lanes

Congestion Pricing in the San Francisco Bay Area
Planners call them “express lanes,” but make no mistake, they are congestion pricing in action, and they're successful. The Bay Area network of what the Federal Highway Administration calls “high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes” is growing.

Tollways for Sacramento?
Road pricing terminology can be confusing, particularly since Californians see so little of it. For example, a Sacramento TV station calls proposed express lanes on Interstate 80 from Solano County to Sacramento a ‘tollway.’

The ‘Three Pillars’ of Carbon Reduction, According to Caltrans
The California Department of Transportation released its draft carbon reduction strategy last month to apply for Carbon Reduction Program funds included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Road pricing plays a prominent role.

Toll Lane Rebellion Fails to Materialize in Southern California
The 405 Express Lanes will open in Orange County later this year despite the warnings from a former Huntington Beach mayor of a resident-led rebellion in response to road pricing. But will the toll lanes mitigate congestion? Academics weigh in.

Tolling All Lanes
Bay Area transportation planners are studying a radical idea to reduce traffic congestion and fund driving alternatives: tolling all lanes on a freeway. Even more radical, the plan considers tolling parallel roads.

What Is Congestion Pricing?
Congestion pricing raises the cost of driving on certain roadways at certain times, reducing traffic,encouraging alternate transportation modes, and generating revenue from the use of infrastructure.

Tolling All Freeway Lanes in the Bay Area?
What's more surprising is seeing who is making the proposal and why. The first step would be to have the concept included in Plan Bay Area 2050.

Shrinking Highways: Could the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway Be the First?
Highways have been razed, replaced with boulevards, and streets have been placed on road diets, but what about lane reductions on interstate highways? That's one recommendation in a report released Thursday by a panel of experts on the BQE.

As Tolls Increase, Vehicle Trips Decrease on Dynamically Priced Express Lanes
When tolls rise on the 66 Express Lanes, trips decrease. according to a new report by the Virginia Department of Transportation.

More Toll Lanes Coming to California Freeways
Solo drivers in the Golden State will have more options to escape traffic congestion on busy freeways – for a price, as transportation agencies increasing decide to convert existing carpool lanes to high-occupancy toll lanes and add new ones.

New HOT Lanes Open in Houston
The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County opened a new segment of HOT lanes, open to carpools and toll paying solo drivers, on U.S. 290 in Houston this week.

Solo-Occupant Hybrid Vehicles Lose Access to Carpool Lanes
A change in federal law on Monday meant that over 16,000 Virginia motorists must double or triple-up when using carpool lanes in Virginia. Next month, electric vehicles will need three occupants to drive free on I-395 when HOV lanes become HOT.
Virginia Interstate Widening Would Convert Free Lanes to Toll Lanes
The Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization is proposing a 45-mile network of high-occupancy toll lanes on I–64 that includes conversions of 16 miles of carpool and three miles of general-purpose lanes. No unpriced lanes would be added.

Converting a Carpool Lane to a High Occupancy Toll Lane No Easy Task
Supervisors of California's fourth-largest county declared their formal opposition to the conversion of carpool lanes on the Riverside Freeway to high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes, but they are open to toll lanes, under the right conditions.

If Road Pricing Is Inherently Unfair and Regressive...
Road pricing has its faults as a revenue measure, but it needs to be compared to ten elements of the current system of paying for transportation, including hidden subsidies, says Joe Cortright, an urban economist with Portland-based City Observatory.

220,000 EV Drivers in California to Lose Carpool Lane Perk in 2019
The good news: the Clean Air Vehicle program for electric vehicles will be extended for at least three years. The bad news: not all EVs that have a decal now will be able to be renewed. Congestion on HOV and HOT lanes is a major concern.
Attacking Auto-Dependency by Attacking Auto Subsidies
It's not the car but the driving subsidy that is responsible for many of the ills associated with auto dominance. Asking, "How do we get people out of cars?" is the wrong question, argues Joe Cortright, urban economist for City Observatory.
Maximum Toll on Utah's Interstate 15 Express Lanes Just Doubled
But is it high enough? Everything is relative, and with the prior toll being only a buck per zone, the hope is that $2, which took effect Saturday, will cause some motorists to carpool to keep speeds at 55 mph during peak hours.

Los Angeles Express Lane Revenue to Fund Electric Double-Decker Buses
Solo drivers who paid a variable toll to use the 10 and 110 freeways in Los Angeles provided $1.4 million to assist in the purchase of the nation's first electric double-decker buses, to be operated by Foothill Transit
Maryland Highway Plan Would Destroy Affordable Housing, Displace Low-Income Residents
A local writer compares the plan to expand I-270 and the Capital Beltway to an earlier era of transportation planning.
Pagination
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Moreno Valley
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland
Newport County Development Council: Connect Greater Newport