RETHINKING HOV AND HOT LANES

In this article, the author contends that the policy dictating access to high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes needs to be changed. The author discusses how pure express toll lanes, in which everyone pays, are more profitable than traditional HOV lanes. Three reasons for moving to pure express toll lanes are cited: 1) the cost of new congestion- relief lanes, 2) the value provided by express toll lanes, and 3) enforcement. The author contends that by continuing to support HOV 2- person lanes, these lanes will experience congestion, thus denying the revenue that is needed for creating a network of congestion-relief lanes.