Extension of HOV to 6:30pm

This is a letter I received in response to an email that I sent to VDOT. It looks as if they are not even going to consider the possiblity of extending the time. The next best thing to do is to send letters or emails to the Governor of Virginia and the Lt. Governor, because they are this person's boss. I was truly disappointed with their decision on this matter. We must do something as a large group. Perhaps a petition is in order.



COMMONWEALTH of VIRGINIA
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
1401 EAST BROAD STREET
RICHMOND, 23219
PHILIP A. SHUCET K. E. LANTZ, JR.
COMMISSIONER TRANSPORTATION PLANNING ENGINEER

September 24, 2002

Ms. Linda A. Mura
lmura@bdbc.com

Dear Ms. Mura:

Thank you for your recent e-mail regarding the HOV lanes on I-95/I-395 in Northern Virginia.

The PM restricted period for the HOV lanes has been 3:30 to 6:00 since they were opened to carpoolers in 1971, with the exception of a one-month period in 1987 when the hours were extended to 6:30. The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) has since looked into the potential impacts of extending the hours and determined that person movement on the HOV lanes during that one-half hour would decrease and congestion in the general-purpose lanes would increase. While the study did show that the extended hours could cause some commuters to switch to transit, there was no indication that they would switch from driving alone to carpooling in order to enjoy the travel time savings.

VDOT continually conducts vehicle counts to determine the usage on the HOV lanes and their effectiveness in reducing congestion. VDOT uses this information to adjust operating conditions when deemed prudent. Changes to the operations must be seriously considered only when there’s evidence the change will help conditions. We are very aware that if operating conditions do not meet the needs of commuters, they will not use the facility.

Thank you again for sharing your concerns with us. We strongly believe that the I-95/I-395 HOV facility is one of the most successful in the country and we would like to keep it that way. We will continue to monitor the facility and modify operations as warranted.

Sincerely,


K. E. Lantz, Jr., P. E.
Transportation Planning Engineer

cc: Mr. T. A. Farley

I really dont think that the hours need to be extended. However, enforcing the current hours will fit the problem of congestion. People feel that if they get on the HOV lanes before the 6 am deadline they are fine to continue all the way to DC. Same thing holds for going south opn 95. People get on up to 20 minutes before the 6 pm deadline and there never seems to be highway partol cars available to enforce the law. Think of all the $'s lost in that one that could be applied to extending the HOV lanes.

quote:

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not everyone agrees that the hours should be extended.

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Thanks for posting the VDOT response.

However, I think it should be pointed out that this study was conducted in 1998, making it relatively outdated given the rapid population growth rates during the same time period. For example, according to Census data, Prince William's population grew almost 14 percent from 7/98 to 7/01, while Stafford's population grew over 15 percent during the same period.

The data convincingly show that people are moving further and further away from where they work, thereby increasing commuting times. It only makes sense that an updated HOV schedule be implemented to keep up with population shifts and changes. Mr. K. E. Lantz, Jr. (from VOT) himself pointed out that the HOV system has remained unchanged since 1971!

Maybe a petition is in order, as lmura pointed out.



Edited by - tlschau on 30 Sep 2002 12:30:14

Edited by - tlschau on 30 Sep 2002 12:31:22

Another thing, are we ready to start a petition? and, how many of us will support this?