Costly Motorcycles

Wow! had no idea.
You live, you learn.

Thanks MDC!

I think it's unlikely that a proposal where motorcycles are excluded from HOT will be passed without changes, not only because of the safety issue but also If you pay the toll then you should be able to ride.

whoooooooooooooooo lives in a pineapple under the sea? [:)]

I must beg for forgiveness at the onset of this question. After all, you so authoritatively stated that that “The motorcycles and the semis are specifically banned from using the toll road. End of story. Motorcycle license plates are too small to be photographed by the violation cameras and therefore they will not be allowed on the lanes. End of story.” Here the story is over and I have the audacity to ask questions. Please forgive me for such ignorance.

However, I have read the proposal and I see that on page 2-16 it states, “no significant commercial truck traffic will be permitted to use the BRT/HOT lanes”. I could find no reference to motorcycles within the entire proposal. Additionally, I have scoured the notes from public meetings and found no such reference. Although, I did find numerous comments about people not liking motorcycles in the HOV lanes in the first place. I have even gone one step further with technology and goggled this subject. I did learn that Washington State has HOT lanes and motorcycles do not have to pay. Your threads do come up as the only “authority” stating that motorcycles will be prohibited. If I use your logic, are motorcycles banned from I-95 through Baltimore and Delaware? The license plate is the same size there also?

Please, provide a reference to allow us to address the issue. It is a subject that I find important and will address it. But I can’t reference this message board, which is the only place it appears. It is important for me to speak from a position of knowledge and not a position of ignorance. Perhaps you would do well to adopt such a policy also!

http://www.dot.state.ga.us/stfc/presentations.shtml

Is the powerpoint presentation by Fluor I referred to above. Again, if motorcycles were going to be exempted from the toll, one would think they would explicitly state that in the presentation...

Ok, one last thing...the word motorcycle does not appear in the I-95/395 proposal which I have linked below. But you will note that it does not say motorcycles will ride for free, unlike HOV3, buses and emergency vehicles. In fact, a literal reading would be that motorcycles would not be allowed on the toll road at all...



http://www.gobrt.org/VirginiaI95and395proposal.pdf#search='fluor%20hot%20lane'

I-95/395 BRT/HOT Lanes Electronic Tolling System
The BRT/HOT Lanes will be provided for cars, buses and emergency vehicles only. No significant
commercial truck traffic will be permitted to use the BRT/HOT Lanes.
HOT Lane operation will be reversible as is the case
with the current HOV lanes. Toll rates will be
variable based on the time of day and congestion
levels. All vehicles using the BRT/HOT Lanes would
be required to have a Smart Tag/E-ZPass account.
Tolling will be based on the vehicle classification
below:
• SOV/HOV (2) – Variable Rate Toll
• HOV (3+) – Free
• Buses – Free
• Emergency Vehicles – Free
The electronic tolling system design will be IAGcompliant
and utilize the Mark IV transponder and
lane equipment. The toll system will include both a
violation enforcement system and a violation
processing system. Violation processing will be
managed at a regional administrative processing
center. This center could provide customer service
and violation processing for both the proposed
Capital Beltway HOT Lanes and the I-95/395 BRT/
HOT Lanes System and could be leveraged to
consolidate any existing or future area toll operations. The Fluor team believes that a regional approach
would provide the greatest benefit to VDOT by providing the lowest cost operation and a unified and
centralized approach to customer service.
The Fluor Team’s Electronic
Tolling System provides:
• Open Road Tolling
• Managed Traffic
• Smart Tag/E-ZPass
Compatibility
• Regional System
Approach
• Free Access for HOV 3+,
Buses, Emergency
Vehicles
Transurban will be responsible for the definition and
delivery of an electronic toll collection system. Fluor
recommends that they also, under contract to VDOT,
be responsible for the operation of the BRT/HOT
Lanes. Transurban’s experience as the developer and
operator of the Melbourne CityLink system and
current developer and future operator of Western
Sydney Beltway M7 project will ensure VDOT that
the system will be delivered and operated in an
efficient and cost-effective manner.
Transurban to Provide:
• Definition and Delivery of
Systems
• Management of Operations
Enforcement
A violation enforcement system will be a key component of the BRT/HOT Lanes electronic tolling
project. Effective enforcement is important to the Financial Plan of the project. As with any open-road toll
I-95/395 BRT/HOT Lanes System 2-16
AV20040042-035 -- 2.a.doc
2.a project description
system, motorists will try to use the BRT/HOT Lanes without paying. It is critical that violations be
identified, the tolls collected and violators converted into paying customers.