Life In The HOT Lane
Charlotte City Council is set to get a report tonight on the next study for High Occupancy Toll lanes – or HOT lanes. The concept is pretty straightforward. When congestion is the worst, people will be able to pay to get around the traffic snarls. The worse the congestion, the higher the cost. Call it a “progressive fee” and class warfare specialists might not even realize it’s a great way for rich people to be more productive! After all, the poor won’t be able to afford the fast lanes like the evil rich folks. Much like red light cameras were affordable ways for the wealthy to drive recklessly without getting those nasty points on the license.
According to the Council agenda, Phase 1 examined the major roads in our 10-county region. Phase 2 looked at design, costs and revenue. Now we’re ready for Phase 3 – educating the masses about this newfangled “congestion pricing” thing to see if we’ll accept it. And if we do, it looks like the first HOT lane would be built on I-77 North.
Obviously, these “managed lanes” concepts work best for roads that are already built to three lanes. So, you Southern Mecklenburg folks will just have to wait a bit longer if you’re interested in going faster than 40 mph on I-485. Sorry.
So will Charlotte accept the concept? Can we be educated as to the awesomeness of HOT lanes?
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