He said reducing that through enforcement may solve the congestion problem. Stephenson was also distressed to hear that up to 20 percent of cars in express lanes now are there illegally. UDOT hasn’t looked into that option, but may over time, said Marshall. He said that might relieve congestion and encourage even larger carpools. Stephenson also asked if UDOT has considered requiring at least three occupants - instead of two - to carpool in the express lane for free. Marshall said UDOT isn’t seeking to make money through tolls, only to cover costs of that program and help keep down congestion enough so that carpoolers may travel at least 55 mph. If results fall short, then UDOT would consider bigger hikes. UDOT’s Marshall, however, said the agency isn’t sure what that “maximum the market would bear” is - so it prefers to raise the toll initially to $2, and then study how well that helps to control congestion. Several transportation commission members earlier suggested a maximum toll of $3 or even $5, saying even $2 was too low to really reduce congestion. He encouraged considering “charging the maximum the market will bear” not only to reduce congestion, but perhaps to raise some money for highways. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, Senate chairman of the committee, asked the same question that some transportation commission members posed last month - why not raise the toll even more than the proposed $2 maximum per section? and don’t rebound past 55 mph again until nearly 6:30 p.m. They bottom out at 31 mph on average by 5:15 p.m. The trouble is, too many people are now enrolled - and the $1 maximum toll isn’t enough to keep the express lanes congestion-free.Įvery weekday afternoon in Salt Lake County between 1300 South and the Utah County line, express-lane speeds start to drop below the 55 mph goal by about 4 p.m, says UDOT. The program, using transponders to exact electronic charges, was originally designed to utilize excess capacity. “Our goal is to put more people in fewer cars so the general-purpose lanes function better,” he explained.īut UDOT has allowed 20,000 people to buy access for single-occupant vehicles to the express lanes. It does that by trying to maintain speeds of at least 55 mph as an incentive for people to double up. Shane Marshall, deputy director of the Utah Department of Transportation, said the primary purpose of the express lanes is to encourage people to carpool.
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