We have one full week of rush hours under our belts with the new HOT-Express Lanes on I-85 and Atlanta probably hasn’t seen a worse debut since New Coke hit the shelves. A greater percentage of people like the recent changes made to Facebook more than the HOT lane.
I had a front row seat to the bumper-to-bumper jams on I-85 and even though I knew the Express Lanes wouldn’t be a hit right away, I didn’t expect things to be that bad.
But after a week I still think there is some reason to hope.
First and foremost, the quick decisive action of Gov. Nathan Deal to lower the toll rates.
With the Governor’s price slashing, the highest toll on I-85 went from $5.50 for the entire stretch of I-85 to $3.05. A price cut that even Clark Howard could appreciate. Not that he’d ever pay to drive in an Express Lane.
Secondly, as the week progressed, more and more people started using the lanes. Everyday I get the data on I-85 emailed to me from the State Road and Tollway Authority. According to SRTA 3,217 vehicles used the HOT-Express Lanes on Monday. That number grew to 4,718 by Thursday. In addition to that increase, SRTA said that they were issuing 1,700 new Peach Passes every day. That growth is encouraging.
Thirdly, I think bad luck played a part in the performance of the I-85 HOT-Express Lanes last week. Granted, traffic was a lot worse than normal both during morning and afternoon drive times, but some of that delay can be blamed on traffic incidents and not just the new HOT lane. Every rush hour last week there was a crash on I-85 north or south that added to the back-ups for commuters. One might argue that there were crashes because more vehicles were forced to drive in fewer lanes, but that isn’t always the case.
I think over time, as we’ve seen in other cities, things will get better. The biggest worry that I have so far is the lack of access points that commuters have to use the lanes. That problem needs to be addressed as soon as possible. If you want people to use the lanes, you need to make it easier for them to get in and out of them.
A week into the project and a huge majority of commuters are not happy. Congress has greater approval ratings than the HOT lanes.
We are starting our second week of rush hours with the Express Lanes this morning. Check back with me next Monday and let’s reevaluate how things are going.
About the Author
