Stolen Lanes

Toll - The AMERICAN definition

toll - noun

1.  a payment or fee exacted by the state, the local authorities, etc., for some right or privilege, as for passage along a road or over a bridge.

2.  the extent of loss, damage, suffering, etc., resulting from some action or calamity: The toll was 300 persons dead or missing.

3.  a tax, duty, or tribute, as for services or use of facilities.

4.  a payment made for a long-distance telephone call.

5.  (formerly, in England) the right to take such payment.

 

In other states that are using a Toll system to raise revenue (or no revenue) tolls are tax deductible up to $750 per individual or $1500 per couple.  However in Georgia since the toll is considered a toll and not a tax, no such deduction is allowed.  There are many ways to battle this government boondoggle, and we will challenge every single one until the State leaders, SRTA, GDOT, and FWHA realize we are not going away, nor will we allow this to continue beyond the next election cycle.  If the politicaions will not listen to us and address the issues then WE will change the politicians.

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness....

These three aspects are listed among the "unalienable rights" or sovereign rights of man.

Definitions..

Life -  the general or universal condition of human existence.

Liberty -  freedom from control, interference, obligation, restriction, hampering conditions, etc.; power or right of doing, thinking, speaking, etc., according to choice.

Happiness - good fortune; pleasure; contentment; joy.

By consuming more of my time in transit versus my time at home at least two of my rights have been violated willingly by the State of Georgia and SRTA.  To claim that my right to life has been harmed would be a reach but I am certain I could argue the point, in this instace I wont.  My Liberty has been impeded upon by interfering in my control of my day to day travel patterns and times.  By implementing the new HOT lanes the state has caused conditions that require me to either leave home or work earlier or to be late and risk loss of employment.  This also interferes in my ability to lead the quality of life that I had before the Tolls went into effect.  As for my Happiness... well let's just say that the added stress of the longer commute, the extra tank of gas that I now have to pay for and the lost time at home with my family are mere bits and pieces that lead to reasons why I am not such a happy go lucky guy anymore.   

I suppose the Georgia Government interprets the Declaration of Independence to have been written for them and not the CITIZENS of the United States.

Are you ready for a fight?

Remember 7 short weeks ago when you woke up and headed out the door on your way to work and realized you suddenly had to pay $5.50 to get there?  Remember that anger as you spent the next 4 days complaining then on the TV you saw the Governor call for a TEMPORARY reduction in the rates?  Now that $1.95 doesn't seem so bad huh?  But wait... Last Thursday the rate was closer to $3.00, yet no one complained.  Are you used to the idea now, or just resigned to the idea that you can't change it?  WRONG!!! you have the power to affect more change than you believe.  SRTA and the Governors office are claiming victory because their phones have stopped ringing, well make them ring agan I say. 

Here are the numbers

Governors office - 404-656-1776

Gena Evans - 404-893-6111 

The Governor and SRTA... Lies and Bullsh*t!

One thing if for sure in this entire HOT lane issue, Governor Nathan Deal is in charge.  Now we wont allow the minions at SRTA to walk away clean here, afterall just one person at STRA with the courage to step forward would have weakened my argument entirely.  However with the inside information from more than three elected officials that would not attend the Town Hall and one inside the Governors office all stating that the Governor INSTRUCTED them all to stay away from the issus and let it die on the vine, I call foul, BULLSH*T, LIAR, and many other names I'd rather not have my kids reading today.  For the Governor to interfere with a public meeting by instructing his minions at SRTA to keep away he has proven that he is only interested in the monetary interests of his projects.  Afterall this is the same man who wanted us to pave a road infront of his business that typically only saw 3-4 cars a day (mostly employees).  He also wanted to pressure STATE officials to continue a non-competitive state program that provides roughly $300,000 worth of business per year to Deal’s salvage yard.  Backdoor BACKPOCKET contributions is what I call it. 

As for his alliance with the SRTA minions... HE had the power to instruct them to attend the Town Hall meeting, but failed.  HE promised to close GA 400 when elected, remember the photo of him in front of the toll road holding a closed sign?  He stated that the continuing toll amounted to an unfair toll on N Ga citizens.  But once he realized HE now had power to run an agency with minimal financial oversight and accounting, one that had power to toll any road in the state, the power CONTINUED to corrupt. 

Need more proof?  read the 13 questions submitted to SRTA for the Town Hall and the 64 submitted from the past town hall.  I challenge you to find one solid answer, not filled with political spin or the hint of SRTA arrogance (remember these guys report directly to the Governor). 

I have had the FLU for the last few days but am starting to feel better, maybe by Tuesday  I will be back at 1oo% and ready to challenge the BS we were given by these two numbskull offices.

 

SRTA Responses to Key HOT Lane Questions

The State Road and Toll Authority (SRTA) has responded to questions that were originally posted on StolenLanes.org on 11/10/2011. These responses are shown below. In addition, you can see the original response to these questions, and supplemental PDF documents that were sent by SRTA to us at the following links:

Download Responses to Questions to SRTA and GDOT.PDF (131.0K)
Download Traffic Volume Comparison.pdf (36.1K)
Download Trips and Daily Fare_110111.pdf (86.0K)
Download I-85 Daily Trips and Fare_November_1-13.pdf (80.3K)
Download Total Peach Passes Assigned.pdf (194.8K)
Download Tolled and Non Tolled Trips_October 2011.pdf (343.4K)
Download ManagedLanesSystem Plan.pdf (2169.2K)
Download Final FONSI 20100202.pdf (62.9K)

1. What defines a success or failure of the HOT lanes along the I-85 corridor?

The USDOT’s performance standard for HOT lanes states that vehicles should maintain an average speed of at least 45 mph (90 percent of the time) during peak hours.  SRTA and GDOT will submit performance data at 1 year, 3 years and 5 years based on these standards. In addition, this project’s primary goals are to provide choices to commuters within the corridor and an option that will ensure reliable travel times for motorists.  Success of the project will be defined through the USDOT national evaluation standards as outlined above and through a  compilation of congestion mitigation  strategies to include the Express Lanes system, mode shifts to transit and transit ridership.

2. Based on the current numbers, then doubling them to 21,000 trips per day is that enough traffic to justify the lanes? If so what will the expected toll be?

If there were 21,000 Peach Pass trips per day in the Express Lanes, the lane would not function properly and would operate similarly to the general purpose lanes where service level degrades,  there is no trip time reliability, and gridlock occurs during peak rush hours. Based on the 2008/2009 traffic study, we expect that the lane should support 1200-1400 vehicles per hour, per lane during peak periods. However, the lane is already servicing more vehicles than expected. Additionally, handling 1200-1400 vehicles per hour during peak periods does not mean that one could expect 36,000 trips in  24 hours.   Attached  is a chart (Traffic Volume  Comparison)  graphing  how the lane performed by hour as an HOV lane, and how it performs now by hour as an ExpressLane.

3. If the HOT lanes are only meeting the expectations of an HOV lane why was there a need for the change?

The  I-85 Express Lanes are exceeding the  throughput volumes  as compared to  the previous HOV lane during peak periods as noted above and shown in the attached graph.  However, the Express Lanes project was not implemented based on the number of trips in the lanes alone. Research showed that by 2012 the HOV lanes would not provide reliable travel times. The Express Lanes project was implemented to help mitigate traffic congestion and provide reliable travel times for motorists who choose touse the Express Lanes.  It is important to note that with HOV lanes, nearly 90% of all vehicles in the corridor had no access to the HOV lane.  This project changed that.  Now, 100% of all vehicles have access to that stretch of pavement. Additionally, the Express Lanes project provided $122 million in transit investment into metro Atlanta, with 11 new park and ride lots and 21 new motor coaches, with the possibility to add up to 82 coaches. The project covers more transportation initiatives in this corridor than just the Express Lanes. 

4. The opening of the HOT lanes seems to have cost more commuters than it has benefited, not just in tolls but in time lost with families, extra fuel consumption while idling in traffic, and unnecessary stress, how will that be addressed going forward?

Within the first month of operations, Express Lanes usage tripled, and there have been over 108,000 Peach Passes issued to motorists. As with other states that have implemented Express Lanes, usage of the Express Lanes steadily increases as motorists become more and more familiar with how to use the lanes. As this is a demonstration project SRTA and GDOT welcome motorists’ feedback on operational improvements and have been  making changes  since the opening.  As a result of motorists’ feedback, an additional access point will be established in  the  southbound direction of the Express Lanes and the parameters were adjusted to the tolling system so that motorists experienced lower toll rates. All citizens can provide suggestions for operational improvements by completing the online survey at www.peachpass.com. Attached you will find graphs showing lane utilization, Peach Pass issuance  and average fare since opening (attachments: Trips and Daily Fare (2 charts), Peach Pass Issuance).

5. How has this change affected air quality around the corridor? Provide documentation including environmental impact study.

The Express Lanes project received environmental clearance in 2009. The environmental process consisted of nine public information open houses that were conducted throughout the I-85 corridor. In addition to the public information open houses, there were over 70 public events that have been held in the corridor and surrounding areaswhere I-85 motorists were educated on the Express Lanes project. At the completion of the environmental process, the project was found to have Findings of No Significant Impact (or FONSI) to the environment.  The documentation for the FONSI is attached(Final FONSI).Not enough data has been collected at this point to make a determination regarding air quality since the Express Lanes opened in October 2011.  However, it is expected that this change will not have a significant impact on air quality as cited in the study.

6. What projects specifically are in line for the tolls collected from the area and what cities and counties will benefit from the collection of this implicit tax on North Georgia citizens?

The Express Lanes project was never intended to be a revenue generating system. Though we do not expect any excess revenue for several years, a final determination of the use of excess funds has not been made at this time.  We are collectively working with other transportation agencies both at the State and Federal level to determine how those funds would be utilized in the future, if and when excess revenues occur.We welcome feedback and suggestions as to what would be the best use of excess toll revenue once it becomes available.

7. What are the dates initially set for the “test period” or “trial period” for the I-85 corridor?

SRTA and GDOT are constantly evaluating data from the roadway.   Jointly, GDOT and SRTA are working with the USDOT, the USDOT’s national evaluation team (Batelle) and the Georgia Institute of Technology to monitor the performance of the lanes. As noted in answer 1, we will be submitting performance data at 1, 3 and 5 year checkpoints.

8. Is there a tax deduction for using the lanes?

There is no tax deduction for use of toll lanes in Georgia.  However, consult your tax advisor in regards to deductions for business-related travel.

9. What is the expected start date for phase II? And will phase II begin prior to the end of phase one demonstration project? And will Phase II convert more HOV lanes to HOT lanes, if so which ones specifically?

This project does not have a phase II; however, the Managed Lanes System plan proposes to add HOT lanes and/or convert HOV lanes to HOT lanes to other corridors within the metro Atlanta area. The Managed Lanes System plan is attached.

10.  Are the current tolls being collected into an escrow account until after phase one is considered a success? Who is responsible for the funds collected?

SRTA is responsible for collecting and managing all toll revenue. All tolls collected fromthe I-85 Express Lanes are used for operations.

11.  Do the counties whose citizens mainly are paying the tolls get to keep a large specified percentage to improve their road congestion and decide themselves on road improvements?

Though we do not expect  any excess revenue for several years, we are collectively working with other transportation agencies both at the State and Federal level to determine how any excess revenue would be utilized in the future. We welcome yourfeedback and suggestions and will consider ways to utilize excess revenue once it becomes available.

12. If the goal is to ease traffic congestion, why are they charging at off-peak times with no congestion on the interstate i.e. 2am in the morning with maybe 10 cars total in sight?

Tolling the Express Lanes 24/7, allows for a consistent approach to use the lanes while also allowing for tolling to be in place to help manage demand during off-peak special events such as sporting events, conferences, entertainment events, etc. As this is a pilot project, we continue to tweak and make operational adjustments to the Express Lanes system. As shown on the attached graph, operational improvements can be made that will impact utilization during off peak hours.  Examination of off peak travel is under consideration at this time with USDOT and GDOT. We will keep the public informed as we work through those changes to operations. 

13. What are the current breakdown numbers for Peach pass users and the breakdown of the peach passes that were issued? I.e... How many for motorcycles, 3 passenger vehicles, and how many are being used on GA 400 vs. I-85.

There are currently 6,231 toll-exempt Peach Passes in circulation. Of that 6231, there are 1,368 for motorcycles. The toll-exempt total covers Peach Passes that have been issued for customer accounts that will always have at least three or more people in a vehicle or motorcycles when using the Express Lanes. See attached Tolled vs. Non-Tolled trips chart.As of 11/14/11, 54,135 of Peach Passes were used on GA 400 and 23,762 Peach Passes were used on I-85. To provide some additional background on transponder issuance, we had 293,356 Cruise Cards in circulation prior to our back office system go live and before official registration opened for Peach Pass in June of this year.  With the steady usage we’ve experienced in the Express Lanes, we are tracking consistently with earlier projections that 10% of the Peach Passes issued would use the Express Lanes. To date, we’ve issued 108,577 Peach Passes since June  of this year. Below is a breakdown of the transponder account types:

ACCOUNT TYPE TAG COUNT Emergency Non Revenue 2761 Post Paid (GOVT) 791 Toll (Corporate) 6422 Toll (Personal) 92372 Toll Exempt 6231 Total 108577

Governor Deal - Leader or Hiding behind the office door?

First this is not a Partisan Rant, I voted for Nathan Deal (just so you know).  I will not be fooled again.  Governor Deal the Chairman of SRTA has lost his ability to lead that office and has allowed them to snub their noses to the public by ignoring continued requests to attend an open Town Hall soley dedicated to the HOT lane issue.  Just a few weeks ago when asked about the issue he replied "We just have to learn from things as we go along. This is a learning experience for all of us."  But he is not interested in coming to the classroom for an education on how the persons he was elected to represent feel about the issue at hand.  NOR is he willing to at the least send a representative from his office (or the SRTA office) to the Town Hall.  I have been told by several sources, that his ORDER to State employees involved was to "stay away, leave it alone and let it die on the vine".  I suppose he believes we are simple minded enough that we will forget all of this in a week or so and immediately run out and register for Peach Passes.  Well, Governor Deal, my offering to you is that I am a simple seedling on this vine and this issue WILL NOT die off as you hope.  Good luck with this on your side of the office door, we the public are not going to stop knocking.

Cleaner air - WHERE?

Remember when the purpose of the HOV lanes was to generate more groups carpooling in the HOV lane and air quality was to improve?  Heck they called it the clean air campaign.... so beautiful!!!! Well now it seems that if you want the ability to go back into the lane all you need to do is pay a small fee and the State and all of the authorities will turn a blind eye to your violation (of course now with a payoff its all legal).  So the air around the corridor is getting cleaner...?  What about the air quality off of Peachtree Industrial Blvd, Buford Hwy, and Lawrenceville Hwy where those who are looking to avoid the I-85 traffic have sought refuge?  Now the traffic in those areas is worse, air quality has to be suffering and it is all ok because SRTA can claim a success on passing out 100,000 peach passes.  I suppose there is one reason to be happy I drive I-85, my air is cleaner than those on the side roads.

 

SRTA boycotts; Transporation policy analyst invited to speak at November 17th Town Hall

The State Road and Toll Authority (SRTA) maintains that it will not attend an upcoming I-85 HOT Lane Town Hall that is being coordinated by Howard Rodgers of StopTheHOTLane.com, a StolenLanes.org coalition member. While SRTA continues to demonstrate a lack of leadership by refusing to engage the public on this issue, groups that are opposed to the implementation of HOT lanes have committed to providing a contrasting opinion and have invited a pro-HOT Lane group to speak at the meeting.

Baruch Feigenbaum is a Transportation Policy Analyst for Reason.org, a respected nonpartisan group that produces public policy research on a variety of issues and publishes the critically-acclaimed Reason magazine. He recently authored an opinion piece in the Atlanta Journal Constitution entitled "Lanes need time to show value".

Feigenbaum will speak at the upcoming Town Hall Meeting November 17th at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center. Reason.org believes that the I-85 HOV lane can operate successfully as a HOT lane but that there may be room for improvement in the implementation that occurred.

 

November 17, 2011 I-85 HOT Lane Town Hall Questions

The following questions are being posed in advance of the Town Hall Meeting to Senator Renee Unterman, Senator Curt Thompson, and Gena L. Evans of the Georgia State Road and Toll Authority (SRTA). The intent is to be able to provide responses to the public to the most popular questions prior to the open question and answer period of the Town Hall Meeting.

1. What defines a success or failure of the HOT lanes along the I-85 corridor?
2. Based on the current numbers, then doubling them to 21,000 trips per day is that enough traffic to justify the lanes?  If so what will the expected toll be?
3. If the HOT lanes are only meeting the expectations of an HOV lane why was there a need for the change?
4. The opening of the HOT lanes seems to have cost more commuters than it has benefited, not just in tolls but in time lost with families, extra fuel consumption while idling in traffic, and unnecessary stress, how will that be addressed going forward?
5. How has this change affected air quality around the corridor?  Provide documentation including environmental impact study.
6. What projects specifically are in line for the tolls collected from the area and what cities and counties will benefit from the collection of this implicit tax on North Georgia citizens?
7. What are the dates initially set for the “test period” or “trial period” for the I-85 corridor?
8. Is there a tax deduction for using the lanes?
9. What is the expected start date for phase II? And will phase II begin prior to the end of phase one demonstration project?  And will Phase ii convert more HOV lanes to HOT lanes, if so which ones specifically?
10. Are the current tolls being collected into an escrow account until after phase one is considered a success?  Who is responsible for the funds collected?
11. Do the counties whose citizens mainly are paying the tolls get to keep a large specified percentage to improve their road congestion and decide themselves on road improvements?
12. If the goal is to ease traffic congestion, why are they charging at off-peak times with no congestion on the interstate i.e. 2am in the morning with maybe 10 cars total in sight?
13. What are the current breakdown numbers for Peach pass users and the breakdown of the peach passes that were issued?  I.e... How many for motorcycles, 3 passenger vehicles, and how many are being used on GA 400 vs. I-85.

November 17, 2011 I-85 HOT Lane Town Hall Agenda

HOT LANE TOWN HALL
November 17, 2011

Gwinnett Justice Administration Center
75 Langley Drive
Lawrenceville, Georgia 30046
Main Auditorium

Map and Directions  |  Facebook Event Information

 Welcome and Ground rules for meeting  – 7:00 p.m.
Acknowledgement  – 7:05 p.m.
Introductions and remarks – 7:07 p.m.
SRTA/GDOT answers to questions  – 7:10 p.m.
Quick break before press questions 7:55 p.m.
Press questions 8:00 p.m.
Public comments and questions 8:15 p.m.
End remarks and wrap-up 9:00 p.m.

 Please note that the public questions time has been allocated to the end in order to allow more time for public questions and comments without interruption.  While the meeting is scheduled to end at 9:00 there will be an allowance of extended time if necessary.  This is a civil meeting and order is to be maintained at all times so that everyone has a chance to be heard.