Gov. Blagojevich today rolled out a $1.8 billion plan to create "Green Lanes" reserved for Illinois tollway commuters driving hybrids or traveling in carpools. The governor's office is touting the plan as a partial remedy to both traffic congestion and vehicle emissions. The Sun-Times reports that there could be more driving the lane reconfigurations than environmental concerns alone:
The Illinois proposal appears to capitalize on a new twist in carpool lanes, high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes that allow solo drivers to use the lanes -- if they pay more.
In the proposed Green Lanes, solo drivers would be charged a yet-to-be-disclosed premium rate above the existing cost of a toll for the right to use the lane (...)
In California, solo drivers pay up to $10 to drive 11 miles in a HOT lane of one L.A.-area freeway. The premium price fluctuates in an attempt to keep the express lanes at optimum traffic levels.
The lanes have been derided by some as "Lexus Lanes," but they help pay for themselves with the higher rates and give drivers an option, albeit a costlier one.
Jacky Grimshaw, a transit expert with the Center For Neighborhood Technology (CNT), isn't buying the governor's pitch. "We have an efficient carpool lane. It's called mass transit," Grimshaw said. "It's called the Blue Line on the Kennedy, the Stevenson has the Orange Line and the Dan Ryan has the Red Line."
Rather than carve out special use lanes, Grimshaw says state officials ought to put all of their energy into passing a capital bill. Then the state would have a chance at recouping some of the nearly $9 billion in federal funding that's sat untouched since 2005. Unless the state commits matching funds, the money may soon be lost. And if it's spent, CNT notes that it could give the local economy a much needed jolt.
Jozef Goj (not verified) on Wed, 10/15/2008 - 17:47
The traffic congestion can be solved using Liquid Flow Intersections and adjustable variable speeds on the major roadways to compensate for the vehicle density flow rates.
Fixed speed limits do not help ease congestion as roads must compensate by increasing flow speed to suit vehicle numbers. The roads will take the vehicle capacity if you can exit them faster than you enter them.
At www.ubtsc.com.au there is an explanation of how they work and models of intersections that allow all drivers to cross town in peak traffic faster safer and in an acceptable time whilst reducing pollution as you never stop at a single intersection.
Just examine the intersections you go through today and see how many are designed to stop and slow you.
Even the latest four level Diamond interchanges you still have two merges to make when turning left and right and there a total of eight slow zones where left and right turning vehicles share the same roadway.
Roundabouts with or without traffic lights are not designed for heavy congestion vehicle flows. As to traffic lights there is no such thing as intelligent synchronized lights. Traffic lights just Stop traffic.
All you have to do is convince the DOT to analyze the simple question.
Do the road system designs used today resolve the problem and if not then what will?
Nowhere in the world has anyone succeeded in doing that.
Until Now.
With Liquid Flow Traffic intersections you get a Presidential green light run every day, without the traffic lights, without stopping at a single intersection.
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