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The Dallas Morning News Tony Hartzel column: 'Managed lanes' provide speed for a premium(Dallas Morning News, The (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) May 7--It's afternoon rush hour, and that relatively open lane nearby elicits visions of a faster, less tortuous commute. But how much would you pay to use it? That's what the Texas Transportation Institute and the Texas Department of Transportation want to know. The institute, a research arm of Texas A&M University, has created an online survey to gauge motorists' opinions on the concept of "managed lanes." The 15-minute survey is at www.dallastravelsurvey.org. The concept behind managed lanes is that most motorists have a price they'll pay for a faster commute. The lane or lanes, usually built in the middle of a highway, remain less congested because of tolls that vary either by time of day or degree of congestion. Matt MacGregor of the state Transportation Department said predictable travel times are the appeal of managed lanes. "Without a pricing component, you really don't have a way to deliver mobility," he said. Toll rates for local managed lanes haven't been set. The Regional Transportation Council, which sets policy for North Texas, is scheduled to discuss them this week. Managed lanes have been used in a few locations, including San Diego and Orange County in California, and Minneapolis. In North Texas, barrier-separated managed lanes are envisioned for Interstate 30 between downtown Dallas and downtown Fort Worth. Managed lanes are also planned for two vehicle tunnels under LBJ Freeway on which construction could start late next year or in early 2008. North Texas is not alone in planning managed lanes. Forty-eight such projects are being developed nationwide, Mr. MacGregor said. The Transportation Institute survey will help companies hoping to build the LBJ tunnels better predict how much revenue the tunnels will raise with the managed lanes and how much traffic they'll handle, said Mr. MacGregor. Initial estimates predict that managed lanes will raise about $300 million over decades, while the entire tunnels project from Central Expressway to Interstate 35E could cost $1.5 billion. If nothing else, supporters say, managed lanes can pay for their own maintenance and operations while still offering motorists less-congested routes. In San Diego, managed lanes on Interstate 15 paid their own costs and for express bus service, said Ginger Goodin, a research engineer with the transportation institute. Planners also want to know how many car-poolers might use managed lanes in North Texas and how much that use might vary depending on cost. High-occupancy-vehicle lanes in North Texas are available -- and free -- to vehicles with a driver and at least one passenger. The new managed lanes also would be available to single-occupant vehicles for a fee. The managed lanes may also charge car-poolers, possibly at a reduced rate. "Motorists can look at it and decide is it worth it on this trip," said Ms. Goodin, who helped design the managed-lane survey. "HOV lanes have been pretty successful in Houston and Dallas. What we're seeing is an evolution of the concept." The survey will be accessible online for several more weeks. Participants may complete one survey per Internet service provider address. To be sure the study reaches a cross-section of people, organizers may also take laptops to areas with lower rates of Internet access and use them to survey residents. Tony Hartzel can be reached at [email protected] and at P.O. Box 655237, Dallas, Texas 75265. |