High Occupancy Toll Lane
High occupancy toll lanes As some HOV lanes were not utilized to its full capacity, users of low or single-occupancy vehicles have been allowed to use a high-occupancy vehicle lane if they pay a toll. This scheme is known as high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes, and it has been introduced mainly in the United States and Canada. The first practical implementations was California's formerly private toll 91 Express Lanes, in Orange County in 1995, followed in 1996 by Interstate 15 north of San Diego.
The solo drivers are allowed to use the HOV lanes upon payment of a fee that varies based on demand. The tolls change throughout the day according to real-time traffic conditions, which is intended to manage the number of cars in the lanes to maintain good journey times.
Proponents claim that all motorists will benefit from HOT lanes, even those who choose not to use them. This argument only applies to projects that increase the total number of lanes. Proponents also claim that HOT lanes provide an incentive to use transit and ride sharing. There has been controversy over this concept, and HOT schemes have been called "Lexus" lanes, as critics see this new pricing scheme as a perk to the rich.
HOT tolls are collected either by manned toll booths, automatic number plate recognition, or electronic toll collection systems. Some systems use RFID transmitters to monitor entry and exiting of the lane and charges drivers depending on demand. Typically, these tolls increase as traffic density and congestion within the tolled lanes increases, a policy known as congestion pricing. The goal of this pricing scheme is to minimize traffic congestion within the lanes.
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