Monday, 7 December 2015

High Occupancy Toll lane pilot to launch next summer



Ontario's transportation minister Steven Del Duca announced the province is going ahead with a pilot project that will add high occupancy toll lanes (HOT) to the QEW.

Starting in the Summer of 2016, drivers will be able to purchase a permit that will allow them to drive in the HOV lanes without any passengers.

The lanes will occupy a stretch between Guelph Line and Trafalgar Road. Del Duca says up to 1,000 permits will be offered for an undisclosed price.

Speaking to CP24, Del Duca said that “through this pilot, we’ll improve performance on the QEW, introduce the concept of (High-occupancy toll lanes) to the region, and gather information that will help inform our long-term plan.”

Del Duca stressed that HOV lanes will remain free for vehicles with two or more people inside.

“This is just another weapon in the arsenal that we have with respect to being creative to fight congestion in this region,”

The project will be monitored by Ministry of Transportation staff to see how the new lanes are being used. If everything goes well, the province expects to slowly roll out HOT lanes to other GTA highways over the coming years.

On this week's Twitter poll, we want to know if you think the new HOT lanes will reduce congestion. 

Photo by Haljackey, via Wikipedia. Licensed under Creative Commons 3.0 Share Alike.

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