Florida committee rejects bill to stop future express lanes

A bill seeking to end Florida’s practice of developing tolled express lanes has been rejected by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee, according to Florida Politics. Part of the debate centred on those who argued that high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes are economically unfair and a safety concern, but opponents said such lanes are the only way to add traffic capacity. Bill sponsor Democratic state Representative Matt Willhite of West Palm Beach argued that his bill was a safety measur
March 30, 2017 Read time: 1 min
A bill seeking to end Florida’s practice of developing tolled express lanes has been rejected by the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee, according to Florida Politics.

Part of the debate centred on those who argued that high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes are economically unfair and a safety concern, but opponents said such lanes are the only way to add traffic capacity.

Bill sponsor Democratic state Representative Matt Willhite of West Palm Beach argued that his bill was a safety measure, citing accident statistics suggesting that they are a public safety hazard and more trouble than they are worth.

Although Willhite assured the committee that toll road projects already under construction, such as the US$2million Ultimate I-4 Makeover in Orlando would be exempt from the ban, the bill was rejected 6-8.
Charging, Tolling & RUC

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