Skip to main content

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.

Related Content

  • IBTTA’s Jones sees turbulent times and a bright future for tolling
    November 10, 2017
    Colin Sowman talks to IBTTA’s Pat Jones about the future of tolling in a fast-changing world. Pat Jones may have been executive director and CEO of the International Bridge, Tunnel and Turnpike Association (IBTTA) for 15 years but in his words: “Never before have I seen so much change coming so fast in the transportation and tolling industry.” Amidst all this change, tolling companies are asked to provide funding for roadway building or improvements which will be repaid for over, say, a 30-year concess
  • ITS can only progress at the speed of public acceptance
    May 24, 2013
    The ITS sector is one of the younger and more dynamic industries in the economy and I am lucky enough to take the helm of ITS International at a point where the industry is in one of its most interesting phases. The technology is both established enough to show proven results and yet young enough to not fully know what the end game will be. It does not have the uniformity usually seen in older industries, while at the same time the bene ts are there – even if they are not always immediately evident to poli
  • UK ‘pauses’ smart motorway roll-out
    January 12, 2022
    All-lane running motorway schemes to be halted until five years' safety data is available
  • Three-year pilot for One.network in Florida
    March 18, 2024
    Traffic management and workzone safety products deployed in city of Altamonte Springs