So, it's $6.80 this morning to drive two miles from the Springfield-Franconia Parkway to the I-395 HOV Lanes. "They" used a wreck out on the inner loop of 495 to create an opportunity to gouge commuters once again. The highest I've ever seen charged for this short trip prior to today was $2.30. The Express Lanes folks are simply out of control and likely accountable to nobody. Raising the rate is supposed to be a way to control traffic flow. The rate charged has no effect on traffic flow, as there is no alternative route. We are captive customers and "they" know it. Rant over. Just call me "OP."

You idiot. This is how HOT lanes work. If the price stays low in such a scenario, too many people use them and they get congested -- defeating their purpose.

"No alternative route" my ass. What would you have done 5 years ago before the express lanes went in?

It ain't complicated.

(1) Here is a site where complaints can be submitted: https://www.expresslanes.com/contact

(2) Good luck on trying to have a conversation on here. Nice try though.

(3) Typical Fairfax Underground Troll, never has anything nice to say. Lives in mother's basement, never dates, shaves or showers.
User Profile : Kilton
Email: Hidden
Posts: 2,316
Registered: 09/27/2010 04:33PM

Go back to fredericksburg

I agree, they are price gouging. They started off $4 max from 66 to 495 and now it's routinely $6+ The real kicker is that the poorly designed exit from the HOT lanes onto 495 causes a huge backup on 495 which then causes more people to use the HOT lanes. HOWWWWW CONVIENIENT...nice money making scheme.

Just Call Me OP Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> So, it's $6.80 this morning to drive two miles
> from the Springfield-Franconia Parkway to the
> I-395 HOV Lanes. "They" used a wreck out on the
> inner loop of 495 to create an opportunity to
> gouge commuters once again. The highest I've ever
> seen charged for this short trip prior to today
> was $2.30. The Express Lanes folks are simply
> out of control and likely accountable to nobody.
> Raising the rate is supposed to be a way to
> control traffic flow. The rate charged has no
> effect on traffic flow, as there is no alternative
> route. We are captive customers and "they" know
> it. Rant over. Just call me "OP."


Buy a motorcycle, that way you can drive in between the rows of cars and on the shoulder during traffic. If traffic comes to a standstill it's easy to just weave your way around it

Got on by accident, just after they opened. I-66 Eastbound used to have an exit to the left to get onto 495 ... but it was changed to "hot lanes" only.

He to drive to the Braddock Road exit to get off.
I received a bill in the mail. It was like 2.00 for the trip to braddock and a $15.00 "processing fee" ... the 17 dollar mistake!

I tried to talk with a supervisor about the mistake I made and no dice.
The late fee for paying was $50.00!!

Glad I didn't have to pay that.

I'm not signing up either, since I don't have a need to use the lanes whatsoever, during rush hour or otherwise.
Big time rip though, from 1 middle-income earner's perspective.

Yes $6.80 is too much money to pay to drive just 2 miles.

It would be nice if PaPa John's would give up some of that delivery fee money to the pizza drivers like you to help with the gas and upkeep of their Dodge Neons.

Commuter2015 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> (1) Here is a site where complaints can be
> submitted: https://www.expresslanes.com/contact

LOL, good advice, Einstein. Let's have him submit a complaint. I can see it now:

"Dear Transurban. I made a conscious decision to travel on your HOT lanes the other day due to an accident in the non-HOT lanes. But the price was too high! You ripped me off! Yes, I knew what the price was beforehand and used the lanes anyway. But it's not fair. You am be ripping me off, man!!!"

He'll be the laughing stock of the Transurban office. You dope.

Or you could just put that fucker in HOV mode and cruise for free like the minority of us do! I go from springfield to cashburn few times a week...u think im gonna sit on that fuckin innerloop, rubbin my cock while listen to Bobby Bones?
Screw the system.. Cops are busy pulling over 18 wheelers on the xpress lanes anyway to notice 1 person in the car.
Live a little, man!

EasyPass Flex Mastah Flex Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Or you could just put that fucker in HOV mode and
> cruise for free like the minority of us do! I go
> from springfield to cashburn few times a week...u
> think im gonna sit on that fuckin innerloop,
> rubbin my cock while listen to Bobby Bones?
> Screw the system.. Cops are busy pulling over 18
> wheelers on the xpress lanes anyway to notice 1
> person in the car.
> Live a little, man!

+1000

They bitch about $6.80 for 2 miles but are afraid to set the transponder to HOV ON, ride free and take the (extremely low) chance of getting a ticket.

Kilton Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> You idiot. This is how HOT lanes work. If the
> price stays low in such a scenario, too many
> people use them and they get congested --
> defeating their purpose.
>
> "No alternative route" my ass. What would you have
> done 5 years ago before the express lanes went
> in?
>
> It ain't complicated.


Agree 100%

HOV ON Mode Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> EasyPass Flex Mastah Flex Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Or you could just put that fucker in HOV mode
> and
> > cruise for free like the minority of us do! I
> go
> > from springfield to cashburn few times a
> week...u
> > think im gonna sit on that fuckin innerloop,
> > rubbin my cock while listen to Bobby Bones?
> > Screw the system.. Cops are busy pulling over
> 18
> > wheelers on the xpress lanes anyway to notice 1
> > person in the car.
> > Live a little, man!
>
> +1000
>
> They bitch about $6.80 for 2 miles but are afraid
> to set the transponder to HOV ON, ride free and
> take the (extremely low) chance of getting a
> ticket.

Extremely low chance? How about NO chance? Until they install infrared cameras, there is no risk to riding the HOT lanes solo with the HOV switch in the ON position. Search my user name on this website...I've written many, many posts on this subject since the 495 Express Lanes opened over 2 years ago. I ride solo, twice a day, 5 days a week, the full length of the lanes with the HOV switch in the ON position and I've never paid a toll, never received a ticket heck...never even been pulled over.

Drivers using the HOV exception comprise less than 5% of all trips taken on the Express Lanes. For now, law enforcement is simply not on the lookout for this kind of infraction.

if you paid it (you shouldn't have - you funded illegals job'ing each other)

you should be hot on their trail hunting down who did it

if your not - your worthless

.
Attachments:

^^ well it's still a block away from you house. just you never mind standing up and doing anything about it. that's exactly why obama.gov is making "progress" counterfeiting 9 trillion dollars while america waits for justice (fucking lawyers on the take who aren't likely to do anything to get fired, which according to obama.gov, any judge can be for doing justice)

you just pay that $6.80

wonder why illegals had money to send fake government debt letters to your home

wonder why your local bank is run by foreigners

wonder why your car is being towed and the towtruck driver is a mexican and had money to buy is own truck

just keep wondering

another way to look at this is:

1) they were tax funded and the fee total fraud

2) obama had foreigners build it, and %95 of traffic is foreigners heading to obama.gov daily WHY SHOULDNT they pay for it?

3) if a gov run project means roads cost $7 to travel on: TOTAL FAILURE

jhLcD Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> you just pay that $6.80
>
> wonder why illegals had money to send fake
> government debt letters to your home
>
> wonder why your local bank is run by foreigners
>
> wonder why your car is being towed and the
> towtruck driver is a mexican and had money to buy
> is own truck
>
> just keep wondering

Why are you so obsessed about Mexicans?

Why are you a fanboy?

All you talk about it foreigners and Mexicans.

Why are you talking about other people?

>You idiot. This is how HOT lanes work. If the price stays low in such a scenario, too many people use them and they get congested -- defeating their purpose.

Yet it has a minimum price. If the HOT lanes are empty price should keep dropping until people start to use them. Then it would actually be demand based pricing.

$6.80 seems high when you think about 2 miles -- but how long did you sit there in traffic not taking the HOT lanes? Around here you usually need to consider time not distance for navigation.

They didn't build those lanes either. We did. The republican solution to everything at work. Fuck over the hard working commuter.

Why are you so obsessed about Mexicans?

Why are mexican obsessed with USA government money ?

look on the highway to obama you cannot deny it

In the early 2000’s, VDOT began advancing plans for a traditional highway expansion to help address growing congestion on the Capital Beltway in Virginia. The plan faced significant opposition from the community. It was unaffordable, required the destruction of more than 350 homes and businesses, and did not provide the transit options needed to support a growing Tysons business district.

In 2002, the private sector proposed an alternative under the Public Private Transportation Act – build four new high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes that would expand capacity and deliver new travel choices, including a network for buses and carpools. VDOT embraced the plan. A partnership with the private sector and tolling would help VDOT deliver improvements more quickly and with fewer tax dollars, provide new travel choices, and reduce impacts on the community and the environment. In fact, the new approach would reduce home impacts from 350 to just eight.

VDOT advanced a competitive procurement, series of environmental reviews, and public engagement process for the new project. In 2005, local leaders voted to include HOT lanes as part of the region’s long-range transportation plan.

In 2007, VDOT finalized a long-term partnership agreement with Capital Beltway Express, LLC – a consortium led by Transurban that would design, build, operate, finance and maintain the $2 billion HOT lanes project. Transurban and its partners provided a substantial upfront equity commitment to help fund construction and financed the rest of the project through private activity bonds and a TIFIA loan. The partnership enabled Virginia to leverage private capital to translate every one state tax dollar into four dollars of transportation improvements.

Construction, managed by Fluor-Lane, began in 2008 and the new lanes opened for business in 2012.

In 2014, Transurban invested an additional $280 million of equity to put the project on solid financial footing following impacts of the global financial crisis. The private sector has assumed the long-term financial risk for the project, including full responsibility to pay back all project debt.

Ignore the mexi talk- that is Svennestle (sp?) off his meds again. He thinks the governmenet is out to get him and is a racist.

Just look for the rambling posts with the spam prevent code as the author name- 80% of the time it's him, I can tell by his writing style having been lurking on this board for the past few years..he just won't sign his name to it anymore.

But to answer the OP's question- you knew the price, you saw the sign before you got on. That was YOUR CHOICE to pay the fee.

EIther pay the $6.80 and get to your destination 20 minutes faster or sit and stew in traffic for an extra 20 minutes for free- TIME IS MONEY, YOUR CHOICE.

HOV trick works too. ;)

And if you dont get robbed using the roads I have to pay via money promised to TransUrban if profits are not high enough. thanks bro...

Lisa Comras had $14 tolls that didn't deduct from her EZPass and they sued her (and won) for $11K - she filed a motion to vacate and Scamurban LOST. She is now along with Toni Cooley - setting up a group to amend the Virginia statute that allows scamurban to sue for tens of thousands of dollars...
www.drivers4change.org
I say good for them - and I will NOT ride those lanes - PERIOD