Traffic congestion and the pollution and stress that comes with it, especially in the intense Florida heat, is a constant fact of life for Jacksonville area residents.
The 2010 Urban Mobility Report from the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M found American motorists waste an average of 28 gallons of fuel annually while stuck in traffic.
American drivers lose more than $3.6 billion each year in extra time and costs from congestion.
Major metropolitan areas around the country like Jacksonville face the same dilemma: How to ease this tremendous burden on our nationwide transportation system and every individual who uses it?
Transportation planners need to look at a very viable solution for gridlock.
Congestion relief can be financed through the use of various toll road options:
- Converting high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes.
- High-occupancy toll roads.
- Public-private partnerships.
The concept is to secure private financing, without use of tax dollars, to build new roads or convert old ones to reduce congestion.
The facts behind the toll road option are compelling:
Fact: Jacksonville drivers will see increased fuel economy through decreased congestion.
With gas around $4 a gallon, fuel economy has never been more critical. Toll roads allow vehicles to move at more fuel efficient speeds. Studies show that the optimal speeds for efficient fuel consumption are 45 to 60 miles per hour, rarely reached in stop-and-go driving.
Fact: Toll roads reduce congestion on general purpose freeways.
Toll roads give drivers a choice on whether they want to sit in congestion or use the toll road option to get to their destination more quickly; every vehicle on a toll road is one less vehicle elsewhere.
Currently, more than a dozen states around the country are looking at converting high-occupancy vehicle lanes to high-occupancy toll roads and another 25 states are planning or already under way with new toll roads utilizing public-private partnerships.
More government agencies need to seriously consider the promise of partnerships to ensure our road transportation systems grow to meet the future needs of our country.
Fact: Toll roads reduce pollution.
Sitting in traffic and wasting fuel increases greenhouse gas and other emissions, an issue Jacksonville already faces. Reducing traffic congestion and extra auto emissions will improve overall air quality.
Fact: Technological innovations help ensure free flowing traffic.
Most toll roads today use technology that eliminates delays and ensures the free flow of traffic.
Instead of slowing down to pay, drivers either pay with an electronic transponder connected to a prepaid account or by having their license plate recorded by a high-speed camera that provides digital data the operator uses for calculating and delivering monthly bills.
Gary Hausdorfer of Irvine, Calif., is CEO of Cofiroute USA, which manages and operates toll collection systems in the United States, including the 91 Expressway in California and MnPass system in Minnesota, and is former chairman of the Orange County Transportation Authority in California.