RELEASE: CONTACT:

IMMEDIATE Joan Morris 703-383-2465 joan.morris@virginiadot.org Ryan Hall 703-383-2055

NOVA-50 July 14, 2003

Virginia Cracking Down on HOV Violators

“No excuses” approach begins July 16

The Virginia Department of Transportation and Virginia State Police today announced a “No Excuses” enforcement effort on HOV lanes throughout Northern Virginia due to an increasing number of violators in the lanes and to ensure the benefits of the HOV lanes are protected.

“The HOV system in Northern Virginia is one of the most successful in the country,” said VDOT Northern Virginia district administrator Tom Farley. “But the number of HOV violators is increasing and has reached such a magnitude that it’s affecting not just HOV users, but all commuters, ultimately slowing everyone down.”

Beginning Wednesday, July 16, Virginia State Police will step up enforcement on the HOV lanes. Patrols will be spread out on I-95, I-395, I-66 and the Dulles Toll Road and all will adopt a “No Excuses” attitude with violators.

“If you are driving alone on the HOV lanes when the restrictions are in place, you are a violator, no excuses,” said Captain Tom Martin of the Virginia State Police. “Even if you enter the HOV lanes a couple of minutes before the restriction begins, you are a violator. No excuses. If you were planning to exit at the next available exit, you are a violator. No excuses. If you are caught in the HOV lanes because you weren’t clear about the HOV rules, you are a violator. No excuses.”

“HOV lanes are a critical tool in combating our gridlock which is near worst in the nation, but HOV lanes will only work if motorists cooperate,” said Lon Anderson, AAA Mid-Atlantic spokesman. “Some gentle persuasion from our police, we expect, will help foster more cooperation. That said, we don’t want to see motorists ticketed, so we are urging them to obey the law.”

The number of vehicles using the HOV lanes has almost doubled in the last four years. On a typical week day morning on I-95, the HOV lanes now carry more people than the regular lanes. The four regular lanes carry 21,840 people in 18,800 vehicles while at the same time the two HOV lanes carry 22,400 people in 7,570 vehicles. In addition, commuters in the HOV lanes can count on a reliable, consistent commute each day. Cars in the regular lanes can often take more than twice as long to cover the same distance.

“The time saving benefits of properly functioning HOV lanes must be preserved for carpoolers, vanpoolers and bus riders or they might switch back to driving alone which would slow down everyone’s commute,” said Charlene “Gus” Robey, program manager with the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation. “The HOV lanes also play a large part in efforts to reduce air pollution in the region.”

In May, Virginia Secretary of Transportation Whittington Clement and Secretary of Public Safety John Marshall convened a task force to find and recommend solutions to improve HOV enforcement in Northern Virginia. The task force includes VDOT, Virginia State Police, Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles, Fairfax County, AAA-Mid Atlantic and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. By August 15, the task force will report to the secretaries on a number of areas including tougher sanctions.

“Increased enforcement is part of the answer to this problem. It is not the only answer,” Farley said.

Overhead highway message signs will warn commuters that HOV violators will be ticketed at the start of the restriction period. VDOT and State Police are also running radio spots to spread the word on the “No Excuses” enforcement.

Commuters interested in forming carpools to legally use the HOV lanes have a number of resources to help them. HOV hours and rules are available on VDOT’s Web site at VirginiaDOT.org. HOVCalculator.com shows how many minutes commuters can save on their morning commute by using a park-and-ride lot to access the HOV lanes. Commuter Connections, at 1-800-745-RIDE, can help commuters find carpool partners, a vanpool or a bus to get to work.