The Atlanta HOT Lanes Starting Out as a Hot Mess

I spent a two week period last summer transporting my 15 year old to an internship in Atlanta. We live in Gwinnett County and a non-rush hour drive to Atlanta takes about 40 minutes. Because my daughters internship start time was 10am, we had clear sailing to Atlanta in 30 minutes flat and got home in about an hour as she was usually done about 4 pm. The driving time makes internships like this, plus other Atlanta area activities very difficult. Still it is doable. However, with the advent of the new HOT lanes, what I would describe as an optional toll road, taking advantage of all that Atlanta has to offer may no longer be an option.

The HOT lane system is a lane that drivers can opt to use to go around traffic for a fee. Users must register and have a sticker placed on their car to enable them to be charged for using the lane. The prices vary depending on how congested the roads are, meaning they can change with a moments notice, you drivers need to pay attention to the overhead signs. The HOT lane system replaces the HOV lane that could be used by carpooling vehicles of two or more people. Carpooling vehicles of 3 or more people can still use the lanes, but only if they are registered to use the system.

People like me, who don't have a regular commute to Atlanta, but drive down to Atlanta a few times a month on average are probably going to curtail the amount of trips they make. As it is, I time my weekday trips into the city so that I leave after rush hour, around 10 am and am back on the road by 3:30. With the new system, which by the way, is resulting in a longer commute as people are refusing to pay for the toll lane, I will surely have to change my non-rush hour runs to 10:30 or 11:00 am, heading home by 3:00 pm.

As for daily commuters who live in the NE suburbs of Atlanta and are affected by the new toll system, so far, people are resisting the urge to pay to go faster. As of the October 5 television news report, the cameras spotted very few people using the lane. Meanwhile, the remaining lanes had bumper to bumper traffic. Meanwhile, State Road and Tollway Officials claim that the lane is saving drivers up to half an hour commute. Could the reason be that everyone else's commute has been increased by 14 minutes?

The reason people are not using the lane yet could be attributed to the fact that they have not registered to use it yet. It may take some time to get the system up and running. My husband who will soon have a daily commute to Atlanta, plans to register for the and thinks he will only use it when rushing to the airport. As for me, I have no intention on getting the tag and using the system. I'm a slow lane kind of girl and have never driven in the fast lane, even when it was free.