Toll proposed for HOV lane to host open house at Miller Campus Sam Cooper Cooper- Sports Editor On June 9 Miller campus will be hosting a Utah Department of Transit open house to discuss changes to the HOV lane along 1 I The open house will be a chance for residents and students to weigh in on what has proven to be a controversial controversial controversial con con- change to the inter inter- state Starting in September what is now the HOV lane or carpool carpool carpool car pool lane will be opened to all Wasatch Front residents regardless of vehicle occupancy cy but at a price According to what will be called the HOT lane or High Occupancy or Toll lane will willbe willbe willbe be open to any commuter willing to pay 50 per month for the privilege Motorcycles buses carpools and clean burning fuel vehicles already permitted to drive in the HOV lane will not be affected The program seeks to increase use of the extra lane which often sits empty aY g t 11 I IX X r 1 Photo By Cooper Carpool lanes are soon to be open to all for a regular fee officials estimate that the current use of the lane is atless at atless atless less than half capacity Only of the passes will willbe willbe willbe be sold per month a number that could decrease if sary If we see any negative impact in the carpooling well we'll cut back the program said Utah Department of Transportation spokesman HOV continued on page 2 HOV toll lane open house to be at Continued from Front Page Nile Easton in an interview with the Salt Lake Tribune If we get near capacity or carpooling goes up percent well we'll definitely scale back The move has some residents fuming Its probably so that the Utah Legislature can make it to work faster joked student Matt Ross who frequently commutes commutes commutes com com- mutes on 1 I Many have concerns that the new program will mainly cater to the well- well to to-do causing some to start calling the new lane the Lexus lane Poor students cant can't afford 50 a month for the carpool lane That's why we carpool anyway anyway any any- way said Ross To address their concerns has planned the open house to give citizens a chance to speak out Cars participating in the new program will be given a colored decal to display on their vehicle The colors will change monthly to aid police officers in enforcing enforcing enforcing ing the law The decals will be available on the UDar gov on a first fust come first serve program is the result of a recent UDar study on lane management According to the executive summary summary sum sum- mary UDar believes lanes can be used as congestion management management management manage manage- ment strategies fiscal management management management manage manage- ment tools or both The study also suggests reversible lanes an and t additional il TiM J toll toll i jl f V IH 41 M 1 M II help with Utah's growing transportation trans- trans I. I iiI problem It utilizes an underused facility facility facility facil facil- ity when its it's needed most said Gabe Epperson of Envision Utah who has worked closely with UDar developing transportation transportation transportation trans trans- solutions It also raises rais rais- es revenue as well as creating flexibility in the system Its It's a avery avery avery very cost effective way to increase capacity he said He believes this may be one of the first fust steps toward more toll roads across the Wasatch front It will start getting people used to paying into the system to get them used to toll roads said Epperson The Salt Lake County open house will be held on June 29 from 5 to 7 pm p.m. at the Miller Campus at South West in Sandy Those interested interested interested inter inter- ested in voicing an opinion are encouraged to attend j 1