Council Committee Moves on HOT Lanes

Despite vocal opposition from Councilman Tom LaBonge (but not a "no vote") the City Council Transportation Committee endorsed the further study of turning current and proposed HOV lanes on Greater LA highways into HOT (High Occupancy/Toll) Lanes by Metro. Metro is preparing a proposal, due by the end of the year, to the FHWA for a grant to pilot HOT Lanes in the very near future.

While there will certainly be a public process before HOT Lanes would be implemented, getting the approval to move forward by the full council is something that would be a lot more controversial back east. Don’t count out opposition from LaBonge who, in his own words, "might not vote for them (HOT Lanes) in the future."

There was some mixed action on improving the system in the city. While the Council heard an update on the progress of adding bus-only lanes to Wilshire Boulevard, it also moved a motion to remove a bus-only lane from the 180-foot northbound bus only lane segment on Hill Street north of 12th Street after nearly 10 years of operation.

Lastly, Councilman Bill Rosendahl had the quote of the night when during a report on SCAG’s plans for 2008 remarked that, "I don’t see any connection between SCAG and the real world."

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