Can we do something to keep large commercial vehicles (panel trucks, 18-wheelers and pickups with trailers) off the toll roads between, say, 6-8 a.m. and 4-6 p.m.? It seems that one of the main goals of tollroads is to reduce congestion, and one of the biggest sources of congestion is commercial vehicles. Am I wrong?

HTFU

Not even an option where I live. Believe me, I can't wait to retire and move away from this **** hole. But until then …

BBRex said:

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Can we do something to keep large commercial vehicles (panel trucks, 18-wheelers and pickups with trailers) off the toll roads between, say, 6-8 a.m. and 4-6 p.m.? It seems that one of the main goals of tollroads is to reduce congestion, and one of the biggest sources of congestion is commercial vehicles. Am I wrong?

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The main goal of toll roads is to allow anyone who is willing to pay to try to bypass traffic the option to. Commercial trucks paying tolls was the intended main customers of Grand Parkway and TX-130 running parallel to I-35 which were TxDOT projects. As far as HCTRA toll roads they really are no longer a road to bypass traffic but rather just county managed highways.

In the case of BW8 and 99, both were sold as a way to get commercial truck traffic off of the main freeways by giving them a way to go around the city. Banning them from those loops would just make traffic on the freeways and 610 that much worse.

CheeseSndwch said:

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As someone who takes the Beltway home everyday, it seems the unmanned toll booths are the biggest choke points contributing to traffic. Not sure why they haven't ripped those out yet or if they ever plant to.

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They are finally starting to tear down the toll booths, which will help a little.

The Beltway flows really well on the south side from the expansion almost ten years ago now. The west Beltway is overdue for an expansion. They need to build elevated express lanes like 635 in Dallas.

I take Hardy Toll on a regular basis. Between getting stuck in traffic as 18-wheelers and delivery trucks drive side-by-side below the speed limit, the people doing vehicular gymnastics and driving aggressively to get around those trucks, and unsecured crap flying out of trailers and truck beds (including the five-gallon paint bucket lid that scratched my hood and busted my windshield), I'm pretty much over it.

More to the point, having the same kinds vehicles choke six, seven or eight lanes of traffic instead of three or four just seems dumb. I would give the Beltway and 99 a pass, just because there really aren't great alternatives. But most of the arteries that go in and out of downtown from the suburbs have both free and toll options. Why not clear up the traffic for a few peak hours? I'm not even asking for complete ban or all day.

BBRex said:

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I take Hardy Toll on a regular basis. Between getting stuck in traffic as 18-wheelers and delivery trucks drive side-by-side below the speed limit, the people doing vehicular gymnastics and driving aggressively to get around those trucks, and unsecured crap flying out of trailers and truck beds (including the five-gallon paint bucket lid that scratched my hood and busted my windshield), I'm pretty much over it.

More to the point, having the same kinds vehicles choke six, seven or eight lanes of traffic instead of three or four just seems dumb. I would give the Beltway and 99 a pass, just because there really aren't great alternatives. But most of the arteries that go in and out of downtown from the suburbs have both free and toll options. Why not clear up the traffic for a few peak hours? I'm not even asking for complete ban or all day.

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I remember the good old days when I was using the Hardy Toll Road to commute from Conroe in to the North Loop. They had apparently done a traffic study around the time when the legislature relaxed the speed limit to allow toll roads to set their own speed limits. With normal traffic studies, they set the speed limit at around the 85th percentile, assuming 15% were driving faster than was safe. They allegedly scrapped the idea of setting the limit based on the results of the study when it found that the AVERAGE speed on the HTR was something like 83 mph.

still better than 45

In that case, toll roads should be closed to all commercial/commerce related traffic.

Only school and leisure traffic allowed on toll roads.

dBoy99 said:

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Why should private/personal vehicles get preferential treatment over commercial vehicles?

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Because they're lighter. That's why they are charged less.

Martin Q. Blank said:

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dBoy99 said:

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Why should private/personal vehicles get preferential treatment over commercial vehicles?

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Because they're lighter. That's why they are charged less.

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Also because larger commercial vehicles and trucks with trailers are more likely to be going slower than the flow of traffic. At peak hours, it would be better to have some routes that have fewer impediments to the flow of traffic.

We are not discussing toll rates. We are discussing banning trucks/trailers from using the toll road during certain hours.

The question still stands - why should personal/passenger vehicles get preferential treatment over commercial truck/trailers?

dBoy99 said:

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In that case, toll roads should be closed to all commercial/commerce related traffic.

Only school and leisure traffic allowed on toll roads.

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Don't forget to add Altima's, Camry's that are >10+ years old, and any car with a paper plate.

I'd just be happy if they'd crack down on the single riders in the Katy HOV.

They should make the shoulder from 99 to the HOV a diamond lane, it's at least 3 lanes wide....don't need those plastic pipes, they don't do anything anyhow.

The one thing I enjoy about CA is their rules about keeping commercial tractor/trailer types in the right hand lanes. That would be a welcome change across the entire country imho.

BBRex said:

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Can we do something to keep large commercial vehicles (panel trucks, 18-wheelers and pickups with trailers) off the toll roads between, say, 6-8 a.m. and 4-6 p.m.? It seems that one of the main goals of tollroads is to reduce congestion, and one of the biggest sources of congestion is commercial vehicles. Am I wrong?

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Dude, we can't even get to a point where we don't allow them to drive slow AF in the left hand lane - do you really think saying "nope, can't drive this road!" is happening?

Toll roads care about making money, trucks are money.

txags92 said:

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In the case of BW8 and 99, both were sold as a way to get commercial truck traffic off of the main freeways by giving them a way to go around the city. Banning them from those loops would just make traffic on the freeways and 610 that much worse.

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But it would make traffic on BW8 and 99 that much better

texagbeliever said:

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TulaneAg said:

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The one thing I enjoy about CA is their rules about keeping commercial tractor/trailer types in the right hand lanes. That would be a welcome change across the entire country imho.

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The problem is how many left lane exits they like to put in the cities.

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Of the places I travel, Miami is the only major city where I have a ton of left hand exits. But I don't drive in the northeast at all, and I certainly don't drive from the perspective of a commercial trucker.

dBoy99 said:

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Why should private/personal vehicles get preferential treatment over commercial vehicles?

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because they are private/personal??

There's a sign on 10 coming in from Baytown right before the San Jac that says trucks aren't allowed in the left lane past that point. I know I've seen similar signs on other roads. Another thing not enforced I guess.

One of my worst driving moments was in 1994 on IH-10 heading to a rugby tournament. Out near what is now the Energy Corridor, a freaking lawn service truck pulling a trailer in the left lane lost a wheel barrow wheel, which lodged under the car in front of me. The car hits the breaks and is doing about 20 mph in the fast lane while sparks shoot out from underneath. Traffic is whizzing by too fast for me to get over. Somehow the wheel gets loose and lodges under my car. Now I'm the one holding up traffic. Probably less than a minute later we hear *thump* *thump* *thump* then *crash* as the car behind us is pushed into us. Then almost immediately, we get a second chain of thumps then crash as a second car hits the line.

I wound up getting called into court as a witness as the insurance companies fought over who should pay. And of course the guy with the yard service probably never even knew what happened.

yes, the biggest problem on the freeways now...are the pickup trucks hauling the 10ft, 12ft, 15ft, etc.., trailers