Governments struggling to make ends meet need to look at a transportation option that can maximize the use of existing infrastructure, reduce congestion on some of the country’s busiest roads, and provide new revenue for transit — all by giving drivers a choice to pay to get to their destinations more quickly. “Choice lanes,” also known as high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes, could be a home run for Long Island, Connecticut, and other parts of the region.

HOT lanes could use capacity on existing high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes. In 2009, NYSDOT found that HOV lanes on the Long Island Expressway carried slightly more people than each of the general traffic lanes. But far fewer people are carpooling, as pointed out in a recent New York Times article; carpool lanes are increasingly underutilized; and the perception of empty lanes creates “empty lane syndrome”—leading solo drivers to jump, illegally, into the lane.

More worrisome is when politicians succumb. NJ Gov. Christie Whitman converted two HOV lanes, on I-287 and I-90, to general-purpose lanes in 1998, and Long Island came close to a similar fate, with legislators asking the DOT to do a several-month experiment removing HOV lanes. The “experiment” was never done, but the backlash sentiment remains to this day. NYSDOT opened bus lanes on the Staten Island Expressway to cars with 2 or more occupants in 2009, but the lane became clogged enough that the agency said it would restrict it to cars with at least 3 occupants. This year, Connecticut State Sen. John Kissel proposed legislation that would open up HOV lanes to solo drivers during the evening rush hour. That’s a recipe for gridlock.

Far better would be to convert underused carpool lanes to HOT lanes, as has been done in regions like San Diego, Denver, Minnesota’s Twin Cities, Houston, and Florida’s Miami-Dade County. Using new technologies, like those recently instituted on the Henry Hudson Bridge, HOT lanes enable cashless tolling at freeway speeds, while simultaneously distinguishing between single and multi-occupancy vehicles. Carpoolers would continue to ride for free; solo drivers would either have money deducted from their EZ-Pass account or be billed for the ride, using license-plate-reading cameras. With real-time monitoring of traffic flow, tolls can be adjusted to keep buses and cars moving.

The result is to everyone’s advantage. Those who need to get to their destinations quicker than rush-hour traffic allows, can choose to pay to travel faster. Bus riders also get a speed advantage. Those in the traditional lanes, that choose not to pay, get less congested roads. In California, HOT lane conversions haven’t undermined carpooling, evidenced by increased carpool ridership after conversion.

Worries that HOT lanes will be used only by wealthy drivers have been proven false, with studies showing these lanes are used by drivers of all income levels. Additionally, the revenues they generate are often used to support new and expanded transit systems, such as San Diego’s “Inland Breeze” express bus system, which is funded by HOT lanes on I-15. In our region, choice lanes could be part of a long-term solution for Long Island Bus, which has 100,000 daily riders and is in desperate need of funding, or help pay for expanded CTTransit bus service. NJDOT Commissioner and NJ Turnpike Authority Chairman Jim Simpson recently said HOT lanes wouldn’t work on the Garden State Parkway or NJ Turnpike, but the state hasn’t released any studies to back up that claim.

For all these reasons, the Long Island Lobby Coalition has been telling New York officials that choice lanes make sense, and advocates in Connecticut and New Jersey have made a similar case. By supporting transit and creating a congestion-free option, converting carpool lanes to HOT lanes gives people more transportation choice. It’s time for elected officials to take a closer look.