ATLANTA — Starting Tuesday, drivers with electric and alternative-fuel cars will lose a special driving perk, and that could mean more traffic congestion.
Starting Sept. 30, drivers of electric and alternative fuel vehicles will no longer be allowed to drive alone in HOV lanes or drive toll-free in the express lanes on Interstate 85 in Gwinnett County.
The exemption for these vehicles expires at 11:59 p.m. Sept. 29, meaning these drivers must pay tolls in the express lanes unless they have two or more people in the car.
“You pay extra for the EV decal on the vehicle, so you kind of want some sort of benefit to it,” Seyat Nuriyeva, a Tesla driver affected by the change, said.
“Now that they’re taking it away, it’s kind of like, well, what’s the point in paying extra for the plate now?” she said.
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These express lanes on I-85 through Gwinnett County were once HOV lanes. However, since becoming toll lanes, the state allowed drivers of electric and alternative fuel cars to use them free of charge.
The state tollway authority reports that nearly 40,000 trips are made daily on I-85’s express lanes, and nearly 17,000 on the express lane extension, with roughly 20% of those trips being toll-exempt.
The change is likely to put more electric and alternative fuel vehicles in the main travel lanes, potentially causing greater congestion.
“It made traffic move, right. It gave you an option of an extra lane, essentially. So, you’re taking away one more lane and making everybody squeeze into the thru lanes unless you have two or more people in your vehicle,” Triple Team Traffic’s Mike Shields said.
The express lanes on I-75 have always charged tolls regardless of vehicle type, and starting Sept. 30th, drivers of electric and alternative fuel vehicles will need at least two people in the car to use the HOV lanes.
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