What are Managed Lanes?
Managed Lanes are defined as a set of lanes are regulated by vehicle eligibility (number of occupants or vehicle type), pricing and access control. Restricting vehicle use through a vehicle occupancy requirement, like Atlanta's HOV lanes, is not the only means of managing the use of a lane. Techniques such as charging a fee for using the lane, restricting use by vehicle type, and providing limited access points to the managed lanes are other methods that can be used.
Types of Managed Lanes:
High Occupancy Vehicles (HOV)
- Must have at least 2 people in the vehicle
- May currently ride in specially designated HOV lanes on highways around Atlanta for free
High Occupancy Toll Lanes (HOT)
- 2+ people in vehicle ride for free or at reduced price
- Single Occupant Vehicles (SOV) must pay to ride in these lanes
Truck Only Lanes (TOL)
- Designed for semi-truck use
- Separates trucks from cars (and improves safety)
Truck Only Toll Lanes (TOT)
- Similar to TOL except trucks pay toll to bypass congestion
- Still maintains safety for cars and trucks
Note: All transit and emergency vehicles ride free
