Proposals to separate big rigs from cars considered

[one...two...tree 2,762]

JAMES HANNAH

Associated Press Writer

DAYTON, Ohio (AP) - With truck traffic rising, at least nine states are considering proposals to separate big rigs from cars on interstate highways, hoping to reduce congestion, improve safety and increase commerce by moving goods faster.

The highways are heavily traveled and are being used increasingly to carry passengers and freight through big cities of the industrial Midwest and booming communities in the Sun Belt.

Ohio, Nevada and other states are exploring whether to build or designate truck-only lanes on various stretches of interstate highways, though they're not yet sure how they would pay for them. Tolls are one option; public-private partnerships another.

Georgia is considering truck-only lanes on a 27-mile stretch of Interstate 75 northwest of Atlanta and a 20-mile stretch of Interstate 285 that skirts the city. Truck congestion in the area is expected to increase by up to 60 percent in the next 20 years.

"This is such a through point for trucks. We've got to do something," said David Spear, spokesman for the Georgia Department of Transportation.

Proposals for truck-only lanes are cropping up because freight being carried by trucks is expected to skyrocket at a time when population and passenger traffic continue to increase.

Some truckers question the wisdom of truck-only lanes. And many oppose having to pay tolls for special lanes without being given the option of using non-toll routes.

Trucker Earl Sylvain, 71, of the Dayton suburb of Huber Heights, said that if trucks were required to stay in one lane, slower trucks with heavier loads would hold the others up.

"You still would have the same congestion," he said. "You've got just as many trucks out here."

Dan Middleton, program manager with the Texas Transportation Institute at Texas A&M who is conducting a study on truck lanes, said they are a good idea for improving traffic flow, but truckers would want two lanes or some way to pass slower trucks.

David Schrank, a mobility research scientist with the institute, said one problem is figuring out how to get trucks smoothly back into general traffic once the truck-only corridor ends.

Travel on the nation's highways has nearly doubled since 1980, but the highway system has expanded by about 3 percent. There are 2.9 million large trucks traveling the nation's highways, up from 2.6 million in 2000 and that figure is expected to increase by 75,000 each year, according to the American Trucking Associations.

Nevada is pushing for truck-only lanes in areas along Interstate 80 and Interstate 15, which carry cargo east through Nevada from the ports of Oakland and Los Angeles, respectively.

Dennis Taylor, chief of program development for the Nevada Department of Transportation, said truck-only lanes would be especially effective in improving traffic flow because of steep grades that cause trucks to constantly slow down and speed up.

Indiana, Ohio, Illinois and Missouri are suggesting a truck-only lane on a 789-mile stretch of Interstate 70.

The I-70 corridor rolls through or by Kansas City, St. Louis, Indianapolis and Columbus and is within 25 miles of six major international airports and air-cargo hubs. The highway teems with trucks because of the high concentration of manufacturing, retail and other industries nearby. Much of the I-70 corridor is expected to reach or exceed capacity by 2030.

A proposal to improve Interstate 10, a 2,650-mile highway that runs from Florida to California crossing eight states, identifies several areas that could become truck-only bypass highways. They include Phoenix and Houston.

The three proposals are among 14 semifinalists under review by the U.S Department of Transportation, which will select five this summer to ease highway congestion. The agency will speed up the permitting process and help states find ways to finance the projects.

A congressional commission also is reviewing the idea of truck-only lanes and truck-only highways.

"Our freight-rail system and interstate national highway system is basically saturated," said Jack Schenendorf, vice chairman of the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Commission. "In some really high-traffic corridors, it may make sense to try to separate freight and passengers."

Financing is a sticking point.

Trucking pays 43 percent of the annual $35 billion in user fees for federal highways, according to the trucking associations. Truckers also pay a federal diesel fuel tax of 24.4 cents a gallon, a 12 percent excise tax on new trucks, an annual vehicle-use tax and a tax on tires.

Some motorists say truck-only lanes are a good idea for safety reasons alone.

In 2005, 442,000 large trucks were involved in crashes - 309,000 of them with other vehicles and 4,932 of them fatal, the most since 2000. However, the number of people killed in large-truck crashes is expected to be down 3.7 percent in 2006, according to projections by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Karen Kuhn, 60, of Fairfield, said it is sometimes difficult to maneuver on interstate highways because there are so many trucks.

"It can get a little tense when you're hemmed in on three sides by these truckers," she said. "I'm trying to get into the fast lane, and they're trying to get into the right lane, and it's a stalemate. A truck lane would improve flow."

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0721truckers-ON.html

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Oh, I think it would be a great idea to separate truck transportation and automobiles. Virtually daily we have fatal accidents in and around the Atlanta area and nearly all of them involve transport trucks either running into someone or someone running into them. They are literally bumper to bumper going 75 - 80 miles an hour (yes, they are speeding!) with 4 or 5 lanes in each direction, and even though they are suposed to stay in the two right lanes, they don't - they go in all lanes except the HOV lane. I feel I take my life in my hands every time I drive on the Interstate and I am a good driver! I worry about my husband as well who drives 22 miles into Atlanta every day along I-75 - the only thing I find reassuring is that because of the gridlock from such a high volume of traffic, it almost never goes much faster than 35 to 40 mph. It often takes him 1 1/2 hours to drive those 22 miles. Removing truck transport to their own lanes or roadway would make everything easier - and much safer - all around.

Edited July 22, 2007 by Kathryn41

[Marilyn. 340]

I just wanted to say that truck accidents are not always the trucks fault.... some people expect trucks to be able to stop or slow down very quickly which is something they can not do...

maybe it is a good idea to give them their own lanes or roadway.... or give people lessons on how to drive when around big trucks

Edited July 22, 2007 by MarilynP

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Oh, I think it would be a great idea to separate truck transportation and automobiles. Virtually daily we have fatal accidents in and around the Atlanta area and nearly all of them involve transport trucks either running into someone or someone running into them. They are literally bumper to bumper going 75 - 80 miles an hour (yes, they are speeding!) with 4 or 5 lanes in each direction, and even though they are suposed to stay in the two right lanes, they don't - they go in all lanes except the HOV lane. I feel I take my life in my hands every time I drive on the Interstate and I am a good driver! I worry about my husband as well who drives 22 miles into Atlanta every day along I-75 - the only thing I find reassuring is that because of the gridlock from such a high volume of traffic, it almost never goes much faster than 35 to 40 mph. It often takes him 1 1/2 hours to drive those 22 miles. Removing truck transport to their own lanes or roadway would make everything easier - and much safer - all around.

I agree. This story really sticks out in my mind...I remember when it happened. We had been on the very same highway in that area only hours before.

Big rig rams family van in O.C., killing 2

By David Haldane

Los Angeles Times

May 04, 2007

Two sisters, ages 3 and 4, were killed, and their 5-year-old brother was in critical condition, after a big rig slammed into the back of their minivan Friday on Interstate 5 in Mission Viejo, authorities said. The children's mother and grandmother were also hospitalized with moderate injuries, authorities said. The trucker, from Apple Valley, was not hurt.

The victims' names were withheld pending notification of relatives. The truck rear-ended the minivan about 1 p.m. just north of Oso Parkway, said Officer Katrina Lundgren, a spokeswoman for the California Highway Patrol.

The truck, loaded with electronics equipment, was traveling about 55 to 60 mph in the southbound slow lane, she said, when the driver realized 'that traffic had stopped in front of him. He couldn't stop in time.' The impact pushed the family's minivan into a Chevy Suburban. The children, who were riding in the rear of the van, were in child safety seats and booster seats, Lundgren said, but 'due to the intrusion into the vehicle by the big rig, it didn't make any difference.' The children were taken to Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo, she said, where the girls were pronounced dead and the boy was in surgery 'fighting for his life.' The mother and grandmother were airlifted to Western Medical Center-Santa Ana, Lundgren said, and the driver of the Suburban was taken to Saddleback Memorial Medical Center in Laguna Hills with minor injuries. There was no evidence of alcohol or drugs being involved, Lundgren said, nor of 'inattention of any kind.' The accident remains under investigation. * david.haldane@latimes.com

http://www.topix.net/content/trb/157893719...317312310753685

[peejay 327]

As an old interstate road warrior of many years I know quite well the hazards of pitting cars against the big rigs. My commute is sometimes compressed into driving long distances to fly out of heliports far from my house and living offshore for a week (or longer) to work my scheduled shift before returning home. For several months I flew out of New Orleans and had to drive there from Houston down I-10 (400+ miles one-way). That is big rig alley as I-10 goes from California to Florida.

It would be a luxury if all the interstate highways were 3 lanes with 1 for trucks and 2 for cars, but I don't see it happening soon. It will take time, $$$, and a firm commitment to make it happen.

My biggest gripe is big rig tire carcasses littering the highway from exploded tires. It's really fun running up on a huge tire in the middle of the road at 75 mph at 2 o'clock in the morning on a dark and lonely stretch of road out in the boonies while I'm half asleep suffering from white line fever.

A word of advice...if at all possible stay clear of big rigs. A Honda Civic will never win a fight with a Peterbilt.

My wife will sit next to a big rig at 70 mph with a clear road ahead and behind. WHY! Slow down, speed up, and/or get out of the way. Be cool...don't be a fool. Yer life depends on it.

[Fandango 1,439]

how much money will this cost?

[Ban Hammer 13,337]

My biggest gripe is big rig tire carcasses littering the highway from exploded tires.

agreed. there should be a law requiring the owner of the tire to remove such.

[Jamie76 0]

If they really wanted to do something big, they would increase funding to increase rail lines and repair those already in place. This country could save so much in congested highways and fuel by just using more rail.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

I just wanted to say that truck accidents are not always the trucks fault.... some people expect trucks to be able to stop or slow down very quickly which is something they can not do...

Ain't that the truth. I see those idiots every day that cut right in front of a truck and then hit the brakes. I always wonder why they don't just play fcuking Russian Roulette in their friggin basement. Art least they won't hurt anyone else that way. Morons.

But to be fair, there are a lot of truckies out there that deserve to have their driving privileges revoked for life!

[Marilyn. 340]

I just wanted to say that truck accidents are not always the trucks fault.... some people expect trucks to be able to stop or slow down very quickly which is something they can not do...

Ain't that the truth. I see those idiots every day that cut right in front of a truck and then hit the brakes. I always wonder why they don't just play fcuking Russian Roulette in their friggin basement. Art least they won't hurt anyone else that way. Morons.

But to be fair, there are a lot of truckies out there that deserve to have their driving privileges revoked for life!

yup, there are bad drivers on both sides....

my dad is a truck driver, one of the good ones of course... he has been driving truck for very long time with very few accidents.... and none involving another vehicle...

Edited July 22, 2007 by MarilynP

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

They do this on the NJ Turnpike, but not for the entire length of the highway. So while it's nice during the split, the merge sucks. Big traffic backups there regularly.