MTO response to single rider HOV request | GTAMotorcycle.com

MTO response to single rider HOV request

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iFly55

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Good Evening,

Minister, please consider allowing single rider motorcycles into Ontario's HOV lanes. As you may know the City of Toronto and York Region (where you're the MPP) both allow single rider motorcycles in their HOV lanes.

Even with the Pan-Am games it is nonsensical to have 3+ occupants rules for motorcycles. We can only do 2-up, this is a huge discrimination for everyone on two-wheels.

But minister, the United States Federal Department of Transportation requires all 50 states to allow motorcycles in their HOV lane.

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/USCODE-2010-title23/pdf/USCODE-2010-title23-chap1-sec166.pdf

The U.S. Code governing HOV lanes — Title 23, Section 166 (23USC166)

(2) MOTORCYCLES AND BICYCLES.—
(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subparagraph
(B), the State agency shall allow motorcycles and bicycles to use the HOV facility.
(B) SAFETY EXCEPTION.—
(i) IN GENERAL.—A State agency may restrict use of the HOV facility by motorcycles or bicycles (or both) if the agency certifies to the Secretary that such use would create a safety hazard and the Secretary accepts the certification.​


http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freewaymgmt/faq.htm#faq15

Why are motorcycles allowed in some HOV lanes?

Motorcycles are permitted by federal law to use HOV lanes, even with only one passenger. The rationale behind allowing motorcycles to use HOV lanes is that it is safer to keep two-wheeled vehicles moving than to have them travel in start-and-stop traffic conditions. States can choose to override this provision of federal law, if they determine that safety is at risk.​


Why can't the ontario provincial government come to the same rational conclusion? Please allow single rider motorcycles into the HOV lanes for safety.

How many deaths are we going to see on our highways? We're seeing more and more motorcycle accidents because drivers are not paying attention. Why not allow motorcycles into the HOV lane have the enforceable ($110 + 3 demerit point) double white hash-line safety barrier?

You can improve motorcycle safety overnight, just be allowing single rider motorcycles into the HOV lane.

I listened to your CP24 ride with Cam Wooley, where you called in experts from London and Vancouver Olympic games for the Pan-Am HOV lanes.

Please ask those same experts about single rider motorcycles in HOV lanes? How about a contact with the U.S. Federal Department of Transportation?

The province of Ontario is one of the only places in North America where single occupant motorcycles are not allowed in HOV lanes. Why is this the case? Why are we on the back foot?


MTO Response

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Motorcycle HOV Safety Studies

Jernigan, J.D. & Lynn, C.W. (1995). The Effect of Motorcycle Travel on the Safety and Operations of HOV Facilities in Virginia, Virginia Transportation Research Council

Abstract

The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 mandated that motorcycles be permitted to travel on federally funded high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) facilities unless they created a safety hazard or adversely affected HOV operations. Although motorcycles had previously been banned from traveling on Virginia's HOV lanes, the Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) authorized motorcycle travel on HOV facilities in Virginia as of September 21, 1992, for a 2-year trial period. However, out of concern over whether this policy should continue, the CTB resolved that the Virginia Department of Transportation conduct a study to determine whether motorcycles presented a safety risk on HOV lanes.

This study found that motorcycles account for as much as 3% of the annual traffic on some HOV lanes. However, in the 2 years after the CTB authorized their travel, there were only five motorcycle crashes on HOV lanes. The study recommends that the CTB allow motorcycles to continue to travel on HOV lanes and that VDOT continue to monitor their travel and crashes.​

Conclusions

There is no evidence at this time that allowing motorcycle traffic on HOV lanes has an adverse impact on safety or operations. The current level of motorcycle traffic - a high of 3.0% of the annual traffic on HOV lanes - is not substantial, and the number of crashes involving motorcycles is low. In fact, there is some evidence to indicate that allowing motorcycles to travel on the HOV lanes may even decrease the number of incidents, particularly rear-end and congestion-related crashes, involving motorcycles in the peak direction.

If, in accordance with the provisions of ISTEA, a state may ban motorcycles from HOV lanes only if there is a documented safety or operations problem created by such traffic, then VDOT has no basis on which to institute such a ban at this time. However, VDOT's original point concerning the banning of motorcycle traffic is still valid" motorcycles are not highoccupancy vehicles. If the HOV lanes move toward capacity, if motorcycle traffic becomes a substantial proportion of the HOV traffic, or if crashes involving motorcycles increase, then an operations problem could follow. ​

Who to e-mail?

Steven Del Duca - Minister of Transportation: http://stevendelduca.onmpp.ca/Contact

Kathleen Wynne - Premiere of Ontario: https://correspondence.premier.gov.on.ca/en/feedback/default.aspx

Michael Harris (MPP) - Tory Transportation critic: http://michaelharrismpp.ca/MichaelHarrisConnect

Wayne Gates (MPP) - NDP Transport critic: http://www.ontariondp.ca/wayne_gatesmpp

I also recommend sending an e-mail to Tija.Dirks@ontario.ca

She's the director for Transportation Planning in Ontario.

PC Response

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This does not make any sense. Green vehicles are OK with one driver but not a space saving and fuel efficient motorcycle. What a load of @#!p. Harass your local MPP on this issue.
 
But they "may" allow us as soon as those HOV are converted to HOT lanes.... Which Auntie Kthleen confirmed today are coming soon to every road near you..lol When reporters asked John Tory if the city willconvert the current Scam am HOV lanes to HOT lanes he said, "We will wait and see what the province does wth theirs" So those of you who were hoping the city would keept the HOV lanes youwill get your wish AT A COST..lol
 
From what I gather from the response, what they are saying is that HOV lanes are relatively new and when it was implemented, the focus was more on moving more people with fewer vehicles.

It seems like single motorcycle riders were excluded not because there was a particular reason to be excluded, but more because it wasnt the focus of implementing HOV lanes.

It appears that the MTO just needs a push to make it a reality.
 
The Green Vehicle thing annoys me (especially when I see that used at HomeDepot for prime parking) and on these HOV lanes. Theres some good points in the OP email to the ministry. If we are going to get HOT (High Occupancy Toll) lanes permanently, then I for sure will at least pen a written letter to my local MPP to question the decision making if motorcycle riders are not considered an allowance in the HOT/HOV lane.
 
Let motorcycles in the hov lanes. It will make things safer. Give it a ******* rest already. That excuse is way old. Improves safety overnight by allowing bikes in the hov. Stfu. The same morons are still driving cars on the same highway.
 
@Roomie, that's not an excuse. That's the justification the U.S. Federal Department of Transportation uses to allow single riders into the HOV.

See here: http://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/freewaymgmt/faq.htm#faq15

@slayerofsouls, i sort of wrote that to get their attention. I agree there are a lot of other two-seater vehicles that are also affected by HOV-3.
 
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some good points op, do you mind if i take some of that stuff, Im going to write and email of my own to the province
 
2015 Ontario Sunshine List:



DIRKS, TIJA
Director, Transportation Planning Branch
Salary $143,186.94
 
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Around 2003-2004 I also sent an email to then Ontario Minister of Transportation, Harinder Singh Takhar, under Dalton McGuinty, Liberal, asking him to consider allowing motorcycles to use the upcoming HOV lanes. I thought that since he was from India, that he might be more empathetic to riders. I was wrong. His return email said they would consider the possibilities but promised nothing. The result is what we have today. Motorcycles and bicycles for transportation are not considered important in Ontario.
 
Roomie said:
Let motorcycles in the hov lanes. It will make things safer. Give it a ******* rest already. That excuse is way old. Improves safety overnight by allowing bikes in the hov. Stfu. The same morons are still driving cars on the same highway.
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Let riders ride, brah.
 
what a bunch of ********...motorcycles will reduce time savings for buses and carpool cars, are they ****ing retarded?? Its always a bus or stupid car slowing the bikes down...
 
TorontoBoy said:
Around 2003-2004 I also sent an email to then Ontario Minister of Transportation, Harinder Singh Takhar, under Dalton McGuinty, Liberal, asking him to consider allowing motorcycles to use the upcoming HOV lanes. I thought that since he was from India, that he might be more empathetic to riders. I was wrong. His return email said they would consider the possibilities but promised nothing. The result is what we have today. Motorcycles and bicycles for transportation are not considered important in Ontario.
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What? They don't allow bicycles in the 401 HOV lanes? How unjust!
 
LoneRonin said:
what a bunch of ********...motorcycles will reduce time savings for buses and carpool cars, are they ****ing retarded?? Its always a bus or stupid car slowing the bikes down...
Click to expand...

On the 400 series HOV lanes, by the time you factor in safe following distances, a motorcycle is almost the same as a single-occupant car in terms of the space it consumes on the highway. Should we let single-occupant cars, say two-seater cars, use the HOV lanes too?
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