What makes Gov. Bill Lee think ‘choice lanes’ will make traffic better in Tennessee?

Larry Hartge
·2 min read
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Re: Gov. Bill Lee’s proposed choice lanes on the roads.

Some privileged few will decide to pay the toll hoping for a shorter commute. However, those who don’t want to (or really can’t) will be forced into the mass of traffic that will have one less lane available which means their commute will certainly be longer.

Should more than just a few decide to pay the toll, then the traffic in all lanes would look just like it does today, bumper-to-bumper, stop and go during rush hours. These toll lanes were politically dubbed choice lanes by Governor Lee, but where is the choice by the affected local governments – there isn’t any.  This whole issue should be a ballot issue.

Traffic is backing up on I-40 westbound as it approaches Nashville April 16, 2002. A survey of 605 Nashville residents by the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce found that traffic was No. 1 concern in the Music City, replacing crime.
Traffic is backing up on I-40 westbound as it approaches Nashville April 16, 2002. A survey of 605 Nashville residents by the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce found that traffic was No. 1 concern in the Music City, replacing crime.

It seems these political leaders didn’t ask the Tennessee Department of Transportation about computer modeling to ascertain the consequences of their planned actions.  I’m quite sure they would discover that the median time for all commuters (choice lanes plus non-choice lanes) would go up from what is currently during the rush hours.

It is likely a local university would find doing such modeling an interesting project. Or their expert knowledge would substantiate this without doing the modelling.  I’m reaching out to one school.

Share your opinion with Governor Lee and Lt. Governor McNally, letting them know what you think of their creating a board that can do whatever they want without any local approval and let them know your thoughts about the toll lanes (contact info at https://www.tn.gov/directory.html).

Also contact your local representatives, and your state representatives (same URL/link), and TDOT Commissioner Butch Eley (https://www.tn.gov/tdot/about/tdot-organizational-charts/tdot-key-staff-directory.html).

Larry Hartge, Nashville 37205

Agree or disagree? Send a letter of 250 words or fewer to letters@tennessean.com. Be sure to include your full name, city/town and ZIP code.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee traffic: What makes you think 'choice lanes' will work?