GDOT planning Atlanta HOV lane fees

The Georgia Department of Transportation is considering a tiered pay program for Atlanta’s 44-miles of interstate High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes.

GDOT spokesperson Ericka Davis says the program would allow large car pools to ride the lanes for free, but would likely charge smaller carpools and single vehicles.

The fees would be used to pay for the system, and fund mass-transit projects.

GDOT officials recently returned from a visit to Texas to examine similar programs in that state, and is currently "in the middle of working out the logistics" of the plan, Davis said.

Davis said the plan would cost upwards of $470 million dollars.

GDOT Commissioner Gena Evans and officials from the Governor's Office also met with U.S. DOT Secretary Mary Peters to discuss the plan, Davis added.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of Georgia transportation issues.

Ga. cyclists beat gas prices with 42-mile commute

Barry Lord is reluctant to admit it, but there are mornings when he can't stand the thought of riding his bike to work -- those mornings when the thermometer is pushing 100 degrees, when his 45-year-old legs are aching and his car is beckoning.

Still, he stands outside his north Georgia home most weekday mornings, bracing for his commute: A 42-mile round trip across winding rural roads, past farms and stores, through remote stretches and busy intersections.

For Lord, who has a perfectly functioning car sitting unused in his driveway, and his friend Michael Elliott, who rides with him most mornings, hopping on a bike instead has them burning calories instead of fuel.

"We enjoy riding," says Elliott. "And we enjoy the opportunity not to put gas in your tank."

The two figure riding a few days a week helps them each save $20 to $30 a week. More than that, though, they appreciate the intangibles of their rigorous schlep to the office each morning across north Georgia -- like the built-in workout and the feeling of accomplishment after every ride.

Their trips evolved slowly, starting with a 14-mile exercise loop during lunch breaks. Lord first scouted the route last summer, and the two began riding months before gas prices rose to $4 a gallon.

At work, they've gotten their share of shrugs and bemused looks, but they've offered others a dose of inspiration. One co-worker has enthusiastically followed their lead, buying a bike and starting to ride on her own.

Each morning the commute begins with a certain calming ritual around 7:30 a.m. The two grab a bite to eat, don bicycle pants and sleek helmets, fill plastic bottles with water or sports drinks and top off lean rubber tires with air.

Their ride starts out on flat, lonely country roads. This early, there are few cars in this neck of the woods, and motorists either quickly pass the cyclists or drive patiently behind them.

As they pedal down roads lined with grazing cows, the stench can get overbearing. Elliott, lunging forward amid a particularly painful stretch of chicken coops, makes a bonus out of the stink.

"It keeps you motivated," he says.

The high point of the ride -- really, the low one -- is a dip in the road as they speed across a bridge spanning the Chattahoochee River.

From there the route becomes more difficult -- and more crowded. They converge on busier roads and a long line of cars gathers behind, some drivers flashing their brights and honking horns. When the narrow road opens into a passing lane, the cars zoom by, with one driver flashing the pair a nasty gesture.

They hit the home stretch and coast into Ethicon, a medical device company with an office in Cornelia, Ga. They leave a car there just in case the weather turns rough or an emergency arises, but today it's become a closet of sorts, where the two store their bikes and clothes.

The exhausting ride is over, and the two are dripping with sweat. They look down at Elliott's electronic counter to see how they did: Their top speed was more than 46 mph and their ride took about an hour.

"Let's face it, we're choosing a route that's as environmentally friendly as can be," Elliott says. "Carpooling is great, but this is as clean as you can get."

But was it worth it? They've still got to shower and change at an office locker room before they both begin their day of work as engineers. And the same tiresome route awaits them for the ride home -- except this time the sun will shine hotter.

"Yeah, it's worth it," says Lord. "If you were looking at someone who was doing it for sheer economics, it won't be. But I enjoy bicycling anyways, so it's a double benefit."

He chuckles.

"Now, it would be a lot more enjoyable if it was only 10 miles. But it isn't."

(The Associated Press)

Click here for more GPB News coverage on gas proces, and the effects on Georgia.

Speaker's Office allowing employees to telecommute

Brent Cranfield telecommutes from his home in Marietta one day a week saving 30 or 40 miles on his car once a week. Their office uses videoconferencing, instant messaging and other communications technology, which as helped workers stay connected. (Stanley Leary / Associated Press)

Brent Cranfield can thank his boss for saving him money at the pump.

Because gas prices are so high, Georgia House Speaker Glenn Richardson is letting staffers telecommute one day a week this summer. For Cranfield, who works in the communications office, that means one less trip each week in his Ford Explorer from suburban Marietta to downtown Atlanta and back -- saving more than $25 a month on his 16- to 17-mile commute.

Cranfield plans to use the savings to help buy a more-fuel-efficient car:

"I'm actually waiting for the '09 Camrys to come out so I can try to grab an '08 and get some of that initial sticker price taken off of it."

Some employers are reconsidering the traditional five-days-in-the-office pattern as the national average price for a gallon of gas hovers around $4. The idea is to whittle down commuting costs for workers by allowing them to work from home or switch to four days of 10 hours each.

Telecommuting has gained traction year by year with advances in videoconferencing, instant messaging and other communications technologies. Employers typically adopt it as a way to save money, boost morale and retain workers.

But Chuck Wilsker of The Telework Coalition said it has grown faster since the post-Hurricane Katrina gas price spike of 2005. And he believes prices have climbed so high now that managers who must grant workers permission to telecommute -- are feeling the pinch, too.

"It's affecting people's disposable income," Wilsker said. "And all of the sudden they're saying 'I've got to do something about this!"

The coalition estimates that more than 26 million Americans now telecommute at least some days; that would be about 18 percent of people employed nationwide.

But employers have traditionally been leery of changes that could leave the office empty on Friday, and that is why the Georgia House employees must stagger their tele commuting days. Another fear is that employees will slack off -- either because they're at home or working long stretches.

Click here for more GPB News coverage of the issue of soaring gas prices, and its effect on transportation, commerce, and daily life statewide.

(The Associated Press)

The drive towards less driving

Brent Cranfield telecommutes from his home in Marietta, Ga., one day a week, saving 30 or 40 miles on his car once a week. (Stanley Leary, AP)

Brent Cranfield can thank his boss for saving him money at the pump.

With gas prices so high, Georgia House Speaker Glenn Richardson is letting staffers telecommute one day a week this summer. For Cranfield, who works in the communications office, that means one less trip each week in his Ford Explorer from suburban Marietta to downtown Atlanta and back — saving more than $25 a month on his 16- to 17-mile commute. Cranfield plans to use the savings to help buy a more fuel-efficient car:

"I'm actually waiting for the '09 Camrys to come out so I can try to grab an '08 and get some of that initial sticker price taken off of it."

Some employers are reconsidering the traditional five-days-in-the-office pattern as the national average price for a gallon of gas hovers around $4. The idea is to whittle down commuting costs for workers by allowing them to work from home or switch to four days of 10 hours each.

Then there are more recent gas spike-inspired experimenters — many of them public employers — like at the Georgia Capitol.

"With gas prices exceeding $3.50 a gallon and no end in sight to the increases I want to try and do something to help you with that burden," Richardson wrote in an April staff memo.

This week, the U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation requiring the head of each federal agency to set policies allowing qualified workers to work from home or another convenient location. Giving relief from high gas prices was one factor cited by the sponsor, Rep. Danny Davis, D-Ill.

Savings can add up fast. Santa Clara, Calif.-based Sun estimates that its more than 18,000 employees who can choose to work at home or the nearest office avoid buying 135 gallons of gas a year, which at $4 a gallon would save $540 each. Deborah Bryan, a program manager for IBM in Boulder, Colo., who switched to telecommuting in April, said she now spends $88 to fill up her Ford Expedition every third week, instead of weekly.

Millions of American workers cannot telecommute because they build houses, serve food, mow lawns, treat patients or perform other jobs tied to specific locations. Some companies have responded with programs ranging from van-pooling to bike-sharing.

Another alternative is compressing the five-day work week into four, 10-hour days. Condensed work weeks are the most popular program for employers trying to reduce workers' commuting costs, according to a recent survey by Challenger, Gray & Christmas, a job placement consulting group.

(The Associated Press)