Need Quick Access to Peach Pass? There’s an App for That

SRTA has introduced an app, “Peach Pass Go,” for iPhone, iPad and Android devices that allows for mobile checking of Peach Pass accounts.

According to a press release at Peachpass.com, the State Road and Tollway Authority now has a mobile application that allows Peach Passcustomers to change their toll mode and check their account balance in seconds. However, users are cautioned not to use it while in transit. In fact, when accessed a flash screen asks whether the user is driving. If the affirmative option is chosen, the application automatically shuts down. The free “Peach Pass GO!” app can be downloaded from the iTunes App store and the Android Market. “We’re extremely pleased and excited to provide our customers with this new and convenient way of accessing their Peach Pass account and changing their toll mode,” said SRTA Executive Director Gena L. Evans. “Now changing …

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Ruthy Lachman Paul

9:32 am on Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Thank you for making life easy!   more ›

Rates Reduced on Express Lanes for Off-Peak Hours

SRTA has reduced toll rates from 10-90 to 1-90 cents per mile, effectively reducing the cost to ride in the I-85 express lanes when the traffic is lighter.

The State Road and Tollway Authority announced it has reduced the cost of driving on the I-85 Express Lanes. Instead of paying between 10-90 cents per mile depending on traffic flow, drivers will pay between 1-90 cents per mile. So now when the traffic flow is light, it will cost you less to drive in the toll lanes. According to a news release on the Peach Pass website, this went into immediate effect when passed by the SRTA Board on Friday. “We are pleased to institute this operational improvement for our customers,” SRTA Executive Director Gena L. Evans said in the release. “Now motorists using the Express Lanes during off peak hours could pay as low as 16 cents for the full distance of an Express Lanes trip.” Rates given as typical off-…

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One Man's Fight to Stop the HOT Lane

A Lawrenceville man made it his mission to put the brakes on the new HOT Lane on I-85.

Howard Rodgers is tired of traffic. He believed the newly opened HOT Lane on I-85 would ease his commute from Lawrenceville to Atlanta. Instead, he says his commute has doubled. “It’s gone from taking me 45 minutes in each direction to get home, to over an hour and a half, two hours each commute.” So Rodgers started a grassroots campaign to put the brakes on the HOT Lane. On Sunday, Rodgers and his family—who are also tired of the commute—set up camp outside of the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center. They were asking other commuters who were fed up with the HOT Lane to sign a petition. Although “Stop the HOT Lane” only received a few dozen sign-ups in that day, according to the group’s website, more than 1,100 people have given …

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Question of the Week

Should the Peach Pass Be Abolished?

The protest against the new toll express lanes has reached fever pitch. What do you think?

Since the Peach Pass took effect on Oct. 1, changing the exisisting HOV lanes into high occupancy toll lanes, there has been a lot of talk. Gov. Nathan Deal responded by lowering the HOT lane rates--and looking into changing the number of people in exempt vehicles back to two instead of three.  The Facebook protest group Against the Georgia Peach Pass now has 3,474 friends. The active discussion on the page is not the only one either. Other Peach Pass protest groups have popped up, including Peach Pass is Highway Robbery and Boycott the HOT lanes. Here are a sample of comments from Against the Georgia Peach Pass:  David Quinn writes on the page: "If I bought an iPad for 499 ...Then signed up for i-Tunes and bought content... Then got a …

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Christopher Mattison

9:28 am on Wednesday, October 12, 2011

I think it ought to be removed. Unfortunately for us, we've already been paying for it. I refuse to use the HOT lane; my commute to and from Midtown for work has increased significantly since the lane began early last week. Surface street options into town aren't viable either. I've been not-so-lovingly been referring to I-85 as a #parkinglot on twitter...   more ›

I-85 Express Toll Lanes Set to Open Oct. 1

Do you have your Peach Pass yet? Get it online or at offices in Norcross and Lawrenceville.

With preparations nearing completion, the I-85 Express Lanes are set to begin official operations Oct. 1.  “The opening of the I-85 Express Lanes will represent a new era in transportation innovation,” said Dr. Gena L. Evans, executive director of the State Road and Tollway Authority (SRTA). “This all-electronic commuting choice gives registered Peach Pass customers access to a more reliable travel option in the I-85 corridor. The Express Lanes concept has been proven successful in eight other cities, and we are excited about its ability to positively impact I-85 traffic and keep Metro Atlantans moving.” Motorists have seen sign changes, with the permanent Express Lane text now featuring the Peach Pass logo.  Final Road I-85 Express Lane …

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I-85 Express Toll Lanes Go Live Oct. 1

Do you have your Peach Pass yet? Get it online or at Department of Driver Services office in Norcross.

With the preparation almost complete, the I-85 Express Lanes are set to begin official operations Oct. 1. This is, however, contingent on weather conditions and successful testing of the equipment, according to officials from the State Road and Tollway Authority (SRTA). “The opening of the I-85 Express Lanes will represent a new era in transportation innovation,” said Dr. Gena L. Evans, executive director of SRTA. “This all-electronic commuting choice gives registered Peach Pass customers access to a more reliable travel option in the I-85 corridor. The Express Lanes concept has been proven successful in eight other cities, and we are excited about its ability to positively impact I-85 traffic and keep Metro Atlantans moving.” Motorists …

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I-85 Express Lane Work Planned

Nightly lane closures begin today.

Construction on the I-85 HOT lanes continues this week, with nightly interstate lane closures on both northbound and southbound lanes to install cables and other equipment.  Up to three lanes may be closed, with work focused on the left HOV lanes, which are being converted to HOT lanes. Any triple lane closures will occur after midnight, according to the Georgia DOT.  Northbound lane closures will begin at 10 p.m. and continue overnight until 5 a.m. the next day. Southbound lane closures will begin at 8 p.m., continuing until 5 a.m. the next day. Tuesday, Aug. 23:  Work zone on I-85 North and South from I-285 West to about half a mile north of I-285. A second work zone is planned for SR 316 westbound from I-85 to Herrington Road. Wednesday…

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Life in the Pass Lane: HOT Registration Now Open

Electronic sticker will be commuter’s ticket to ride in the high occupancy toll lanes.

Planning to use the high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes later this year? Motorists intending to travel in what are currently HOV (high occupancy vehicle) lanes may now register for the Peach Pass -- a small electronic sticker that will be used to bill motorists for their time in the HOT lane. For the past several months, the Georgia Department of Transportation has been working to convert the HOV lanes to HOT lanes. The $11.7 million project includes the installation of tolling technology and equipment, new signs and new sign structures along 16 miles of I-85 express lanes in Gwinnett and DeKalb counties. The HOT lanes will run along I-85 between Shallowford Road and Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road and along State Route 316 between I-85 and …

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I-85 HOT Lanes to Change More Than Access Rules

New entry points on I-85 South leave six-mile gap between Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road and Beaver Ruin road without an entry.

The conversion of the existing HOV lanes on I-85 to toll lanes is almost complete. But there are more changes than the access rules for many commuters. Gwinnett residents may have noticed the recent restriping of access points to the lane. Designated access and exit points are marked with a dashed double white line.  For the upcoming HOT lanes, the access and exit points are in different locations for northbound and southbound traffic. According to Teri Pope, communications officer for the Georgia Department of Transportation, the access points are: I-85 northbound HOT lane access points: ENTER the HOT lanes at:                                     EXIT the HOT lanes at:  I-85 southbound HOT lane access points:     ENTER the HOT lanes at…

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I-85 HOT Lanes – Your Pocketbook or Your Watch?

Opinion: DOT "Peach Pass" may really be a "Diamond lane" targeting carpoolers.

In case you missed it, the current High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes on I-85 are undergoing a conversion to what the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) calls High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes. The conversion is scheduled to complete during the summer of 2011. After that time, single-rider cars and two-person vehicles can ride in the lane if they pay a variable toll based on the time of day and amount of traffic. The GDOT states they are doing this to manage the lanes more efficiently and to guarantee consistent trip times for commuters. The toll will vary from 10 to 90 cents a mile, based on the traffic congestion. By charging a higher price during traffic peaks, officials hope to guarantee a 45 mph trip. After lane conversion, …

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