I-85 Express Lanes Project Vanpool Frequently Asked Questions

1. Do the vanpool providers or the vanpool drivers need to get the Peach Pass? Van pool providers (owners) will need to set up a Peach Pass account and register their vehicles for a Peach Pass.

2. If a vanpool driver is driving the van to pick up the other riders, is he/she allowed to be alone in the Express Lane for a few minutes? Yes, if the vanpool driver is a driver for an authorized vanpool with the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority and has a corporate toll-exempt account with the State Road and Tollway Authority (SRTA), then they will have the flexibility to ride in the Express Lanes to and from picking up and dropping off passengers/riders. 3. If the van pool driver is issued a citation or receives a violation notice from the State Road and Tollway Authority (SRTA), does the entire van pool have to pay for the ticket?

If a vanpool driver receives a citation from law enforcement, that driver is responsible for paying that citation, unless otherwise directed by the vanpool owner/provider.

If a violation notice from SRTA is issued, the registered owner of the vehicle will be sent the notice in the mail.

4. Can the vanpool riders order the Toll Exempt pass? Van pool riders will need to open a separate Personal Toll Account for their personal vehicles. Toll Exempt accounts are limited to those motorists that will always use the Express Lanes with three or more people. Toll Exempt accounts must be set up by calling I-855-PCH-PASS (724-7277).

5. If the riders open a Personal Toll Account, what happens if they get a ticket for some reason? The rider’s personal account is not tied to the vanpool account. If the rider receives a ticket from law enforcement or a violations notice from SRTA for violating in their personal vehicle, the registered owner of that vehicle is responsible for payment of that notice or citation. 6. Is there a designated person at the State Road and Tollway Authority that will handle the van pool accounts for van pool owners/providers?

Tynisha McGordon is the fleet management representative for vanpool providers/owners only. Vanpool owner representatives should contact Ms. Gordon if they have questions or updates regarding their Peach Pass account. She can be reached at tmcgordon@georgiatolls.com or 404-893-6149. 7. If new vans are added to a vanpool fleet, how should the vanpool provider go about getting a new Peach Pass? Contact the Fleet Management Contact at SRTA, listed above.

8. What is being done about the concerns regarding the restriping of the weave zones for the Express Lanes?

Currently, the specific area is under review with the Georgia Department of Transportation. The decision was carefully and cautiously made with engineering data and traffic and revenue studies that support these decisions. We cannot guarantee that access points will be changed but engineers are looking into options that may exist. There are several factors that went into the original decision to modify the weave zone:

1. Destination patterns of traffic in the corridor; 2. Maximizing the length of the managed lanes’ (e.g. HOV, HOT Lanes, etc.) segments in order to

minimize the potential traffic conflicts at the weaving zones; 3. Providing the most amount of time savings for those choosing to use the managed lanes; 4. Safety of the locations of the weave zones; 5. Adhering to the geometric design standards as prescribed by the Transportation Research Board’s

Highway Capacity Manual and the AASHTO’s Geometric Design of Highways and Streets; and 6. Planning for southbound optimal managed lane functionality at the 316 managed lane merge with

the I-85 managed lane. 9. Are the Express Lanes open? The I-85 Express Lanes are currently not open. If you use the HOV lanes that are currently being converted into the Express Lanes (Old Peachtree Road to Chamblee Tucker Road) without having two or more passengers, you could get pulled over by law enforcement and issued a citation. Please continue to check our website at www.peachpass.com for the latest information on the Express Lanes opening date.