Express Lanes used for leisure travel more than commuting, data shows

A study conducted in February of 1,266 area drivers has provided information on the ways that the 95 Express Lanes are changing the commute and general travel for Virginia drivers.

The 95 Express Lanes opened at the end of December last year. Transurban, the company that currently operates the Express Lanes, conducted the study.

While the Express Lanes have been able to alleviate some of the area’s commuter traffic, the survey found that a majority of drivers using the lanes (41%), were using them for visiting family and friends.

According to the data, only 34% to 36% of drivers are using the lanes for commuting to and from work.

In order to access the Express Lanes, drivers need to have an EZ-Pass device mounted in their car, and money loaded on it in order to use the lanes. The fees for using the toll lanes changes about every 15 minutes, using real-time traffic data to calculate the toll charge, said Mike McGurk, a spokesperson from Transurban.

According to Transurban’s online survey, more females (53%) used the lanes than their male counterparts (47%), and that the average age for Express Lane drivers was 40 years old.

A large percentage – 70% – of the commuters that used the 95 Express Lanes also merged on to use the 495 Express Lanes, the first of the Express Lane projects in Northern Virginia.

Another interesting finding was that a majority of area residents – whether they used the Express Lanes or not – thought that they would benefit the area and traffic flow.

And this has been fairly accurate, as the data collected from Express Lane users showed that they’re seeing half the congestion they would see on the general-purpose lanes and that they’re saving about 20 minutes per average on their trip.

Transurban intends to continue to collect data on the new 95 Express Lanes, to help better understand how it is changing the roadways in Northern Virginia.