TORONTO, ON — An effort to speed up traffic along one section of congested roadway is set to begin next year that could lead to a bigger effort to reduce congestion if it proves successful.

A High-Occupancy Toll (HOT) lane pilot project will begin on a section of Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) between Trafalgar Road in Oakville and Guelph Line in Burlington in summer 2016.

The pilot is the first step of Ontario’s plan to implement HOT lanes throughout the region, according to the province’s Ministry of Transportation (MTO).

Existing High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes on the QEW will be converted to HOT lanes. Carpools of two or more occupants will still be able to use the QEW HOT lanes for free, while single occupant drivers will now have the option to purchase a permit to use them.

A limited number of permits will be available to allow single occupant drivers to use the HOT lanes during the pilot.

The Ontario Trucking Association notes the current HOV weigh and length restrictions basically exclude anything over 6.5 meters long with a gross weight of 4,500 kg or more and it’s not expected this new HOT plan will change that rule.

Information gathered through the pilot project will be used for long-term planning for future HOT lanes, including new, dedicated HOT lanes with electronic tolling on Highway 427, from south of Highway 409 to north of Rutherford Road, which will open by 2021, according to the MTO.

It notes in other jurisdictions such as Minneapolis, Seattle and Atlanta, HOT lanes help reduce congestion in general use lanes and help them move faster, as well as promote behavior changes by encouraging people to carpool.

The Globe and Mail reports following the installation of a 16-kilometre HOT lane in California, where the tolls range from US$1.50 to US$9.95, depending on the time of day, average speeds on the adjacent free lanes doubled.

Accordign to the MTO, Ontario’s population is expected to grow by approximately 40 percent by 2041, placing additional importance on having modern infrastructure to support a growing population.

“By providing commuters with more travel choices, in addition to transit, HOV lanes and now HOT lanes, we are helping to manage congestion in order to keep the region moving and improve the quality of life for all Ontarians,” said Steven Del Duca, Ontario’s minister of transportation.