High-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes usually go through an evolution of stages in their life cycle. The typical evolution includes changes in demand levels from several modes including 2+ or 3+ carpools and vanpools, transit, and general-purpose vehicles. To ensure adequate usage, most facilities have started out with a designation of HOV2+. In some cases, over time, HOV2 volumes have exceeded the capacity of the facility, which has caused delays for transit vehicles. Therefore, there is an inevitable need for managing the hierarchy of facility users over time. A graphical tool is presented that indicates the life span of a managed HOV lane, and it can be applied to a variety of existing and planned managed HOV lane projects. The graphic was used in Colorado, Florida, and Texas in communicating the managed lane concept to transportation professionals. Further, the graphic was used to explain the historical operation of a managed HOV lane facility and the likely progression if current management policies remain in effect, based on experiences in similar facilities. Alternative management strategies can also be evaluated and compared with the graphical tool. The graphical representation of this managed HOV lane concept is anticipated to be valuable for transportation professionals in
many areas (e.g., highway, tolling, and transit) in presenting and understanding operating scenarios for managed lanes over time and how they meet the goals of the facility. Applications of the life-cycle graphic to various facilities in the United States are also presented.

As managed lanes and high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes gain popularity as a potential mobility measure, the question of how the public views these relatively new concepts is of vital importance. Concerned that a potential conversion of the North I-25 high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) facility in Denver, Colorado, to HOT lanes could be perceived as too controversial, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) sponsored market research and public outreach and assessment for evaluating the level of controversy. The messaging, methodology, activities, and findings from this effort may provide valuable information for communities that are considering HOT lanes as a component to their mobility challenges. This paper outlines the efforts conducted by CDOT’s project team, including focus groups with commuters and business owners, stakeholder outreach
to vested public officials and interest groups, conversations with the public in varying open houses, and a stated preference telephone survey. The conclusions from this effort indicate that (a) support for HOT lanes is greater than it was a few years earlier, (b) issues related to income and equity are not as pronounced as anticipated, (c) public opinion can be favorably affected when individuals are informed on means of avoiding tolls by carpooling or riding the bus, and (d) HOT lanes are viewed as an interim solution that is only a component of a regional multimodal transportation system. For practitioners hoping to extend support for HOT lanes to their facilities, the principal finding indicates that comarketing the HOT lane option with a means of avoiding a toll (through carpooling or riding the bus) may favorably affect public acceptance.

Many metropolitan areas have experimented with fare pricing to encourage greater use and participation in vanpools. To increase significantly the rate of participation in vanpools, one transportation management association (TMA) in the Atlanta, Georgia, area implemented a flat-rate pricing program to provide a simplified and tangible subsidy to potential riders and to encourage employer participation in vanpooling. This paper provides a case study of this flat-rate pricing program for the Cumberland Community Improvement District. The case study shows significant increases, greatly exceeding the initial forecasts, in the rates of vanpool utilization and participation. However, certain issues remain for other communities looking to replicate TMA’s program.

Although high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes have been studied or have existed for more than 10 years, the continuing developmental nature of these concepts means that there is little guidance for project managers on how to manage the process of converting a high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane to a HOT lane. Many guidelines have been published about the technical elements of HOT lane development and operations. A project manager of an HOV to HOT lane conversion process would face issues that differ from those of the typical highway construction project, and managing these issues can be difficult and arduous. The intent of this paper is to address issues from the perspective of the implementing agency’s project manager. Eight specific issues to be addressed within the conceptual development of the HOT lane conversion process are identified here: (a) presence of significant and predictable excess capacity in the HOV lanes, (b) presence of significant and recurring congestion in the adjacent general purpose lanes, (c) nature of traffic separation on the HOV lanes, (d) primary means of funding for the HOV lanes, (e) identification of the HOT lane program’s primary objective, (f) determination of the appropriate implementing agency, (g) avoidance of overwhelming public opposition, and (h) ability to build political support for the process. This paper has summarized the first of what the authors see as four steps to the successful conversion of an HOV lane to a HOT lane: conceptual development. Planned subsequent papers will address the remaining three steps: program design, implementation, and ongoing operations.

With the creation in 1992 of the Congestion Pricing Pilot Program, later renamed the Value Pricing Pilot Program, the U.S. Department of Transportation endorsed an expanded investigation into new tolling and pricing applications throughout the United States leveraging electronic toll-collection systems, demand-managing toll rates, and various infrastructure additions and conversions. As of 2005, 15 states had enrolled in the program, and each was attempting some form of tolling or pricing on their highway and road systems. Systematic study of the feasibility of such systems, as required by the program, revealed definitive public attitudes concerning new applications of tolling and pricing. Furthermore, the knowledge gained by earlier practitioners allowed those working on future projects to refine their approach and messages, thereby better managing public perception. This paper identifies the prevailing trends in public opinion concerning tolling and pricing. Using case studies from California, Texas, and Minnesota—where substantial pre- and post-implementation public opinion data are available—the paper identifies common barriers to public acceptance, the selling points of tolling and pricing, the potential supporters and opponents of pricing and tolling proposals, and strategies for educating the public on a proposed program.

National experience has shown that perceived inequity to disadvantaged communities can derail the consideration of proposed toll and pricing projects. Even in areas with existing toll facilities, new proposals are not immune from fairness criticisms. Left unanswered, fairness issues may overwhelm public opinion and potentially elicit legal concerns. Five general types of equity apply to toll and priced facilities: geographic, income, participation, opportunity, and modal equity. The first two issues are generally more important in the planning process. Issues with geographic equity are largely reflected in public opinion, which in turn reflects participation and modal equity. Income equity also incorporates elements of opportunity equity and modal equity. Through the careful and deliberate planning process, issues pertaining to income equity can more easily be mitigated or alleviated than geographic equity, fulfilling the requirements of environmental justice. As toll and pricing policies are developed, planners and policy makers should address key questions designed to identify (a) potential income equity concerns and (b) ways to mitigate those concerns that may occur. Although no assessment can completely address all potential issues of equity and fairness, the principle of environmental justice requires transportation professionals to evaluate proposed projects with an open eye and an open mind. Ultimately, no project needs to be
delayed or tabled because of issues of equity. Rather, correctly identifying concerns and addressing them through deliberate and transparent policy and action can help further the case for tolls in a broad transportation financing and planning context.

Managed lanes require effective vehicle occupancy enforcement policies and programs to operate successfully. Several semi- and fully automated techniques for determining the number of persons in a moving vehicle, including operator-monitored video cameras and infrared composite imaging, have undergone limited field testing. The technical merits of invehicle and roadside systems for automated vehicle occupancy verification systems have been examined extensively. This paper complements those efforts by providing the policy and legal implications of automated systems for occupancy enforcement. The primary form of automated enforcement technology currently used in the United States is photographic imagery recorded by automated violation detection systems. For moving violations, these systems almost exclusively take the form of red light and speed enforcement, unlike toll evasion, which is typically punishable as an infraction. Principal objections to automated enforcement for occupancy purposes have involved privacy and due process concerns. Under an automated occupancy enforcement tool, the occupancy enforcement regime would likely face the same legal and privacy challenges as automated enforcement cameras and similar devices. This paper examines the current legislation related to automated enforcement practices, as well as an illustration of the arguments against their use. These arguments raise questions about the legality of automated enforcement systems and the perceived invasion of privacy some drivers may associate with such systems. The three primary privacy issues associated with an automated system for occupancy enforcement concern the photographic record of occupants, vehicle infrastructure integration barriers, and the legal definition of a high-occupancy vehicle infraction.

TDM has a moment of opportunity unlike any it has seen since the 1970s. Reducing  vehicular trips is on the minds of travelers, but they are only eliminating discretionary trips. TDM’s ability to affect non-discretionary trips without reducing person mobility makes it unique in the realm of transportation. Is this not the time to put substantial revenue into actively reducing vehicular trips through TDM without reducing person trips? Would not employers, schools, and tourism-oriented businesses welcome the active participation of governmental efforts to reduce their employees’, students’, and visitors’ transportation costs? How else could the transportation industry make a substantial contribution to improving disposable income and (by association) U.S. economic vitality?

To date, limited research has identified comparative metrics for Transportation Demand Management (TDM) programs throughout the United States. Whereas every community is different, and hence, the specific activities and strategies employed by a TDM program will likewise differ, commonalities between programs can be illustrated for comparison and benchmarking purposes. In April 2008, the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) conducted a comprehensive survey of TDM programs in the United States. Initial results from this effort are provided in this paper for: carpool programs, vanpool programs, guaranteed ride home, employer outreach, regional marketing, and performance evaluation. In order to delineate the characteristics of a “big city” program versus that with a more limited scope, results were generally delineated by urban area size, including rural areas. Interestingly, this delineation did not substantially alter the findings, especially when controlled for population size. In short, small and medium sized TDM programs are generally doing the same types of activities as their larger brethren.

Article originally appeared in TDM Review, 2008 Issue 1, published by the Transportation Demand Management Institute (TDMI) and the Association for Commuter Transportation (ACT).  Article is copyright 2008 by David H. Ungemah and TDMI/ACT.  Any and all use of this article must be fully attributed to source.

Examining Incentives and Preferential Treatment of Carpools on Managed Lane Facilities

Published in the Journal of Public Transportation, Volume 10, Number 4, 2007.

Abstract:

As managed lanes (ML) are considered throughout more than 25 North America cities, there is a need for guidance in defining the role of carpools in tolled ML and the trade-offs between carpool exemptions and other project objectives. Increasingly, project objectives are reflecting not only mobility concerns but the need to generate revenue as well. As a result, allowing exempt or discounted users, such as carpools on priced-ML requires an evaluation of revenue impacts as well as mobility interests such as person movements, operations, and emissions.  This article highlights the existing body of knowledge regarding carpooling, facilities, and incentives designed to encourage carpooling and carpooling’s contributions to society. Following a review of literature, state and regional entities involved in either operating existing ML facilities or planning for new facilities were interviewed to determine the rationale for setting their carpool policies.