Influence of barrier separated HOV lane access locations on Houston HOV lane utilization

摘要

High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes are employed in many cities as a trafficcongestion mitigation technique. These lanes are intended to provide a travel timebenefit to carpools and buses, thus providing an incentive to form carpools or taketransit. The time and frustration involved in finding and using HOV lane access pointsmay act as a deterrent to HOV lane use. Thus, proper planning of HOV lane access maybe able to improve convenience for potential users, increasing HOV lane utilization.By optimizing HOV lane volumes, high levels of service and trip reliability areensured for those who carpool. Congestion is also reduced on General Purpose Lanes(GPLs) due to the diverted traffic. Public approval is tied to HOV lane utilization, whichmay be affected by access. Thus, HOV lane success may be determined in part byaccessibility.This research investigated the possible relationship between the time required toaccess the HOV lane and travelers' choice of HOV lane as their mode. Additionally, thedistance to HOV lane access points and the type of access point used were examined fortheir influence on HOV lane use rates. It was concluded that neither the type of HOVlane access point, nor the added time necessary to access the HOV lane were significantfactors in HOV lane use rates. Instead, the convenience of carpool formation and theconvenience of HOV lane access to traveler's origins and destinations were found to bethe most important factors in HOV lane use rates. Specifically, the HOV lane use rate for the area 5 to 7 miles from the nearest HOV lane exit, which includes DowntownHouston, was much higher than the use rates for any other area.