Priority Treatment for High Occupancy Vehicles in the United States: a Review of Recent and Forthcoming Projects
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. 1 rrnr 18.5 10. UMTA-MA-06-0049-78-1 . A37 no [DUT- T o C - ] UMTA- 78-37 UMTA/TSC Project Evaluation Series Priority Treatment for High Occupancy Vehicles in the United States: a Review of Recent and Forthcoming Projects J IIB - Final Report WW B I —d— August 1978 Dept, of Transportation library Service and Methods Demonstration Program U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ' : Urban Mass Transportation Administration and Transportation Systems Center . NOTICE This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The United States Govern- ment assumes no liability for its contents or use thereof NOTICE The United States Government does not endorse pro- ducts or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturers' names appear herein solely because they are con- sidered essential to the object of this report. Technical Report Documentation Page 1 . import No. 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient’s Cotalog No. UMTA-MA- 06-0049-78-11 4. Title ond Subtitle 5. Report Date PRIORITY TREATMENT FOR HIGH OCCUPANCY VEHICLES August 1978 IN THE UNITED STATES: A REVIEW OF RECENT AND 6. Performing Organization Code FORTHCOMING PROJECTS 8. Performing Organization Report No. 7. Authors) Ronald J. Fisher and Howard J. Simkowitz ITMTA- 78-37 9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS) U.S. Department of Transportation UM827/R8712 Research and Special Programs Administration 11. Contract or Grant No. Transportation Systems Center Cambridge MA 02142 13. Type of Report and Period Covered 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address U.S. Department of Transportation Final Report Urban Mass Transportation Administration 1974-1980 Office of Transportation Planning Management and Demonstrations 14. Spomoring Agency Code Washington DC 20590 15. Supplementary Notes or Transportation 0 * 7 U 16. Abitroct id) This report describes recent high oc cupfSncy TTTlU (UG i referential projects in the United States, summarizes the rc suits of Utj&llEy projects and draws outlines projects which are to be liii^ldlllhllLUd' the next few implications , and years. The report describes each of the following approaches to preferential treat- ment: non-separated concurrent-flow freeway HOV lanes, contra-flow freeway lanes, metered ramp bypass lanes and exclusive ramps, physically separated priority lanes, express bus service and park-and-r ide lots, lanes on arterials and CBD streets re- served for buses, bus priority signal systems on arterials and CBD streets, transit malls, and auto restricted zones. During the late 1960's and early 1970's a variety of priority treatments were attempted. Both capital intensive projects and non-capital intensive projects were implemented during this period. By the middle of the 1970' s, thinking within the transportation planning community had moved away from the costly capital intensive priority treatments that require extensive new construction to the more operationally oriented traffic management schemes that use existing facilities in a more efficient manner. Except for the non-separated concurrent flow projects, other non-capital intensive priority treatments on freeways have fared well. Nearly every HOV priority treatment on freeways has involved the use of new or expanded express bus service and the opening of new park-and-r ide lots. Arterial and CBD street bus lanes have been implemented in many cities and transit malls have grown in popularity. Four auto restricted zones are to be built during the next few years 17. Key Word. 18, Diztribution Statement Iligli Occupancy Vehicle, PUBLIC HOV, Preferential, Larpools, DOCUMENT IS AVAILABLE TO THE U.S. Express Hus, Reserved [.anus. Concurrent- !' low Lanes, THFfOUGH THE NATIONAL TECHNICAL Contra-Flow Lanes, Metered Rani]) Bypass Lanes, SERVICE, SPRINGFIELD, Exclusive INFORMATION Ramps, Physically Separated Lanes, P.,rk- VIRGINIA 22161 and-ll ide Bus , Priority Signal Systems, Transit Malls, Auto Restricted Zones, ARZ Price 19. Security Clotsif. (of this report) 20. Security Claisif. (of thl • paga) 21* No. of Poge* 22. Unclass i f ied Unclass if ied 36 (8-72) Form DOT F 1700.7 Reproduction of completed page authorized PREFACE The authors wish to thank Joseph Goodman of the Urban Mass Transportation Administration, Office of Service and Methods Demonstrations and David Rubin and Grant Paul of the Transportation Systems Center, Urban and Regional Research Division for their assistance in this study. Special acknowledgement is given to the many individuals who provided information about the projects under their jurisdiction. Unfortunately, a list of these persons would be too long to include herein. The research was sponsored oy UMTA ' s Office of Service and Methods Demonstrations. Finally, the authors wisn to thank Vera Ward and Terry McTague who were invaluable in preparing the manuscript. FACTORS CONVERSION 9 8 7 6 5 METRIC i \ "s 'r "V e 3 $ C u Bi a Ji £ IV CONTENTS Section Page 1 1 . Introduction 2. Non- Separated Con current- Flow Freeway ^ HOV Lanes 3. Contra-Flow Freeway Lanes 4. Metered-Ramp Bypass Lanes and Exclusive 10 Ramps 5. Physically Separated Priority Lanes H 6. Express Bus Service and Park-and-Ride Lots 12 7 . Lanes on Arterials and CBD Streets Reserved 14 for Buses 8. Fus Priority Signal Systems on Arterials 15 and CBD Streets 9. Transit Malls 17 10 . Auto Restricted Zones 21 References 27 v _ A LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Applications of Priority Treatments 2 for High Occupancy Vehicles in the United Stares 2 . Comparison of Four Non-3 eparated 6 Concurrent- Flow Preferential Lane Projects -3 m Characteristics of Four Transit Malls 18 1 . Characteristics of F our Proposed 23 Aufo Restricted Zone Demonstration Projec ts vi 1 . INTRODUCTION The purposes of this report are threefold: to describe recent high occupancy vehicle (HOV) preferential projects in the United States; to summarize the results of these projects and draw implications; and to outline projects which are to be implemented over the next few years. The report describes each of the following approaches to preferential treatment: non- separated concurrent-flow freeway HOV lanes, contra- flow freeway lanes, metered-ramp bypass lanes and exclusive ramps, physically separated priority lanes, express bus service and park-and-ride lots, lanes on arterials and central business district (CBD) streets reserved for buses, bus priority signal systems on arterials and CBD streets, transit malls, and auto restricted zones. Table 1 lists most of the HOV preferential projects that have been implemented or are being planned. Projects in all areas are well represented, but during the past decade the thrust of the preferential program has undergone several fundamental changes. During the late 1960's and early 1970's a variety of priority treatments were attempted. Both capital intensive projects (such as the Shirley Highway reversible bus and carpool lanes and the El Monte Busway) and non-capital intensive projects (such as the contra-flow lanes on 1-495 in New York and metered ramp bypass lanes on Los Angeles freeways) were implemented during this period. By the middle of the 1970's, thinking within the transportation planning community had moved away from the costly capital intensive priority treatments that require extensive new construction to the more operationally oriented traffic management schemes that use existing facilities in a more efficient manner. As an example, the implementation of a concurrent- flow lane utilizing an already existing freeway lane can oe accomplished literally overnight compared to the time it takes to construct a new lane or a completely new facility. Boston spent a total of $53,000 and very little time for signing, drilling holes, and purchasing plastic inserts to implement the eight mile (12.8 km) Southeast Expressway concurrent- flow reserved lane, while the eleven mile (17.6 km) Shirley Highway with reversible lane cost $43 million to implement over a period of six years. However, as is pointed out in Section 2, the concurrent- flow " take- a- lane- away" projects on the Southeast Expressway and Los Angeles' Santa Monica Freeway have been terminated. While the other non-separated concurrent-flow freeway projects are still operating, they are experiencing high violation rates. In summary, non-separated concurrent- flow freeway HOV lanes have proven to be difficult to 1 t 1 u !1! s :i ! ,4 s *1 If f| (1983) <1) O I, sis !:! ill I 4-1 00 -= II = ir ir ii i. M-l ON 5 = •<} 1— I - 1 i o 111 1 !: 00 if! CT\ III I II THE CT> Pi CTN L :3 IN Ml IE I? 00 ctn VEHICLES Is! Ills - So -s II 2“ V. < U. 04 il L; ! < “oSS'' n £ ills JIIsII OCCUPANCY * ~ vO i !E2 F *= CTN Jf 1 I’ll = - -s F i m i! inI I! in n HIGH ; -- m 1 - = ? - „ j i F it is~ 1" •=“< I 2 G\ : s5 i FOR ilit 5 ! ! li i2 il: So - - I E-3. ; F I f?l ! ON is;: in Is <f; H » in ill ill ill li mi 1 TREATMENTS .11 i_ 22 CO !: a e <Js II li PRIORITY OF STATES APPLICATIONS UNITED 1. TABLE u <D o 00 f ON < r-l Plaza o 00 Broadway ON VEHICLES OCCUPANCY S-8 z z HIGH FOR NO ON TREATMENTS ON PRIORITY STATES OF on ON UNITED APPLICATIONS THE IN . (continued) 1 TABLE 3 i enforce, subject to accidents, and, wnen an already existing lane is re-dedicated for HCV's, unacceptable to the public. By contrast, the Shirley Highway (which was opened to four or more person carpools in 1973) and the El Monte Busway (which was opened to three or more person carpools in 1975) have teen highly successful in attracting bus riders and carpoolers, while experiencing none of the enforcement and safety problems encountered by the non-separated treatments. Several activities indicate a resurgence of interest in physically separated priority lanes: planners in both Boston and Los Angeles are investigating designs similar to Shirley and El Monte for their troubled corridors; new physically separated facilities were opened during 1977 in San Francisco and Pittsourg, and both are schedule! to be expanded; and a Virginia freeway (1-66) reserved for buses and four or more person HOV's during peak periods is scheduled to open in the early 1980's.