Safety Evaluation of Priority Techniques for High-Occupancy Vehicles
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TE 662 iort No. FHWA-RD-79-59 .A3 no. FHWA- RD- — \FETY EVALUATION OF PRIORITY TECHNIQUES FOR HIGH-OCCUPANCY VEHICLES DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION JUN l 8 19/a February 1979 LIBRARY t Final Report TF^l m*\. Document is available to the public through the National Technical Information Service, Springfield, Virginia 22161 Prepared for FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION ? Offices of Research & Development Traffic Systems Division Washington, D.C. 20590 FOREWORD This report reviews the safety problems associated with the operations of priority techniques for high occupancy vehicles (HOV) . The report should be of interest to transportation planners, highway designers, traffic engineers, and legislators who are considering the implementation of preferential treatments for carpools and buses. From the review of the operations of 22 HOV projects, the researchers developed a set of design and operation recommendations for both freeway and arterial applications. These recommendations include highway geometries and traffic control devices needed to provide safe traffic flows on the HOV facilities and the adjacent roadways. Although the installation of an HOV lane may introduce new safety problems due to geometric restrictions, it may have the potential for reducing accident rates if the overall traffic operations are improved. One copy of this report is being sent to each FHWA regional office, FHWA division, and State highway agency. The division and State copies are being sent directly to the division office. Charles F. Schg^y Director, Office of Research NOTICE This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The United States Government assumes no liability for its contents or use thereof. The contents of this report reflect the views of the authors who are responsible for the facts and accuracy of the data presented herein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official views or policy of the Department of Transportation. This report does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation. The United States Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trademarks or manufacturers' names appear herein only because they are considered essential to the object of this document. *^ Technical Report Documentation Page 1. Report Nc 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient's Catalog No. FHWA-RD-79-59 4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Dot© February 1979 OF PRIORITY TECHNIQUES FOR SAFETY EVALUATION 6. Performing Organization Code HIGH-OCCUPANCY VEHICLES 8. Performing Orgoni zation Report No. 7. Author(s) Craig Miller, Robert Deuser, Joseph Wattleworth and Charles Wallace 9. Performing Organiiation Name and Address 10. Work Unit No (TRAIS) 31A1-714 Beiswenger, Hoch and Associates 11. Contract or Grant N( P. O. Box 600028 1190 N.E. 163rd Street DOT-FH-1 1-9182 North Miami Beach, Florida 33160 13. Type of Report ond Period Covered 12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address Final Report U. S. Department of Transportation October, 1976 and December, 1978 Federal Highway Administration Office of Research and Development 14. Sponsoring Agency Code Washington, D.C. 20590 15. Supplementory Notes Tne University of Florida Transportation Research Center served as a subcontractor to Beiswenger, Hoch and Associates and provided major contributions to this research. Data compilation and analysis was conducted by Dean Bowman, Paul Allen and Robert Lassiter. The FHWA contract manager for this research was Howard Bissell (HRS-33). 16. Abstroct Priority treatments for high-occupancy vehicles (HOV) can introduce new safety problems due to operational or geometric modifications. At the same time, they can reduce the accident potential by improving overall traffic operations. The research focused on five major areas of HOV projects: 1) an examination of the pertinent accident rates, 2) an analysis of causative factors influencing safety, 3) an identification of difficult maneuvers and potential safety problems, 4) the development of recommendations to improve safety, and 5) a review of the legal authority and legal liability issues faced by HOV projects. Twenty-two HOV projects on 16 highway facilities were visited by the research fsaml These projects encompass virtually every type of preferential treatment strategy currently deployed in the United s|ateCtK^~o±rt freeways and I arterial facilities. For each HOV project, data on safety, operations and geometries were (|oll^e^^r))d(;^Ty^eSOtF!he|e data and qualitative information can be used to describe the current experience relating tq the HOV safety issue. JUN18'I9^ LIBRARY 17. Key Words 18. Distribution Statement HOV, High Occupancy Vehicle Bus/Carpool Document is available to the public through the Preferential Treatment National Technical Information Service, Springfield, Management Transportation Systems Virginia 22161. Traffic Safety 19. Security Clossif. (of this report) 20. Security Clossif. (of this page) 21. No. of Poges 22. Price Unclassified Unclassified 190 (8-72) Form DOT F 1700.7 Reproduction of completed page authorized PREFACE The authors are sincerely appreciative of the extensive support given to this research project by numerous individuals. Mr. Howard Bissell (HRS-33), serving as the FHWA contract manager, provided the overall direc- tion and review of this research, which was well appreciated. Special thanks are extended to Diane Brown, Carol Gittleman and Jacque Lewis for their patience and excellent skills in typing and editing the many interim and draft reports as well as this final report. Lastly, the authors wish to express their gratitude to the many individuals and agencies who assisted in this research by providing insights and data on their particular HOV project. The principal individuals were: Shirley Highway, Fairfax County, Virginia John Nesselrodt, Virginia Department of Highways and Transportation Charles Abrams, JHK and Associates, Consulting Engineers Sargent H. D. Sargent, Virginia State Police San Bernardino Freeway, Los Angeles, California Robert Tomlinson, James Bell, Robert Noad, Hank Harada, Andrew Zeilman and Harry Kishineff, California Department of Transportation, District 7 Lt. William Russell, California Highway Patrol Moanalua Freeway, Honolulu, Hawaii Eiichi Tanaka, Hawaii Department of Transportation Amar Sappal, Honolulu Transportation Services Captain Harold Bradbury, Honolulu Police Department Morey Rothenburg, JHK and Associates, Consulting Engineers Dick Kaku, Alan M. Voorhees and Associates, Consulting Engineers Santa Monica Freeway, Los Angeles, California Robert Tomlinson, Gary Bork, Robert Cashin, Andrew Zeilman, Harry Kishineff, and Ms. Len Bedolla , California Department of Transportation, District 7 Lt. William Russell, California Highway Patrol Route 101, Marin County, California Leonard Newman, Edward Graham and James McCrank, California Department of Transporta- tion, District 4 Lt. Richard O'Brien, California Highway Patrol 1-95, Miami, Florida Stan Cann and Marc Lopatin, Florida Department of Transportation Lt. Ray Grimes, Florida Highway Patrol 1-495, Approach to Lincoln Tunnel, Hudson County, New Jersey Leon Goodman, Walter Colvin and Carl Selinger, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Long Island Expressway, New York City, New York Joseph Richter, Samuel Schwartz, R. P. McCarthy and Carl Sukowski, New York City Department of Transportation Carson Van Horn, New Jersey Department of Transportation Leonard Scheidt, Andrews and Clark, Inc., Consulting Engineers Ramp Metering Bypass Ramps, Los Angeles, California Robert Tomlinson, Gary Bork, Robert Cashin, Andrew Zeilman and Harry Kishineff, California Department of Transportation, District 7 Lt. William Russell, California Highway Patrol 1-5, Seattle, Washington Rod Williams, Washington Department of Highways Ben Gilberts, Seattle Metro Transit Lt. M. A. Daviduke, Washington State Patrol San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge Toll Plaza, Oakland, California Leonard Newman, Edward Graham and Scott MacCalden, California Department of Transporta- tion, District 4 Captain Jack Hughes, California Highway Patrol Washington, P. C. CBD Streets Tom Durkin, Anthony Rachal, Ken Epstien and David Hammers, Washington, D.C. Department of Transportation Captain Brian Traynor, Washington, D.C. Police Department U. S. 1/South Dixie Highway, Miami, Florida Harry Rose and Ellen Casebeer, Dade County Office of Transportation Administration Stan Cann and Marc Lopatin, Florida Department of Transportation Bob Pearsall and Red Wooten, Dade County Metropolitan Transit Authority Captain Heller and Sgt. Bogolub, Dade County Public Safety Deparment Lt. Neil Garfield, Miami Police Department Kalanianaole Highway, Honolulu, Hawaii Eiichi Tanaka, Hawaii Department of Transportation Richard Masuta, Ken Abe and Amar Sappal, Honolulu Transportation Services Captain Harold Bradbury, Honolulu Police Department Morey Rothenberg, JHK and Associates, Consulting Engineers Dick Kaku, Alan M. Voorhees and Associates, Consulting Engineers N. W. 7th Avenue, Miami, Florida Stan Cann and Marc Lopatin, Florida Department of Transportation Kevin McNaughton, Dade County Department of Traffic and Transportation Bob Pearsall and Red Wooten, Dade County Metropolitan Transit Authority Lt. Neil Garfield, Miami Police Department Captain Irving Heller, Dade County Public Safety Department Ponce de Leon/Fernandez Juncos Avenues, San Juan, Puerto Rico Edwin Cuebas, Haydee Anton and Elvin Riuz, Department of Transportation and Public Works IV TABLE OF