Eleven things you should

know about the carpool lanes

in Los Angeles County.

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority One Gateway Plaza Los Angeles, CA 90012

COMPANY NAME Street Address City, State 00000

HOV Performance Program Executive Summary

The MTA is online at www.mta.net July 2002

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10) Carpool lanes can help air quality. Eleven things you should know about the Carpool lanes generate about half the Air quality is important to residents of Southern carpool lanes in Los Angeles County. emissions per person-mile than the other California, and carpool lanes are only one of a adjacent lanes on a freeway. Furthermore, number of measures enacted to help slow the survey findings for Los Angeles County reflect growth of vehicle emissions. Carpool lanes The following is a summary of key findings Various travel data including vehicle volumes, a widely held belief among residents and encourage ridesharing and transit use, thereby from the Los Angeles County Metropolitan travel time, vehicle occupancy, transit commuters that carpool lanes do help the cutting down on the number of vehicles that would Transportation Authority (MTA) HOV utilization, and accident statistics were region’s air quality. otherwise use the region’s roadway system. Performance Program. The study findings compiled and analyzed to evaluate the represent the culmination of an extensive operational characteristics of HOV facilities in The HOV Performance effort to collect and analyze traffic and user Los Angeles County. This performance data VEHICLE EMISSIONS Program examined the data to evaluate the effectiveness of the evaluation was supplemented by extensive (AVERAGE OF AM & PM PEAK HOUR - ALL STUDY ROUTES) current air quality carpool lane system in Los Angeles County. market research to determine the level of impacts of carpool The HOV Performance Program was support for the HOV system, to understand lanes in Los Angeles conducted in cooperation and coordination traveler needs and desires, and to expand 5.0 County. Further testing with other state, regional, and local agencies ways to communicate the benefits of HOV and monitoring will be and organizations. facilities. 4.0 needed over a number of years to ascertain the The HOV Performance Program measured Detailed findings from the HOV Performance the impact of carpool lane use against a set Program are presented in a series of Technical 3.0 true long-term benefits of carpool lanes with of program goals and objectives. Regional Memoranda and a final Evaluation Report. HOV goals were consolidated into five Electronic copies of these documents are 2.0 regard to air quality. guiding objectives that were defined in a available from the MTA website at preliminary Evaluation Plan. The objectives www.mta.net. 1.0 included:

GRAMS PER PASSENGER-MILE The program findings help address some of 0.0 1. Manage travel demand by increasing the common questions and misconceptions CARBON REACTIVE NITROGEN PARTICULATE MONOXIDE (CO) ORGANIC GASES OXIDES (NOx) MATTER (PM10) Carpool Lanes person movement capacity in congested regarding carpool lanes and the overall (ROG) Other Lanes freeway corridors. performance of the carpool lane system in Los 2. Encourage carpooling, vanpooling, and Angeles County. Eleven “things you should bus use by providing travel and mobility know” about the Los Angeles County carpool 11) Just because traffic is backed up in other lanes options. lane system performance are presented in this doesn’t mean the carpool lanes aren’t working. 3. Provide travel time savings and trip executive summary. This important information reliability to travelers using the HOV is of benefit in planning future carpool lane Carpool lanes are part of an overall strategy to Carpool lanes provide a travel alternative that facilities. investments and contemplating changes in address corridor and regional congestion many people find attractive. In recent surveys, 4. Provide air quality benefits. operational policies. problems on Los Angeles County freeways. 64% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed 5. Promote a cost-effective transportation With increases in population, employment and that carpool lanes reduce congestion in all system. automobile ownership generating more traffic, freeway lanes, while 82% of the people using carpool lanes provide options for those who are carpool lanes said that the main reason they able to take the bus, carpool or vanpool. did so was to save time.

WHAT IS THE MAIN REASON YOU USE THE CARPOOL LANES?

1,222 RESPONDENTS 50% 82% 40%

30%

20% 9% 6% 2% 10%

0% SAVE TIME ITS SAFER DON'T KNOW OTHER

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8) Carpool lanes are important to bus transit. 3) Carpool lanes don’t have to look full to be effective. A commonly voiced concern is that A few carpool lanes in Los Angeles CARPOOL LANE BUS RIDERSHIP the carpool lanes sometimes “look PERSON-TRIPS County, particularly the El Monte (PM PEAK HOUR - PM PEAK DIRECTION) DAILY - SUM OF BOTH DIRECTIONS empty” and therefore they must not Busway on the I-10 (San Bernardino) be working. In Los Angeles County, 7,000 Freeway and the Harbor Transitway approximately half of the residents 6,000 25,000 on the I-110 (Harbor) Freeway feel that carpool lanes are sufficiently (pictured right), carry a significant 5,000 20,000 utilized, while slightly fewer than half number of transit passengers. The El feel they are underutilized. 4,000 15,000 Monte Busway carpool lanes carry Despite inherent capacity constraints 10,000 over 24,500 transit passengers daily, 3,000 DAILY BUS RIDERSHIP and the Harbor Transitway carpool and fewer vehicles, a carpool lane on 5,000 2,000 Not Available Not Available Los Angeles County’s busiest Not Available lanes carry almost 5,000 transit 0 passengers daily. freeways carries from 1 to 3 times 1,000 more people than an adjacent PERSON-TRIPS-PER-LANE (PTPL) 0 freeway lane. To look at this from a 405 (101 to 5) 5 (605 to 710) Almost all the carpool lane transit 105 (405 to 605) 101 (405 to 27) 170 (101/134 to 5) 605 (South to 10) 134 (101/170 to 210) 405 (110 to Century) CONTROL ROUTES different perspective, one bus can HOV STUDY ROUTES 210 (134 to Sunflower) riders surveyed say that the carpool 57 (Orange County to 60) 118 (Ventura County to 5) 91 (110 to Orange County) 405 (Orange County to 110) lanes are important in their decision carry as many as 50 commuters, and 405 NB (101 to 5) 5 SB (605 to 710) 60 (Brea Canyon to SBD County) 110 SB (91 to 105) 101 NB (405 to 27) 110 Harbor Transitway (91 to 105) 105 EB (405 to 605) CONTROL ROUTES 14 (San Fernando to Escondido Cyn) about half the number of carpools 170 NB (101/134 to 5) 605 NB (South to 10) 110 Harbor Transitway (105 to Adams) 110 SB (105 to Adams) to use transit services. Over one- 134 EB (101/170 to 210) 405 SB (110 to Century) 10 El Monte Busway (Alameda to Baldwin) 210 EB (134 to Sunflower) can carry as many people as a full 10 EB (Alameda to Baldwin) 57 NB (Orange County91 EB to(110 60) to Orange County) 118 EB (Ventura County to 5) third of these surveyed transit riders 405 SB (Orange County to 110) general-purpose freeway lane. This Carpool Lanes (34%) say they would most likely 60 EB (Brea Canyon to SBD County) 14 NB (San Fernando to Escondido Cyn) HOV STUDY ROUTES Other Lanes discontinue riding the bus if the means that carpool lanes (and buses were no longer able to travel in particularly those with transit HOW IMPORTANT IS THE AVAILABILITY OF CARPOOL services) can carry more people in LANES IN YOUR DECISION TO RIDE THIS BUS? the carpool lanes. Carpool lanes are mass transit lanes, and their fewer vehicles. usefulness and effectiveness are compromised NOT While the two carpool lane corridors Caltrans HOV Guidelines for Planning, when they operate even a little over capacity. SOMEWHAT IMPORTANT that have the highest current transit Once the operating capacity of a carpool lane is 6% VERY Design and Operations (July 1991) IMPORTANT ridership link directly to downtown exceeded, congestion begins to occur more 11% IMPORTANT established a peak minimum lane threshold 83% Los Angeles, there are other carpool of 800 vehicles per hour for carpool lanes frequently, increasing travel times and reducing corridors in Los Angeles County that more than one year old. In Los Angeles time savings. Increasing carpool lane transit connect major residential and County, all but one of the existing services is one option that can be used to employment centers that could freeway carpool routes exceed this increase the person moving capacity of carpool lanes to make them more effective. probably benefit from increased bus threshold. In most cases, service. Comparisons to other cities carpool lanes in Los Angeles with similar characteristics (like CARPOOL LANE PEAK VOLUME County exceed this threshold by (PEAK HOUR - PEAK DIRECTION) Houston and Seattle) show the more than 50% (or 1,200 vehicles 1,052 Respondents 1,600 potential exists to move more transit per hour). passengers in carpool lanes. 1,400 Perhaps the most serious 1,200 challenge Los Angeles County carpool lanes face is that they are 1,000

now so popular that they are 800 Minimum Threshold

getting too crowded. Right now, (VPHPL) 600 several carpool lanes in Los (800VPHPL) Angeles County are close to 400

reaching a maximum desirable 200 VEHICLES-PER-HOUR-PER-LANE operating capacity. These findings suggest that carpool lanes are 0 indeed very effective, and that future effort is required to ensure 405 SB (101 to 5) 110 NB (91 to 105) 105 WB (405 to 605) 170 SB (101/134 to 5) 605 SB (South to 10) they continue to be effective. 110 NB (105 to Adams) 134 WB (101/170 to 210) 405 NB (110 to Century) 210 NB (134 to Sunflower) 10 WB (Alameda to Baldwin)57 SB (Orange County to 60) 118 EB (Ventura County to 5) 91 WB (110 to Orange County) 405 NB (Orange County to 110) 60 WB (Brea Canyon to SBD County) 14 SB (San Fernando to Escondido Cyn) HOV STUDY ROUTES Page 5 of 10 HOV Performance Program HOV Performance Program Page 6 of 10

4) Carpool lanes are used all day, everyday. 6) Carpool lanes are a good public investment. While use of carpool lanes is highest during Considering only the benefit of time savings, the mornings and evenings, many people use support the use of a portion of their County CARPOOL LANE VOLUMES almost half of the County’s carpool lanes have sales tax revenues for more transit-related (AVERAGE OF ALL STUDY ROUTES - BOTH DIRECTIONS) carpool lanes throughout the day. In fact, already proven their economic benefit. When almost 40% of Los Angeles County’s daily highway improvements like carpool lanes. 900 carpool users are not traveling the lanes comparing benefits to costs, a ratio of at 800 during the morning and evening peak least 1 to 1 is considered a worthwhile SHOULD THE POLICY THAT APPROVED THE USE OF A PORTION 700 commute periods. On many routes, “off-peak” investment. For Los Angeles County OF SALES TAX REVENUES FOR TRANSIT-RELATED HIGHWAY 600 IMPROVEMENTS BE CONTINUED? use in the middle of the day represents 30 to carpool lanes, the benefit to cost ratio is 500 50 % of peak hour demand. The same is also about 10 to 1 over the estimated 20-year 400 NO life of the facilities, while the average YES true for weekend use. 13% 300 amount of time for benefits to “payback” 82% 200 These trends indicate that a very large number HOURLY LANE VOLUME costs is about nine years. In nearly DON'T KNOW 100 of carpool lane travelers rely on the lanes every instance, the user and non-user OR REFUSED 0 5% throughout the day, and without the availability benefits of Los Angeles County carpool 00:00 01:00 02:00 03:00 04:00 05:00 06:0007:00 08:00 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:0014:00 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 19:00 20:00 21:00 22:0023:00 24:00 of these lanes, they would not have a reliable lanes exceed the taxpayer costs. TIME OF DAY option to avoid periodic congestion. These Considering the cost effectiveness of volume levels support the current 24-hour carpool lanes, it is not surprising that operation of carpool lanes in the County. 82% of Los Angeles County residents 3,273 RESPONDENTS 5) Carpool lanes encourage people to switch from 7) Many carpool lanes are full and have no capacity driving alone. to sell. The purpose of carpools lanes is to provide parallel street or other freeway prior to using In some areas, excess capacity in the carpool likely to offer any time savings benefit and, an alternative to congestion so that freeway the carpool lanes. These findings indicate lanes is “sold” to single occupant vehicle therefore, it is unlikely that single occupant users have a travel option that can help that Los Angeles County commuters are drivers who are willing to pay a toll. These vehicles would be willing to pay a toll or fee them save time. By providing the incentive willing to change their driving behavior to facilities are often referred to as High- to use the carpool lanes. of time savings, carpool lanes encourage share their trip when carpool lanes are Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes. The I-15 carpool people to form carpools or ride transit, thus provided. And these findings are not lanes in San Diego County are an example of In two separate surveys, a majority of the Los helping to reduce the overall number of surprising. A University of California Irvine HOT lanes. At different times HOT lanes have Angeles County respondents believe that vehicles on the road. survey completed more than 15 years ago also been considered as an option for some carpool lanes should be reserved for carpool Surveys of Los Angeles County carpool lane found a similar percentage of drive alone freeways in Los Angeles County. and transit use only. Almost two-thirds (64%) users found that over 50% of current commuters started to carpool when Orange of Los Angeles County residents disagreed carpoolers previously drove alone in the County’s first carpool lanes opened. In Los Angeles County, many (10 of 16) of the with the idea of opening up carpool lanes to other lanes on the same freeway. In Implementing carpool lanes has been an carpool lanes are carrying between 1,200 and single occupant vehicles that pay a toll. Similarly, over one-half (52%) of residents did addition, another 9% of carpool lane users effective way of getting people to start 1,600 vehicles-per-hour during the peak carpooling. commute periods, which are the same periods not agree with the current policy that allows said they previously drove alone on a The positive impact of carpool when people are most likely to be willing to pay ultra low emission vehicles to use the carpool PRIOR TO USING CARPOOL LANES, HOW lanes on carpool formation has been a price to avoid congestion. National lanes when they carry the driver only. DID YOU MAKE THIS TRIP? evidenced in every corridor in Los guidelines suggest that time savings SINGLE OCCUPANT VEHICLES SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO USE Angeles County where carpool lanes have benefits are lost above a maximum threshold of 1,200 to 1,500 vehicles per THE CARPOOL LANES IF THEY PAY A TOLL 1,356 RESPONDENTS been provided. A comparison with other 60% 52% lane. When these levels are exceeded, STRONGLY routes in Los Angeles County that do not STRONGLY AGREE 50% have carpool lanes, like Interstate 5 and speeds in the carpool lanes can slow DISAGREE 14% 6% 40% U.S. Route 101, shows that carpool routes down as congestion builds. Without any AGREE 23% 30% capacity to sell in these already busy 19% 16% have an overall higher average number of 20% 9% persons in each vehicle. In fact, average carpool lanes, there is little opportunity to 6% 5% 10% 1% vehicle occupancies have been declining add more potential users that pay a toll or fee without endangering travel benefits. 0% for a number of years on the non-carpool DROVE ALONE TRAVELED IN A CARPOOL OR DROVE ALONE CARPOOL OR CARPOOL OR OTHER IN OTHER DIFFERENT VANPOOL IN ON PARALLEL VANPOOL IN VANPOOL ON routes (which is consistent with national LANES OF AREA OTHER LANES STREET OR DIFFERENT DIFFERENT NEUTRAL trends), but occupancies have increased on On the routes where capacity does exist in DISAGREE FREEWAY ON FREEWAY FREEWAY FREEWAY FREEWAY 8% 50% CARPOOL WITHOUT those routes with carpool lanes. Providing the carpool lanes, there is also capacity LANE CARPOOL LANE available in the other lanes, so all lanes carpool lanes has made it possible to move 3,273 Respondents move at about the same speed. Under TOTAL MAY EXCEED 100% DUE TO MULTIPLE RESPONSES more people around Los Angeles County in fewer vehicles. these conditions, the carpool lanes are not

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1) Nearly everyone supports carpool lanes. The SR -14 (Antelope Valley) Freeway, for example, connects In Los Angeles County, there the primarily residential OVERALL, WOULD YOU SAY YOU SUPPORT OR is very high public support communities of the Antelope Valley and the major employment OPPOSE HAVING CARPOOL LANES ON for carpool lanes. An centers of the San Fernando LOS ANGELES COUNTY FREEWAYS? overwhelming majority (88%) of Los Angeles County Valley and greater Los Angeles. Not surprisingly, there are already OPPOSED residents support having NEUTRAL/ DON’T over 1,100 daily transit riders 8% SUPPORT carpool lanes on Los KNOW 88% using the carpool lanes in this 4% Angeles County freeways, including 70% of freeway corridor (in addition to those motorists who do not choose transit riders that use the parallel Metrolink commuter rail service). to use the carpool lanes. This overwhelming support As the communities in the of carpool lanes is Antelope Valley grow, and traffic evidenced in every conditions on the SR-14 Freeway geographic part of the deteriorate, transit in this corridor county, by users on every will become an increasingly attractive commute choice. 3,273 Respondents freeway route, and by all ethnic and income groups. 9) There are not a lot of cheaters in the carpool lanes.

% Violators 2) All carpool lanes save time, and the time Carpool lane requirements appear to be HOV Routes NB or EB SB or WB savings can add up. respected by most Los Angeles County freeway users. Violation rates for SR-14 0% 0% vehicles with fewer than the minimum SR-57 1% 0% The HOV Performance Program findings varies. Combining the time savings for required number of persons represent an SR-60 0% 0% show that all carpool routes in Los Angeles multiple carpool routes, carpool lane average of no more than 3% of all SR-91 1% 0% County provide time savings, although the interchange ramps and carpool bypass carpool lane users. I-105 1% 1% travel time savings for each carpool route ramps at freeway entrance ramp meters I-110 1% 1% Thanks to efforts of the California really adds up. SR-118 0% 1% Highway Patrol, a hefty $271 minimum AVERAGE TRAVEL TIME SAVINGS Carpool lanes that provide fine for a first time offense, and a vast SR-134 3% 1% SR-170 1% 0% 35 the greatest time savings are majority of motorists who respect the typically located along very reason for having carpool lanes, this I-210 2% 1% 30 congested freeway violation rate is one of the lowest in the I-405 0% 2% I-605 2% 1% 25 corridors. In cases where nation. carpool lane time savings 20 are less, it appears to be due to the following reasons: 15 t Too much demand 10 causing congestion in 5 the carpool lanes. TIME SAVINGS IN MINUTES 0 t Merging difficulties causing congestion at the end of the carpool lanes. 405 (101 to 5) 110 (91 to 105) 105 (405 to 605) 170 (101/134 to 5) 605 (South to 10) 110 (105 to Adams) t A lack of congestion in 134 (101/170 to 210) 405 (110 to Century) 210 (134 to Sunflower) the other lanes resulting 10 (Alameda to57 Baldwin) (Orange County to 60) 91 (110 to Orange County) 118 (Ventura County to 5) 405 (Orange County to 110) PM Peak in no incentive to use 60 (Brea Canyon to SBD County) AM Peak the carpool lanes. 14 (San Fernando to Escondido Cyn) HOV STUDY ROUTES HOV Performance Program Page 10 of 10

When these same carpool lane users were increasing the number of vehicles. These asked how much time they thought they approaches ultimately allow more people saved by using the carpool lanes, they to share in the time savings benefit reported that they saved, on average, more carpool lanes provide, without increasing than 19 minutes in the morning and 24 congestion in the carpool lanes. minutes in the afternoon. That adds up to Eleven things you should know about the Other measures to make carpool lanes nearly 45 minutes per day each person work better include encouraging Mornning believed they saved. Coomm ute carpool lanes in Los Angeles County. commuting outside the peak hours, the Because “saving time” is the main reason provision of new carpool lanes in other people use carpool lanes, it is important that corridors, and building additional carpool Afteernoon carpool lanes continue to provide time lanes in existing corridors. Adding Comm ute savings. On some routes where carpool carpool lane interchanges and eliminating lanes are becoming congested, it will be the gaps in the carpool lane system necessary to explore ways to continue to reduce the need for vehicles to move in protect this benefit. and out of the carpool lanes unnecessarily. By keeping vehicles in the Expanding transit services and increasing carpool lanes, traffic in the other lanes minimum occupancy requirements are two benefit by reducing the amount of possible approaches to enhance the people weaving and merging at congested moving capacity of the carpool lanes without freeway interchanges.

Do you want to know more about the carpool lanes in Los Angeles County?

Findings from the HOV Performance For more information about the HOV Program have helped provide a better Performance Program findings contact the understanding of what carpool lanes can Los Angeles County Metropolitan do, and have done, for Los Angeles County. Transportation Authority, One Gateway Plaza, The Metropolitan Transportation Authority Los Angeles, California, 90012, or visit the and Caltrans are committed to continue to MTA website at www.mta.net. monitor the performance of Los Angeles County’s carpool lane investments.

http://www.mta.net

HOV Performance Program Executive Summary

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority

Prepared by:

Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade & Douglas, Inc.

In association with

Kaku Associates, Inc. Texas Transportation Institute Strategic Consulting & Research HS Public Affairs

July 2002