Do HOV to HOT conversions decrease carpooling?

A study from Texas A&M asks whether carpooling decreases when lanes are converted from high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes to lanes allowing solo drivers to pay a toll. The researchers studied eight roadway segments in six states and found that carpooling often declined when lanes were converted from HOV-only to high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes that charge solo drivers a fee to use the supposedly faster restricted lanes.

FHWA report details impact of occupancy exemptions on managed lanes

States with high-occupancy vehicle lanes or high-occupancy toll lanes may also allow certain categories of vehicles to use the lanes without having the required number of occupants. However states are required to show that allowing these vehicles does not degrade the speed and efficiency of the managed lanes. A new report from FHWA shows the impact of these exemptions on managed lane performance.

FHWA report details impact of occupancy exemptions on managed lanes

States with high-occupancy vehicle lanes or high-occupancy toll lanes may also allow certain categories of vehicles to use the lanes without having the required number of occupants. However states are required to show that allowing these vehicles does not degrade the speed and efficiency of the managed lanes. A new report from FHWA shows the impact of these exemptions on managed lane performance.

HOT lane study points to importance of reliability over average delay

A new University of Minnesota study on driver behavior in managed lanes provides some findings that on the surface seem highly counter-intuitive, but that may have a simple explanation. Travelers care more about reliability than delay. The first surprising result is that travelers were willing to pay large tolls to access HOT lanes. Also, rather than discouraging HOT lane use, increases in tolls actually encouraged more drivers to opt for those lanes

Do transportation agencies value time more than travelers do?

Tolled traffic lanes on otherwise unpriced facilities offer a unique opportunity to understand how much people are willing to pay for a faster commute and to truth test the assumptions used by transportation agencies to judge the benefits and costs of potential projects. One of these projects, the high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes on Washington’s SR 167, demonstrates the difficulty of accurately predicting how travelers will value reductions in travel time.