Factors affecting Atlanta commuters’ high occupancy toll lane and carpool choices (original) (raw)
Related papers
Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 1999
A case study of carpooling behavior on the 91 express lanes is presented. The 91 express lanes are the nation’s first high-occupancy/toll (HOT) lanes on which carpools with three or more passengers could use the lanes for free (at the time the data for this study were collected) and others paid a toll that varied by time of day to use the premium express lane. One concern over such a policy is that people will not carpool if they can just pay for the travel time savings that they would normally obtain by carpooling and using a high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane. Survey data show that the rate of carpooling has not changed much since the opening of the express lanes, a lot of changing between modes occurs (increases and decreases in the number of passengers), a large number of people carpool a few times a week, and two-person HOVs use both the regular lanes and the express lanes. It was further investigated whether HOT lanes encourage carpooling by modeling carpool formation with disc...
Who Chooses to Carpool and Why?: Examination of Texas Carpoolers
Transportation Research Record, 2007
Managed lanes are facilities in which usage eligibility is controlled by pricing policies and other considerations. Operation of managed lanes involves, among other things, setting desired objectives for the facility and determining user eligibility and pricing policies. Most managed-lane facilities in the United States are high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes, in which single-occupancy vehicles (SOVs) are charged a toll for using the facility, but HOVs travel on the facility for free. Current research has found inefficiencies in HOT lanes and called for eliminating HOV preferential treatment, either by opening up HOV lanes to all traffic or by imposing a toll on all lanes . However, supporters of HOT lanes argue that the policy promises a number of benefits, including promoting non-SOV modes, especially carpools and transit; generating needed transportation revenues; easing political opposition; and improving air quality .
Impact of high occupancy vehicle lanes on carpooling behavior
Transportation, 1990
High occupancy vehicle lanes have become an integral part of regional transportation planning. Their purpose is to increase ridesharing by offering a travel time advantage to multiple occupant vehicles. This paper examines the extent to which an HOV facility increases ridesharing. Using data from the Route 55 HOV facility in Orange Country, California, changes in the carpooling rate on Route 55 are compared to that of a control group of freeway commuters. The analysis shows that the carpooling rate among peak period commuters, and particularly those who use the entire length of the facility, has increased. However, there has been no significant increase in ridesharing among the entire population of Route 55 commuters. Results suggest that barriers to increased ridesharing are formidable, that travel time savings must be large in order to attract new carpoolers, and that further increases in capooling will likely require development of extensive HOV lane systems. Table 2. Work trip sample. Route 55 Control Drive alone 449 345 Carpool 2(19 38 Column total 658 383 Sample total 11}41
METHODOLOGY FOR ASSESSING HIGH-OCCUPANCY TOLL-LANE USAGE AND NETWORK PERFORMANCE
Transportation Research Record, 2001
A modeling framework for the evaluation of high-occupancy toll (HOT) facilities is discussed. It is based on a traffic simulation-assignment model interfaced with an unordered multinomial logit mode-choice model. The model allows for the prediction of high-occupancy, transit, and single-occupancy vehicle modal shares, based on prevailing traffic conditions and tolls. Also presented is an illustrative investigation of the sensitivity to various elements of the modal-choice function using the methodology and of the effect of different HOT facility features on HOT lane usage and associated system performance. These features include HOT lane configurations, pricing levels, carpooling attractiveness, changing departure times, and sensitivity to generalized cost. A representation of the south-central part of I-35W and the supporting roadways in the Fort Worth, Texas, area was used in the study. The results of the simulations were analyzed under each of the operating and behavior characteristics to evaluate the potential success of an HOT facility. Improving the carpooling attractiveness decreases the number of vehicles on the roadway but may not necessarily improve the average travel time for the system as a whole. The larger the departure-time window, the easier it is for travelers to carpool; however, the relatively small number of people choosing the HOV mode may inhibit the average travel time for the system from reflecting the impacts of the reduced vehicle trips. Increasing the sensitivity to time, or generalized cost, raises the HOV mode share when there is an HOT facility available. FIGURE 2 Comparison of difference in average trip times by pricing level for 10-min departure-time window and original utility functions. FIGURE 3 Comparison of difference in average trip times by sensitivity to generalized cost for 10-min departure-time window and original carpooling attractiveness.
Journal of Transport Geography, 2018
This study examines the feasibility of implementing high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes in a Middle Eastern country to obtain an improved understanding of such a policy and how it may affect the behavior of travelers in this region. This study focuses on the relationship between travelers' willingness to pay (WTP) for HOT lanes and different factors, such as traveler characteristics and trip conditions. A combination of the stated preference and revealed preference surveys was used to collect data, and the analysis is based on approximately 6000 responses. Urgency, speed, and distance are three trip conditions that were utilized to determine drivers' WTP to use HOT lanes to avoid congestion. The influence of various traveler characteristics on drivers' WTP was also examined. The results indicated that WTP decreases as trip conditions improve. Furthermore, the analysis revealed that drivers' WTP to avoid congestion is affected by their income, trip frequency, nationality, and number of vehicles owned.
HOT for Transit? Transit’s Experience of High-Occupancy Toll Lanes
Journal of Public Transportation
As more and more regions seek to implement high-occupancy toll or HOT lanes, more and more transit agencies seek knowledge to take advantage of this new infrastructure opportunity. Unfortunately, as is often the case with the rapid diffusion of a new technology, little information is available to guide policy. This research addresses the need for knowledge on the integration of transit with HOT lanes. It first identifies the salient elements of HOT lanes for transit agencies and then systematically compares these features across all 12 HOT lane facilities operating in the United States at the start of 2012. This paper combines a review of the limited literature on HOT lane/transit integration with detailed data collection from functioning projects. The text aims at a general comparison; however, the tables offer an additional degree of detail to facilitate further exploration.
Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, 2022
This paper introduces an innovative way to incentivize increased person throughput on priced highway facilities such as toll roads, express toll lanes, and high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes, using cash rewards for carpoolers and transit riders. An exploratory evaluation of the concept is demonstrated for the I-66 HOT facility inside the Capital Beltway in Northern Virginia. The results of the analysis suggest that the concept could provide significant benefits at a relatively low cost to public agencies for cash incentives.
2014
This paper presents lessons learned from household traveler surveys administered in Seattle and Atlanta as part of the evaluation of the Urban Partnership Agreement and Congestion Reduction Demonstration Programs. The surveys use a two-stage panel survey approach to analyze the impacts of the federally sponsored variable tolling programs on corridor users’ daily travel choices and opinions. Key lessons learned are that pricing does influence travel behavior (as expected), particularly with respect to route choice and the timing of trips. Pricing does not appear to have a noticeable impact on telecommuting, and impacts on mode choice and occupancy depend on the design of the tolling project and the regional context. In addition, the surveys found that travelers utilizing the priced facility notice and appreciate the improvement to traffic conditions and that attitudes toward tolling change with direct experience. The key implications of these lessons learned are that: near term shift...
Slugging in Houston — Casual Carpool Passenger Characteristics
Journal of Public Transportation, 2006
In the last 30 years, determined travelers have developed a new method of travel that offers the benefits of traveling on an HOV lane without forming traditional carpools. Casual carpools, also known as "slugging, " are impromptu carpools formed among strangers to meet the occupancy requirements of HOV lanes. In this research, survey respondent data from Houston, Texas, were used to examine casual carpool passengers. Results of the analyses revealed that being on a commute trip, making more trips per week, being between the ages of 25 and 34, and having professional/managerial or administrative/clerical occupations all increased the likelihood of a traveler choosing to casual carpool. Additionally, having a household income between 25,000and25,000 and 25,000and35,000 significantly reduced the likelihood of casual carpooling. Understanding the types of travelers who casual carpooled and the information gleaned in these analyses can be used to better evaluate HOV and HOT lane use and performance. Casual carpool passengers can comprise a significant portion of HOV/HOT lane person movement and should be considered when investigating HOV or HOT lane implementation.