#### MEMORANDUM

TO: HOV PFS Members

FROM: Chuck Fuhs, PFS Management Support

DATE: October 24, 2002

RE: Project Selection Process

**PFS Members,**

This memo outlines a process for initial prioritization of new project
statements developed from project ideas. We will go through this process
and the new project ideas ballot (Attachment 1) during our October 30
breakfast meeting next week.

# [Project Selection Process]{.underline}

You will be asked to evaluate the 13 draft project statements sent out
earlier and indicate your level of interest in these ideas (support, not
sure, don't support) as HOV PFS projects. Project idea selection will be
based on the following rationale (listed in priority order):

1)  Those project ideas that receive the strongest support from members
    (in terms of number of "support" votes) and little opposition
    ("don't support");

2)  Those project ideas that receive the least support from members (in
    terms of very few "support" votes and a large number of "don't
    support" votes); and

3)  Those projects ideas that receive a large number of "not sure"
    votes, some "support" and few, if any, "don't support" votes.

Topics will be retained for further consideration if the number of "not
sure" votes received by some of the project ideas indicates that members
need more information about them in order to evaluate them, and there is
sufficient interest on the part of members to revise the project
statement.

The PFS management will investigate combining two project ideas if there
is strong support from members that these projects overlap. Similarly,
if there is strong support for separating projects from a single topic,
the PFS management will consider this in our discussions. New topics can
also be added at any time for consideration. New project ideas that are
received after the ballots have been sent to members will be developed
and presented for your consideration.

## 

## Next Steps

Once statements are prioritized based on balloting, our plan is to
develop a revised write-up (1-2 pages) for each of the projects and
forward to you for a second round of review. As shown on our schedule
below, we will send these revised project write-ups to you by November
8, 2002. Once additional comments are received by November 13, we will
finalize and submit final draft project proposals by or before December
3. We will discuss these projects more fully at the December 12 meeting
in Irvine, California. Our goal is to come up with a short list (five or
six) of theses projects at the annual meeting.

[Item]{.underline} [Milestone/Action]{.underline} [Date]{.underline}

1\. Members discuss & ask questions on project proposals 10/30/02

2\. Members submit rankings on initial project proposals 11/5/02

3\. Revised project proposals submitted to members for 2nd review
11/8/02

4\. Members submit comments and issues to consider 11/13/02

> integrating into project proposals

5\. Final draft project proposals distributed to members for review
11/27/02 (or

12/3/02)

6\. Members review, revise, & select projects at annual meeting 12/12/02

7\. Revised project proposals for selected projects distributed Jan./Feb
2003

> for member review

8\. Request for proposals (RFPs) developed Feb. 2003

9\. RFP's distributed March 2003

**Attachment 1**

##### Project Proposal Survey

+---+-----------------------------+-------------+---------------------+
| * |                             | **Available | **Member Response** |
| * |                             | Choices**   |                     |
| P |                             |             |                     |
| r |                             |             |                     |
| o |                             |             |                     |
| j |                             |             |                     |
| e |                             |             |                     |
| c |                             |             |                     |
| t |                             |             |                     |
| N |                             |             |                     |
| u |                             |             |                     |
| m |                             |             |                     |
| b |                             |             |                     |
| e |                             |             |                     |
| r |                             |             |                     |
| a |                             |             |                     |
| n |                             |             |                     |
| d |                             |             |                     |
| T |                             |             |                     |
| i |                             |             |                     |
| t |                             |             |                     |
| l |                             |             |                     |
| e |                             |             |                     |
| * |                             |             |                     |
| * |                             |             |                     |
+---+-----------------------------+-------------+---------------------+
| 1 | HOV Performance Monitoring  | # Support   |                     |
| \ | and Evaluation Guidance     |             |                     |
| . |                             |             |                     |
+---+-----------------------------+-------------+---------------------+
|   |                             | Don't       |                     |
|   |                             | Support     |                     |
+---+-----------------------------+-------------+---------------------+
|   |                             | Not Sure    |                     |
+---+-----------------------------+-------------+---------------------+
| 2 | HOV Data Collection and     | # Support   |                     |
| \ | Data Management             |             |                     |
| . |                             |             |                     |
+---+-----------------------------+-------------+---------------------+
|   |                             | Don't       |                     |
|   |                             | Support     |                     |
+---+-----------------------------+-------------+---------------------+
|   |                             | Not Sure    |                     |
+---+-----------------------------+-------------+---------------------+
| 3 | Design and Operational      | # Support   |                     |
| \ | Assessment of Lane          |             |                     |
| . | Separation Treatments       |             |                     |
+---+-----------------------------+-------------+---------------------+
|   |                             | Don't       |                     |
|   |                             | Support     |                     |
+---+-----------------------------+-------------+---------------------+
|   |                             | Not Sure    |                     |
+---+-----------------------------+-------------+---------------------+
| 4 | Development of a Statewide  | # Support   |                     |
| \ | HOV Policy Committee        |             |                     |
| . |                             |             |                     |
+---+-----------------------------+-------------+---------------------+
|   |                             | Don't       |                     |
|   |                             | Support     |                     |
+---+-----------------------------+-------------+---------------------+
|   |                             | Not Sure    |                     |
+---+-----------------------------+-------------+---------------------+
| 5 | Assessing Impacts of HOV    | # Support   |                     |
| \ | Facilities on Air Quality   |             |                     |
| . |                             |             |                     |
+---+-----------------------------+-------------+---------------------+
|   |                             | Don't       |                     |
|   |                             | Support     |                     |
+---+-----------------------------+-------------+---------------------+
|   |                             | Not Sure    |                     |
+---+-----------------------------+-------------+---------------------+
| 6 | Identifying Planning        | # Support   |                     |
| \ | Criteria for                |             |                     |
| . | High-Occupancy/Toll (HOT)   |             |                     |
|   | Lanes                       |             |                     |
+---+-----------------------------+-------------+---------------------+
|   |                             | Don't       |                     |
|   |                             | Support     |                     |
+---+-----------------------------+-------------+---------------------+
|   |                             | Not Sure    |                     |
+---+-----------------------------+-------------+---------------------+
| # | ### HOV                     | # Support   |                     |
| # | Enforcement Best Practices  |             |                     |
| # |                             |             |                     |
|   |                             |             |                     |
| 7 |                             |             |                     |
| . |                             |             |                     |
+---+-----------------------------+-------------+---------------------+
|   |                             | Don't       |                     |
|   |                             | Support     |                     |
+---+-----------------------------+-------------+---------------------+
|   |                             | Not Sure    |                     |
+---+-----------------------------+-------------+---------------------+
| 8 | HOV Lane Safety Study       | # Support   |                     |
| \ | addressing Operation and    |             |                     |
| . | Design                      |             |                     |
+---+-----------------------------+-------------+---------------------+
|   |                             | Don't       |                     |
|   |                             | Support     |                     |
+---+-----------------------------+-------------+---------------------+
|   |                             | Not Sure    |                     |
+---+-----------------------------+-------------+---------------------+
| # | ### Me                      | # Support   |                     |
| # | thods to Determine the Appr |             |                     |
| # | opriate Hours of Operation  |             |                     |
|   |                             |             |                     |
| 9 |                             |             |                     |
| . |                             |             |                     |
+---+-----------------------------+-------------+---------------------+
|   |                             | Don't       |                     |
|   |                             | Support     |                     |
+---+-----------------------------+-------------+---------------------+
|   |                             | Not Sure    |                     |
+---+-----------------------------+-------------+---------------------+
| # | ###                         | # Support   |                     |
| # |  Guidelines for Changing HO |             |                     |
| # | V Eligibility Requirements  |             |                     |
|   |                             |             |                     |
| 1 |                             |             |                     |
| 0 |                             |             |                     |
| . |                             |             |                     |
+---+-----------------------------+-------------+---------------------+
|   |                             | Don't       |                     |
|   |                             | Support     |                     |
+---+-----------------------------+-------------+---------------------+
|   |                             | Not Sure    |                     |
+---+-----------------------------+-------------+---------------------+
| 1 | HOV and Managed Lane        | # Support   |                     |
| 1 | Signing & Delineation       |             |                     |
| \ |                             |             |                     |
| . |                             |             |                     |
+---+-----------------------------+-------------+---------------------+
|   |                             | Don't       |                     |
|   |                             | Support     |                     |
+---+-----------------------------+-------------+---------------------+
|   |                             | Not Sure    |                     |
+---+-----------------------------+-------------+---------------------+
| 1 | HOV Marketing Manual        | # Support   |                     |
| 2 |                             |             |                     |
| \ |                             |             |                     |
| . |                             |             |                     |
+---+-----------------------------+-------------+---------------------+
|   |                             | Don't       |                     |
|   |                             | Support     |                     |
+---+-----------------------------+-------------+---------------------+
|   |                             | Not Sure    |                     |
+---+-----------------------------+-------------+---------------------+
| 1 | # HOV Project Inventory     | # Support   |                     |
| 3 |                             |             |                     |
| \ |                             |             |                     |
| . |                             |             |                     |
+---+-----------------------------+-------------+---------------------+
|   |                             | Don't       |                     |
|   |                             | Support     |                     |
+---+-----------------------------+-------------+---------------------+
|   |                             | Not Sure    |                     |
+---+-----------------------------+-------------+---------------------+

**Attachment 2**

Draft Project Statements

10/2/02

Following is a compilation of initial project statements developed from
ideas offered by HOV PFS members through September 30, 2002. Ideas have
been expanded to cover issues identified in other reference materials,
and in some cases ideas have been consolidated where common themes were
offered. The original idea number is referenced by number with each
subject title.

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **Title**                                                             |
|                                                                       |
| HOV Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Guidance (5.1, 5.6, 5.7)    |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| > **Statement of Problems and Project Focus**\                        |
| > While some HOV projects are well monitored with ongoing program and |
| > evaluation oversight, a majority of the nation's projects           |
| > experience limited monitoring and little or no reporting of data to |
| > agencies (see draft white paper on Performance and Monitoring to be |
| > forthcoming). Public and policy makers have a vested interest in    |
| > the performance of these transportation improvements, and technical |
| > staff need results to improve planning practice and forecasting     |
| > techniques. There is a lack of consistent means of reporting and no |
| > formalized feedback loop from monitoring "lessons learned" to       |
| > planning, design and operations of new facilities.                  |
| >                                                                     |
| > The definition of a successful HOV lane operation needs to be       |
| > clearly understood for each project setting, with a monitoring      |
| > program reflecting the goals and objectives established for the     |
| > project. Determining whether the project is a success (i.e., moving |
| > the same number of persons in fewer vehicles than the adjacent      |
| > general purpose lanes, creating new carpool formation, or           |
| > generating a minimum travel time savings) helps define the          |
| > evaluation procedure. Best practices are missing in popular         |
| > guidance, and no guidance exists in developing a modest program     |
| > within a limited budget. Best practices need to address how to best |
| > monitor and evaluate underutilized HOV lanes. Transit performance   |
| > is critical in HOV lanes, yet limited information exists to         |
| > determine if transit vehicles limit or inhibit HOV lane             |
| > performance.                                                        |
| >                                                                     |
| > The focus on this project is two phased. The first focus is to      |
| > improve upon the FTA sponsored performance evaluation guidelines by |
| > examining current practice and offering specific guidance for       |
| > developing and managing performance monitoring programs for small   |
| > and large systems, for reporting results to different audiences,    |
| > and to offer guidance in monitoring consistency, reporting and      |
| > dissemination of information. Specific activities include:          |
|                                                                       |
| -   Review the FTA report, Performance white paper and available      |
|     monitoring documentation and confirming the focus for scope in    |
|     this effort.                                                      |
|                                                                       |
| -   Provide a set of goals and objectives for the HOV system and      |
|     identify measures of effectiveness applicable to each. Examine    |
|     goals related to existing projects and future extensions or       |
|     improvements to HOV lane systems.                                 |
|                                                                       |
| -   Identify and develop best practices for HOV data collection,      |
|     including lessons learned from recent data collection efforts.    |
|                                                                       |
| -   Develop monitoring and performance measures specific to HOV       |
|     modes, such as bus transit patronage and performance measures,    |
|     and provide "rule of thumb" tools based on past performance       |
|     evaluations.                                                      |
|                                                                       |
| -   Develop improved means for information management, including      |
|     prototypical systems for data storage, analysis and reporting of  |
|     traffic volume, occupancy and violation rates. Make data more     |
|     user friendly in formats such as GIS maps and charts on-line      |
|                                                                       |
| -   Identify a set of short-term and long-term policy recommendations |
|     for HOV facilities as a guide to future decisions on the          |
|     planning, design and operations of future HOV facilities.         |
|                                                                       |
| > Recipients would be representative state DOTs, transit agencies,    |
| > police agencies and others having a role in the planning,           |
| > development, operation and performance monitoring of HOV            |
| > facilities.                                                         |
| >                                                                     |
| > Products would include:                                             |
|                                                                       |
| -   An updated technical reference to the FTA report, including links |
|     between goals and objectives and typical performance measures to  |
|     address each, methodologies, spreadsheets and templates           |
|                                                                       |
| -   Example brochure and primer for public awareness and outreach,    |
|     including an appendix of example media used on various projects   |
|     to illustrate best practices                                      |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **Title**                                                             |
|                                                                       |
| HOV Data Collection and Data Management (5.3, 5.4, 5.5)               |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| > **Statement of Problem and Project Focus**\                         |
| > The ability to monitor performance of HOV projects and use data     |
| > more effectively in planning future projects is inhibited by the    |
| > availability and accuracy of operational data. As more data         |
| > gathering techniques have become automated the potential to use     |
| > this data increases. But the evidence to date suggests that much of |
| > this data is not easily retrievable, "clean" to use for performance |
| > evaluation purposes, and cannot be easily warehoused and accessed   |
| > for historical purposes. This shortcoming has hindered effective    |
| > ways of keeping track of and sharing HOV performance and using      |
| > findings to improve project planning and implementation. This       |
| > project would                                                       |
|                                                                       |
| -   Identify what HOV data collection is used for (i.e., mobility,    |
|     accessibility, air quality, fuel consumption, safety, accidents,  |
|     and cost effectiveness).                                          |
|                                                                       |
| -   Evaluate types and methods of HOV data collection, including new  |
|     technologies for measuring occupancy.                             |
|                                                                       |
| -   Provide a nationwide HOV database of desired operation            |
|     information on-line.                                              |
|                                                                       |
| -   Determine threshold data measures to trigger HOV lane             |
|     enhancements.                                                     |
|                                                                       |
| ```{=html}                                                            |
| <!-- -->                                                              |
| ```                                                                   |
| -   Recommend data collection best practices for purposes of          |
|     performance monitoring and evaluation.                            |
|                                                                       |
| -   Recommend surveying techniques to help assess new carpool         |
|     formation                                                         |
|                                                                       |
| -   Recommend ways for reporting data in public friendly ways         |
|                                                                       |
| > Recipients would be technical staff (planners and operators)        |
| > involved in performance and evaluation monitoring and public        |
| > outreach professionals responsible for sharing data with lay        |
| > audiences.                                                          |
| >                                                                     |
| > Products would be:                                                  |
|                                                                       |
| -   Technical report of findings and techniques                       |
|                                                                       |
| -   Prototype templates and spreadsheets for common types of data     |
|                                                                       |
| -   Web-based HOV inventory of operational data                       |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **Title**                                                             |
|                                                                       |
| Design and Operational Assessment of Lane Separation Treatments (2.2) |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| > **Statement of Problem and Project Focus**\                         |
| > Several basic concurrent-flow HOV lane designs have emerged and     |
| > been practiced for a number of years, including barrier-separated,  |
| > buffer-separated, and non-separated treatments. Some of the design  |
| > features have been implemented because of the specific operation    |
| > policy to allow HOV lanes to operate as general purpose lanes       |
| > during off-peak periods. However, no study has been undertaken to   |
| > assess the design and operational implications of each, based on    |
| > collective experiences from a wide number of projects.              |
| >                                                                     |
| > The objective of this project is to evaluate the performance        |
| > effectiveness of each type of concurrent flow lane design           |
| > treatment, with particular focus on the lane separation treatment   |
| > between HOV and general flow traffic. Activities would include:     |
|                                                                       |
| -   Survey design treatments and standards of design practice         |
|     nationwide.                                                       |
|                                                                       |
| -   Interview design and enforcement practitioners in each project    |
|     locale.                                                           |
|                                                                       |
| -   Collect and evaluate performance data (speeds, volumes,           |
|     accidents) for each type of lane separation treatment.            |
|     Intermediate access (continuous and designated) would also be     |
|     addressed as part of this research.                               |
|                                                                       |
| -   Develop guidelines and "rules of thumb" to assist in the          |
|     selection, application and operation of each design. Guidance     |
|     would include input to modeling HOV lane performance and          |
|     determining HOV benefit/cost ratios for evaluating barrier versus |
|     non-barriered design treatments.                                  |
|                                                                       |
| Recepients would be state DOTs, transit agencies, FHWA, FTA and other |
| local and regional agencies involved in the planning, design and      |
| operation of HOV lanes.                                               |
|                                                                       |
| The product would be a technical report documenting the various       |
| activities and findings from the above activities.                    |
|                                                                       |
| > .                                                                   |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **Title**                                                             |
|                                                                       |
| Development of a Statewide HOV Policy Committee (1.1, 6.2)            |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| > **Statement of Problem and Project Focus**\                         |
| > A number of states have HOV lanes and lane systems in various       |
| > regions, each exhibiting different objectives, characteristics and  |
| > problems.  Historically there has been little, if any, coordination |
| > and communication between differing regions, mostly due to their    |
| > dissimilarities. One way of addressing improved coordination,       |
| > sharing of best practices and consistency is creation of a          |
| > committee that can address statewide practice. Few states have      |
| > these committees in place. The development of a Statewide HOV       |
| > Policy Committee could deal with the following issues:              |
|                                                                       |
| -   Sharing lessons learned from states with statewide HOV policy     |
|                                                                       |
| -   Development of statewide HOV policy                               |
|                                                                       |
| -   Outreach awareness and education to the public, media and elected |
|     officials                                                         |
|                                                                       |
| -   Information and data sharing                                      |
|                                                                       |
| -   HOV advocacy                                                      |
|                                                                       |
| -   Regulatory information                                            |
|                                                                       |
| -   Technical analysis                                                |
|                                                                       |
| -   Support facilities (i.e., Park and Ride lots, transit)            |
|                                                                       |
| ```{=html}                                                            |
| <!-- -->                                                              |
| ```                                                                   |
| -   Design standards                                                  |
|                                                                       |
| > The focus of this project would be to survey areas where similar    |
| > forums (committees, summits and policy-related functions) have been |
| > implemented, gain an understanding of the issues they have          |
| > addressed and develop a compilation of best practices to offer      |
| > states in setting up such committees and communicating HOV policy   |
| > guidance to the public. Examples would come from local and          |
| > statewide policy efforts undertaken in various parts of the         |
| > country.                                                            |
| >                                                                     |
| > Recipients would be representative state DOTs, transit agencies,    |
| > police agencies and others having a role in the planning,           |
| > development, operation and performance monitoring of HOV            |
| > facilities.                                                         |
| >                                                                     |
| > Products from this project could be a compilation of best           |
| > practices, issues and outcomes from a statewide policy committee.   |
| > These products would include state-of-the-art techniques to promote |
| > HOV policies to the public. Peer-to-peer assistance from agency     |
| > representatives who have undertaken the preparation and adoption of |
| > HOV policies could also be a recommended action and output of this  |
| > project effort once guidance is developed.                          |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **Title**                                                             |
|                                                                       |
| Assessing Impacts of HOV Facilities on Air Quality (2.1)              |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| > **Statement of Problem and Project Focus**\                         |
| > There is a lack of good information on the air quality impacts of   |
| > HOV facilities. In general, the impacts of HOV lanes on air quality |
| > are more complex and less well understood than generally thought.   |
| > Research is needed to quantify the vehicle occupancy and congestion |
| > tradeoffs involved in HOV lane implementation, and model the        |
| > impacts of HOV lanes on air quality. Issues to be examined include  |
| > how to model HOV networks to estimate air quality, the impact of    |
| > HOV lanes on traffic operations and air quality, the effects of     |
| > lane conversions compared to adding an HOV lane, and the impacts of |
| > HOV versus HOT lane implementation.                                 |
| >                                                                     |
| > The project focus is on examining what has been learned from prior  |
| > performance monitoring regarding changes in air quality and         |
| > examining and improving current modeling tools in assessing air     |
| > quality impacts on planning and implementing HOV and HOT lanes.     |
| >                                                                     |
| > Activities would include:                                           |
|                                                                       |
| -   Review prior planning forecasts, performance monitoring results   |
|     and techniques used to evaluate HOV lane projects.                |
|                                                                       |
| -   Review the current state-of-the-art in modeling air quality, and  |
|     develop a comparison of the various tools and techniques          |
|     currently in use. Also review current trends in vehicle emissions |
|     and air quality compliance plans in place in various areas of     |
|     non-conformity that have HOV lanes.                               |
|                                                                       |
| -   Develop a best practice assessment among current methodologies    |
|     and strategies                                                    |
|                                                                       |
| -   Develop new tools to aid in the prediction and analysis of air    |
|     quality impacts                                                   |
|                                                                       |
| > Recipients would be representative state DOTs, transit agencies,    |
| > police agencies and others having a role in the planning,           |
| > development, operation and performance monitoring of HOV            |
| > facilities.                                                         |
| >                                                                     |
| > Products from this project would include:                           |
|                                                                       |
| -   Technical report addressing on the current state-of-the-art and   |
|     best practices in air quality analysis and forecasting for HOV    |
|     treatments.                                                       |
|                                                                       |
| -   Technical report providing guidance in prediction and analysis of |
|     air quality impacts associated with HOV lanes, along with new     |
|     tools and techniques to be considered in modeling and evaluating  |
|     air quality impacts.                                              |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **Title**                                                             |
|                                                                       |
| Identifying Planning Criteria for High-Occupancy/Toll (HOT) Lanes     |
| (2.3)                                                                 |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| > **Statement of Problem and Project Focus**\                         |
| > There is an identified need for guidance related to the development |
| > of High-Occupancy/Toll (HOT) lanes on HOV facilities. Issues raised |
| > by PFS members include:                                             |
|                                                                       |
| -   What factors should be considered in implementing them            |
|                                                                       |
| -   How do they affect carpool formation and transit ridership        |
|                                                                       |
| ```{=html}                                                            |
| <!-- -->                                                              |
| ```                                                                   |
| -   What is their net effect on air quality?                          |
|                                                                       |
| -   This research should include an assessment of demand estimation   |
|     techniques, including predicting demand at different pricing      |
|     levels, factors that influence public and political acceptance,   |
|     and other considerations                                          |
|                                                                       |
| [This research seems to be addressed in a current FHWA funded project |
| to provide a HOT Lane Manual for Planning. The Manual is in final     |
| draft stage and should be released in the next few months. Members    |
| should get copies of this before we pursue this problem statement any |
| further.]{.mark}                                                      |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

.

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **Title**                                                             |
|                                                                       |
| HOV Enforcement Best Practices (3.1, 3.7, 3.8)                        |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| > **Statement of Problem and Project Focus**\                         |
| > HOV occupancy enforcement relies heavily on on-site presence, as no |
| > automated technology demonstrated to date has found favor as        |
| > fail-safe or viable for court contested cases. A number of          |
| > innovative strategies have been demonstrated that provide guidance  |
| > for improving enforcement effectiveness. However, enforcement       |
| > continues to be critical to HOV lane success, and funding and staff |
| > resources for enforcement is often limited to higher priorities. An |
| > updated effort is needed to examine:                                |
|                                                                       |
| -   New technologoies for automated HOV enforcement                   |
|                                                                       |
| ```{=html}                                                            |
| <!-- -->                                                              |
| ```                                                                   |
| -   Best practices for enforcement, particularly for no-separated     |
|     concurrent flow HOV lanes?                                        |
|                                                                       |
| ```{=html}                                                            |
| <!-- -->                                                              |
| ```                                                                   |
| -   Adversities associated with on-site enforcement and options to    |
|     address these.                                                    |
|                                                                       |
| -   Evaluating the effect of different fines on HOV compliance.       |
|                                                                       |
| -   Development and adoption of effective enforcement policies        |
|                                                                       |
| > This effort would canvass current projects, available practices and |
| > references, interview representatives of enforcement agencies and   |
| > courts involved in HOV projects, survey current technologies and    |
| > their applicability to occupancy enforcement and develop prototype  |
| > statutes that could be used to implement automated enforcement.     |
| >                                                                     |
| > Recipients of this project would be HOV project designers and       |
| > operators, police and enforcement agencies and courts involved in   |
| > handling HOV infractions.                                           |
| >                                                                     |
| > The product of this effort would be technical report updating       |
| > current HOV lane enforcement practice, demonstrated innovative      |
| > strategies applied to enhance enforcement effectiveness, assessment |
| > of emerging technologies that could provide for automated           |
| > enforcement, and guidance to help implement these technologies on   |
| > projects.                                                           |
| >                                                                     |
| > .                                                                   |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **Title**                                                             |
|                                                                       |
| HOV Lane Safety Study addressing Operation and Design (3.2, 4.2, 4.4) |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **Statement of Problem and Project Focus**                            |
|                                                                       |
| -   Evaluate safety aspects with respect to various HOV lane          |
|     configurations                                                    |
|                                                                       |
| ```{=html}                                                            |
| <!-- -->                                                              |
| ```                                                                   |
| -   Operating hours (i.e., full-time, part-time)                      |
|                                                                       |
| -   Geometrics (i.e., alignment, sight distance, lane and shoulder    |
|     width)                                                            |
|                                                                       |
| ```{=html}                                                            |
| <!-- -->                                                              |
| ```                                                                   |
| -   Access openings                                                   |
|                                                                       |
| Evaluation of Safety Mitigation for HOV Lanes with Substandard        |
| Geometry.                                                             |
|                                                                       |
| ##                                                                    |
|  This would be an evaluation of the application of safety measures to |
|  reduce the safety impacts of substandard geometry on HOV facilities. |
|                                                                       |
| HOV Lane Safety Study (Operation and Design)                          |
|                                                                       |
| -   Evaluate safety aspects with respect to various HOV lane          |
|     configurations                                                    |
|                                                                       |
| ```{=html}                                                            |
| <!-- -->                                                              |
| ```                                                                   |
| -   Operating hours (i.e., full-time, part-time)                      |
|                                                                       |
| -   Geometrics (i.e., alignment, sight distance, lane and shoulder    |
|     width)                                                            |
|                                                                       |
| -   Access openings                                                   |
|                                                                       |
| > .                                                                   |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **Title**                                                             |
|                                                                       |
| Methods to Determine the Appropriate Hours of Operation (3.3, 3.4)    |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| > **Statement of Problem and Project Focus**\                         |
| > HOV operating rules typically specify all day (or 24-hour)          |
| > operation or part-time operation for specified peak hours. Many     |
| > areas have changed operating periods to reflect changes in demand,  |
| > congestion or political and public attitudes toward the HOV         |
| > project. Several areas, noteably Seattle and Orange County,         |
| > California, have recently reassessed their operation periods in     |
| > response to political pressure. These studies have focused on       |
| > specific HOV systems. The need exists to develop a similar national |
| > assessment to gain a better appreciation for the rationale behind   |
| > specific operation policy in order to provide a sounder technical   |
| > basis for specifying a particular operation period. The foucs of    |
| > this project would be to:                                           |
|                                                                       |
| -   Inventory operation periods for projects and HOV systems          |
|     nationwide,                                                       |
|                                                                       |
| -   Review the technical basis for each defined policy,               |
|                                                                       |
| -   Identify key factors affecting part time and 24-hour operation    |
|                                                                       |
| -   Address issues that would need to be addressed if an operation    |
|     policy was changed,                                               |
|                                                                       |
| -   Evaluate trade-offs in operation policy affected by               |
|     underutilization or overutilitzatoin, such as benefits/costs, and |
|                                                                       |
| -   Recommend technical and policy guidance for specific hours of     |
|     operation and the project (corridor) and system level.            |
|                                                                       |
| > Recipients of this research would be HOV operating agencies,        |
| > policy-making bodies, the media and general public.                 |
| >                                                                     |
| > Products would include a technical report addressing the activities |
| > outlined above, and a public brochure(s) addressing justification   |
| > for each specific operation period strategy.                        |
| >                                                                     |
| > .                                                                   |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **Title**                                                             |
|                                                                       |
| Guidelines for Changing HOV Eligibility Requirements (3.5, 3.6)       |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **Statement of Problem and Project Focus**\                           |
| While the majority of HOV projects today operate for 2 or more        |
| persons/vehicle, a number of projects are facing degradation in       |
| level-of-service due to over-utilization during peak periods, while   |
| other projects face criticism for being perceived as underutilized.   |
| Few agencies have tackled changing occupancy requirements because of  |
| the impacts these actions have. Practitioners are in need of methods  |
| to assess impacts of changing eligibility requirements. Little        |
| documentation exists on the impacts of changing vehicle-occupancy     |
| levels on HOV facilities, especially with increasing occupancy        |
| requirements. The focus of this project will be to assess the impacts |
| of both increasing and decreasing vehicle-occupancy requirements.     |
| This study should include an analysis of changes in carpool and bus   |
| use, impacts on general-purpose lane traffic, enforcement issues, and |
| other factors. The research would also develop techniques for better  |
| estimating changes in HOV demand and other impacts from increasing or |
| decreasing vehicle-occupancy requirements                             |
|                                                                       |
| Activities would include:                                             |
|                                                                       |
| -   Review available experience in a synthesis, including             |
|     inventorying recent locations were eligibility was changed, case  |
|     study reports, available references, and interviewing agencies    |
|     that have changed occupancy rules on any project within the past  |
|     five years.                                                       |
|                                                                       |
| -   Document advantages and disadvantages of the respective actions,  |
|     and developing quantitative tools to help develop alternative     |
|     strategies for addressing occupancy changes.                      |
|                                                                       |
| -   Pick example case study sites and develop prototypical strategies |
|     for each which could result in overall improvement and HOV        |
|     performance effectiveness.                                        |
|                                                                       |
| -   Develop techniques for better estimating changes in HOV demand    |
|     when changing eligibility                                         |
|                                                                       |
| > Recipients of this research would be HOV operating agencies,        |
| > policy-making bodies, the media and general public.                 |
| >                                                                     |
| > Products would include:                                             |
|                                                                       |
| -   Synthesis of recent experience                                    |
|                                                                       |
| -   Technical report addressing likely outcomes from changing         |
|     occupancies, results from case studies, and guidance for changing |
|     eligibility.                                                      |
|                                                                       |
| -   Public awareness materials for helping promote a change in        |
|     occupancy from 2+ to 3+ in cases where projects are overloaded.   |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **Title**                                                             |
|                                                                       |
| HOV and Managed Lane Signing & Delineation (4.1, 4.3)                 |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| > **Statement of Problem and Project Focus**\                         |
| > Recommendations are needed on how to improve HOV signing,           |
| > particularly part-time project signing. A previous study points to  |
| > a wide variety of differences among states on how they each sign    |
| > and mark their HOV lanes. What needs to be identified is the best   |
| > practice for uniform consistency. Some states have expressed        |
| > concerns with the use of guidance contained in the MUTCD Millennium |
| > Edition. HOV signing and marking \'best practice\' needs to be      |
| > developed in more detail to address the mix of HOV and pricing      |
| > strategies to be found shortly on a number of major new facilities. |
| >                                                                     |
| > The project will focus on the following activities:                 |
|                                                                       |
| -   Investigate agency standards and practice across the nation with  |
|     respect to HOV signing and delineation (both current and proposed |
|     signing and guidelines from states).                              |
|                                                                       |
| -   Evaluate methods used to address different rules and regulations  |
|     related to HOV and managed lanes.                                 |
|                                                                       |
| -   Develop recommended "best practice" for inclusion in the next     |
|     MUTCD.                                                            |
|                                                                       |
| -   Write up study findings and recommendations in a "White Paper".   |
|                                                                       |
| > Recipients of this research would be HOV planners, designers and    |
| > operators, including implementing and reviewing agencies at the     |
| > local, state and federal levels.                                    |
| >                                                                     |
| > Products would be a synthesis of documented current practice,       |
| > technical report evaluating signing and delineation methods used    |
| > and recommended for typical applications and a white paper on       |
| > overall findings for dissemination to professional organizations.   |
|                                                                       |
| [(Note: A draft white paper on signing and markings has just been     |
| sponsored by FHWA and can serve PFS members as a reference in further |
| defining gaps and deficiencies in current signing and marking         |
| practice.)]{.mark}                                                    |
|                                                                       |
| > .                                                                   |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **Title**                                                             |
|                                                                       |
| HOV Marketing Manual (6.1)                                            |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| > **Statement of Problem and Project Focus**\                         |
| > FHWA sponsored development of an HOV marketing manual about a       |
| > decade ago. This manual was made available to HOV practitioners     |
| > through both hard copy and CD ROM. Since then a variety of new      |
| > lessons have been learned, specifically related to                  |
| > high-occupancy/toll (HOT) lanes, and legislation to change existing |
| > project operations. The role of marketing has also changed as more  |
| > projects have matured into regional systems. Some recent efforts    |
| > have addressed public support for HOV lanes and comparative support |
| > for pricing and changing of the rules and regulations affecting     |
| > specific projects. Updating the FHWA marketing manual to address    |
| > this new experience would be both worthwhile and helpful. The       |
| > following activities would be proposed in this effort:              |
|                                                                       |
| -   Conduct extensive market research to determine the level of       |
|     support for HOV facilities and specific changes to these          |
|     facilities.                                                       |
|                                                                       |
| -   Develop marketing tools and methods to promote public acceptance  |
|     of existing and future HOV facilities                             |
|                                                                       |
| ```{=html}                                                            |
| <!-- -->                                                              |
| ```                                                                   |
| -   Update the current HOV Marketing Manual                           |
|                                                                       |
| > Recipients of this research would be HOV operating agencies,        |
| > policy-making bodies, the media and general public.                 |
| >                                                                     |
| > Products would be an updated marketing manual and supplemental      |
| > electronic templates and brochures for use in addressing the most   |
| > frequently asked marketing questions.                               |
| >                                                                     |
| > .                                                                   |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| **Title**                                                             |
|                                                                       |
| HOV Project Inventory                                                 |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| > **Statement of Problem and Project Focus**\                         |
| > Over the past decade the TRB Committee has voluntarily collected    |
| > and disseminated a compilation of HOV projects on freeways on an    |
| > annual basis in hard copy. This inventory compiled a limited amount |
| > of general project data (length, number of lanes, eligibility and   |
| > operation periods) and collected it among volunteers who were       |
| > contacted annually. As a volunteer effort, the accuracy of the data |
| > has been based on information that was provided. As the number of   |
| > projects has grown, the ability to update this data has been        |
| > constrained, and it may not be updated in the future. A sponsor is  |
| > needed to ensure that the current database can be maintained,       |
| > updated and allowed to expand into other potential categories. The  |
| > focus of this project is to maintain and update the database on a   |
| > semi-annual basis, look for ways of adding new data members feel    |
| > would be useful, and create an web-based interface to allow any     |
| > agency with an HOV project to post and update data on their         |
| > project. Other potential benefits of this project would be a means  |
| > of contacting HOV practitioners and accessing expertise on a wide   |
| > variety of HOV related subjects.                                    |
| >                                                                     |
| > Activities would include:                                           |
|                                                                       |
| -   Updating the current HOV database semi-annually                   |
|                                                                       |
| -   Establishing a list of regular project contacts for data          |
|                                                                       |
| -   Adding new data to the database including design features,        |
|     utilization and other performance information, plus data on       |
|     arterial treatments and managed lanes                             |
|                                                                       |
| -   Developing a user interface for agencies to update their project  |
|     data                                                              |
|                                                                       |
| -   Developing two listserv bulletin boards to a) distribute          |
|     information posted (similar to <trbnews@nas.edu> and b) provide a |
|     moderated means of getting answers to questions posted. These     |
|     tools would package information (in a monthly "what's new")       |
|     email, and screen questions to limit extraneous e-mails.          |
|                                                                       |
| > Recipients would be HOV practitioners at every level, and anybody   |
| > with interest or knowledge in HOV related subjects.                 |
| >                                                                     |
| > Products would be:                                                  |
|                                                                       |
| -   Updated inventory of planned and existing projects, and new       |
|     entries for projects on arterial systems                          |
|                                                                       |
| -   List of contacts and experts to share information with            |
|                                                                       |
| -   Web-based tools to allow for volunteer involvement in database    |
|     posting and in listserv information sharing.                      |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+