**HOV Pooled Fund Study**

**Analysis of HOV Lanes Hours of Operation and Eligibility
Requirements**

**Annotated List of References**

**(Draft 9/22/04)**

![](media/image1.png){width="7.5in" height="0.10416666666666667in"}

This document contains the list of references on HOV reports and
documents addressing HOV lane hours of operation and eligibility
requirements. The major focus of the literature review is on reports,
studies, and ongoing activities related to HOV operating hours and
eligibility requirements in areas with HOV facilities. It also presents
manuals, studies, and reports that contain general information on these
topics.

## Topic Specific Reports {#topic-specific-reports .Heading-Tahoma-2}

-   **Los Angeles**. The report, *Effects of Changing HOV Lane Occupancy
    Requirements: El Monte Busway Case Study* (1), provides an
    assessment of the legislatively-mandated change in the
    vehicle-occupancy requirement on the El Monte Busway in Los Angeles.
    The report examines the effects that lowering the vehicle-occupancy
    requirement from three persons per vehicle (3+) to two persons per
    vehicle (2+) had on travel speeds, trip times, bus operations,
    safety, enforcement, and public perceptions.

-   **Los Angeles**. An evaluation of the initial development and
    operation of the San Bernardino busway was conducted. The evaluation
    covered the first three years of operation, including the
    introduction of carpools (2). Allowing 3+ carpools to use the lane
    did not degrade travel speeds and travel times for buses when
    carpools were allowed in the late 1970s.

-   **Los Angeles**. The California Department of Transportation
    (Caltrans) District 7 examined the feasibility of opening the HOV
    lanes in the Los Angeles area to general traffic on weekends and
    holidays in 1999. The study recommended maintaining the current 24/7
    HOV designation because 1) the HOV lanes were being utilized
    effectively on weekends, 2) opening the HOV lanes to general-purpose
    traffic would provide only minor improvements to overall traffic
    conditions, 3) opening the lanes the general-purpose traffic would
    compromise the trip reliability of weekend carpoolers, and 4)
    opening the lanes was not consistent with the objectives of the HOV
    lanes or current signing and striping.

-   **Houston**. An extensive program for monitoring and evaluating the
    HOV lane system in Houston has been underway for a number of years.
    A series of reports were prepared on an annual basis for a number of
    years. The evaluation program is sponsored by the Texas Department
    of Transportation, in cooperation with Houston METRO, and conducted
    by TTI. The report, *An Evaluation of High-Occupancy Vehicles Lanes
    in Texas* (4), documents the changes in operating hours and
    vehicle-occupancy requirements including the change from 2+ to 3+ on
    the Katy and the Northwest HOV lanes.

-   **Seattle**. A report, *I-5 North High-Occupancy Vehicle Lane 2+
    Occupancy Requirement Demonstration Evaluation* (5) examined the
    change from a 3+ to 2+ vehicle-occupancy requirement on the I-5 HOV
    lane in Seattle. The Washington State Department of Transportation
    (WSDOT) and the Washington State Transportation Center collect key
    performance data on the HOV lanes in the area on a regular basis.
    Information from the ongoing monitoring program is available on the
    Internet and in reports.

-   **Washington, D.C./Northern Virginia** -- Periodic studies have been
    conducted on the HOV lanes in Washington, D.C. and Northern
    Virginia. A monitoring and evaluation program was conducted of the
    Shirley Highway HOV lanes during the first years of operation (6).
    Other studies have also been conducted to assess changes in
    operating hours and vehicle occupancy requirements (7). The
    Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, National Capital
    Region Transportation Planning Board, publishes key HOV performance
    data on an annual basis.

## General Reports {#general-reports .Heading-Tahoma-2}

-   **Federal Highway Administration** -- *HOV Facility Performance
    Monitoring, Evaluation, and Reporting Handbook.* TTI is currently
    developing a performance monitoring, evaluation, and reporting
    handbook for FHWA. The handbook will provide a technical reference
    providing guidance to transportation professionals. The study is
    also developing a project fact sheet, a brochure, a primer, a
    question and answer sheet, and two PowerPoint presentations. The
    project started in January 2004.

-   **Transit Cooperative Research Program** -- *Updating* *the Traveler
    Response to Transportation System Changes Handbook -- HOV Facilities
    Chapter.* This project is developing an up-to-date and expanded
    handbook on traveler response to transportation-system changes. The
    HOV Facilities chapter addresses the use of different types of HOV
    lanes, underlying traveler response factors, related information and
    impacts, and case study examples. It addresses the experience with
    changing operating hours and eligibility requirements (8).

-   **National Highway Cooperative Research Program** -- The *HOV
    Systems Manual* (9), provides a comprehensive approach to policies,
    planning, designing, marketing, implementing, operating, enforcing,
    and monitoring and evaluating HOV facilities. There are chapters
    that address operating characteristics, including the hours of
    operation and eligibility requirements.

-   **California Department of Transportation (Caltrans)** -- The
    *High-Occupancy Vehicle Guidelines for Planning, Designing, and
    Operations* (10) provides a "how to" document for planners,
    designers, and operators of mainlane HOV facilities. It was
    developed in response to requests from Caltrans Districts for
    guidelines to provide statewide consistency and uniformity with HOV
    facilities. Information on operating hours and eligibility
    requirements is included.

-   **National Cooperative Highway Research Program** -- *Synthesis
    185---Preferential Lane Treatments for High-Occupancy Vehicles* (11)
    provides a summary of then current practices related to hours of
    operation and eligibility requirements.

-   **Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB)** -- Parson Brinckerhoff\'s
    *High-Occupancy Vehicle Facilities: A Planning, Design, and
    Operations Manual* (12) includes an overview of operating hours and
    eligibility requirements.

-   **Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)** -- The *Revised
    Manual for Planning, Designing, and Operating Transitway Facilities
    in Texas* (13) provides general guidelines for planning HOV
    facilities in Texas. The section on planning discusses operating
    hours and eligibility.

-   **Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) --** The
    *Washington State Freeway System Policy: Executive Summary* presents
    the department's policies related to eligibility and operating hours
    (14).

-   **Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)** -- FHWA is sponsoring a
    study examining the use of HOV lanes by low-emission and
    energy-efficient vehicles and other exempt vehicles. The report on
    this project should be available in the fall of 2004.

**REFERENCES**

1.  Texas Transportation Institute. *Effects of Changing HOV Lane
    Occupancy Requirements: El Monte Busway Case Studies*. Prepared for
    the Federal Highway Administration, Washington, D.C. June 2002.

2.  Crain & Associates. *San Bernardino Expressway Bus Evaluation of
    Mixed-Mode Operations*. Southern California Association of
    Governments. 1978.

3.  California Department of Transportation, District 7 Office of
    Traffic Management HOV Operations. *Operational Study Report B
    Feasibility of and Effectiveness of Opening High-Occupancy Vehicle
    Lanes to General Traffic on Weekends and Holidays*. June, 1999.

4.  Russell H. Henk, Daniel E. Morris, and Dennis L. Christiansen. *An
    Evaluation of High-Occupancy Vehicle Lanes in Texas, 1993*. College
    Station: Texas Transportation Institute. 1994.

5.  Washington State Transportation Center and Texas Transportation
    Institute. *I-5 North High-Occupancy Vehicle Lane 2+ Occupancy
    Requirement Demonstration Evaluation*. Seattle: Washington State
    Transportation Center. 1992.

6.  James T. McQueen, David M. Levinsohn, Robert Waksman, and Gerald K.
    Miller. *Evaluation of the Shirley Highway Express-Bus-On-Freeway
    Demonstration ProjectCFinal Report*. Prepared for the U.S.
    Department of Transportation by the Technical Analysis Division,
    U.S. Department of Commerce. 1975.

7.  JHK & Associates. *The Operation of I-395CFinal Report*. Prepared
    for the Virginia Department of Transportation. 1986.

8.  Richard H. Pratt Consultant, Inc. et al. *Traveler Response to
    Transportation System Changes Interim Handbook: Chapter 2 -- HOV
    Facilities*, TCRP Web Document/2 (Project B-12), March 2000.

9.  Texas Transportation Institute, Parsons Brinckerhoff, Pacific Rim
    Resources. *HOV Systems Manual,* National Cooperative Highway
    Research Program (*NCHRP) Report 414*. Transportation Research
    Board, Washington, D.C., 1998.

10. California Department of Transportation. *High-Occupancy Vehicle
    (HOV) Guidelines for Planning, Designing, and Operations*.
    Sacramento: California Department of Transportation. 1991.

11. Fuhs, Charles A. *Synthesis of Highway Practice 185CPreferential
    Lane Treatments for High-Occupancy Vehicles*. Washington, D.C.:
    Transportation Research Board. 1993.

12. Fuhs, Charles A. *Planning, Operation, and Design of High-Occupancy
    Vehicle Facilities.* Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade and Douglas, Inc.
    1990.

13. Texas Transportation Institute. *Revised Manual for Planning,
    Designing, and Operating Transitway Facilities in Texas*. Texas
    State Department of Highways and Public Transportation, August 1988.

14. Washington State Department of Transportation. *Washington State
    Freeway System Policy: Executive Summary*. Olympia: Washington State
    Department of Transportation. 1991.