Citation

Lomax TJ, Fuhs C. Transp. Res. Rec. 1994; 1445: 116-124.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1994, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences USA, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The state of the practice related to the design of cross sections for high-occupancy-vehicle (HOV) lanes on freeways and arterial streets is summarized. The summary is based on several documents, including an AASHTO design guide, that have recently examined the operating HOV lane projects in North America to develop dimensions that appear to represent desirable practice and compromises that can operate in constrained situations. The point that HOV operations and design treatments are interrelated and that cross sections cannot be transferred from one project to another without a recognition of the operational improvements that may have been made to allow that cross section to operate is stressed. More freeway HOV projects than arterial street HOV projects are in operation, which provides more certainty regarding the experience on those facilities. The variety of freeway treatments has provided HOV lane designers with the opportunity to analyze the operations on those facilities; as arterial street treatments that allow carpools to use the priority lanes are developed, their design and operating characteristics should be studied to provide information to future projects. The existing guidance is in the form of a set of issues that should be addressed before an arterial street treatment is implemented. Bus-only lanes on streets can provide some guidance to designers, but lanes only for buses and carpools will operate differently, and the design and operating plans should recognize the difference.

Language: en

Keywords

Automobiles; Buses; Shoulders (road); Standards; Highway systems; Reversible lanes; Rights of way; Structural design; Reconstruction (structural)