Development of Arterial High-Occupancy-Vehicle Lane Enforcement Techniques

Abstract

The objective of this study was to develop effective enforcement techniques for arterial high-occupancy-vehicle (HOV) lanes. To accomplish this objective, enforcement techniques that have been studied for freeway HOV lanes were identified, arterial HOV lanes were classified, and cities with arterial HOV lanes were contacted to determine the experience with arterial HOV lane enforcement. During the first few weeks of operation, enforcement officers should be conspicuous on the facility, stopping violators and informing them about HOV lanes. No tickets should be issued during the first few weeks of operation. This procedure would allow violators to learn about HOV lanes without being penalized. The enforcement location should be in areas with few right turns, to minimize the number of vehicles legally turning right in the HOV lane. The violators should be stopped in an adjacent driveway or parking lot; therefore, the HOV facility can continue to operate. The recommended enforcement technique depends on the vehicle types that are allowed in the HOV lanes. For facilities with bus-restrictions only, the violation is the type of vehicle rather than the vehicle occupancy. It is recommended that video cameras be used to enforce arterial HOV lanes restricted to buses only. Video cameras can effectively determine the types of vehicles on the arterial HOV lane and can also be used for surveillance. On facilities restricted to buses and carpools, it is recommended that enforcement officers monitor vehicle occupancy. With the current technology limitations, enforcement officers can most accurately determine vehicle occupancy.