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High-Occupancy Vehicle and Toll Lanes

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Transportation Technologies for Sustainability

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Definition of the Subject

Traffic congestion continues to be a significant issue in metropolitan areas throughout the country. Transportation agencies at the federal, state, metropolitan, and local levels are using a variety of techniques and approaches to improve traffic flow, enhance mobility, and provide travel options.

High-occupancy vehicle (HOV) and high-occupancy toll (HOT) lane s are being used in some metropolitan areas to ease traffic congestion and enhance mobility. HOV lanes provide travel-time savings and improved trip-time reliability by encouraging travelers to change from driving alone to carpooling, vanpooling, or riding the bus. HOV/HOT lanes expand the allowed user groups to include solo drivers or lower-occupant vehicles, who can access the lanes by paying a fee.

The use of HOV/HOT lanes has evolved since the late 1960s. Today, HOV lanes and HOV/HOT lanes are in operation in 32 metropolitan areas in North America. These facilities represent an important element of...

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Abbreviations

Buses:

Vehicles designed to carry multiple passengers. Depending on the size, buses may carry between 12 and 100 passengers.

Carpools:

Vehicles carrying two or more persons.

High-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes:

HOV lanes that also allow single-occupant vehicle use through payment of a toll.

High-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes:

Roadway lanes designed and operated for buses, vanpools, and carpools at all times of the day or during specific time periods.

Hybrid vehicles:

Vehicles which operate under a combination of gasoline and electric power.

Low-emission and energy-efficient vehicles:

Vehicles which typically use non-gasoline power sources and do not emit high levels of pollutants.

Vanpools:

Vans organized to carry commuters to and from work.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Landscape Architecture & Urban Planning, Texas Transportation Institute, College of Architecture – The Texas A&M University System, College Station, TX, USA

    Dr. Katherine F. Turnbull (Executive Associate Director)

Authors
  1. Dr. Katherine F. Turnbull
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Correspondence to Katherine F. Turnbull .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA

    Mehrdad Ehsani

  2. Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

    Fei-Yue Wang

  3. Center for Urban Transportation Research, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA

    Gary L. Brosch

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Turnbull, K.F. (2013). High-Occupancy Vehicle and Toll Lanes. In: Ehsani, M., Wang, FY., Brosch, G.L. (eds) Transportation Technologies for Sustainability. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5844-9_326

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