Effects of Changing HOV Lane Occupancy Requirements:
El Monte Busway Case Study
NoticeThis document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The United States Government assumes no liability for its contents or use thereof.
Technical Report Documentation Page
1. Report No.FHWA-OP-03-002 / 2. Government Accession No. / 3. Recipient's Catalog No.
4. Title and Subtitle
Affects of Changing HOV Lane Occupancy Requirements: El Monte Busway Case Study / 5. Report Date
June 2002
6. Performing Organization Code
7. Author(s)
Katherine F. Turnbull / 8. Performing Organization Report No.
Report
9. Performing Organization Name and Address
Texas Transportation Institute
The Texas A&M University System
College Station, Texas 77843-3135 / 10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS)
11. Contract or Grant No
12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address
Operations Office of Travel Management
Federal Highway Administration
Room 3404, HOTM, 400 Seventh Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20590 / 13. Type of Report and Period Covered
Research:
14. Sponsoring Agency Code
15. Supplementary Notes
Jon Obenberger, FHWA Operations Office of Traffic Management, Contracting Officers Technical Representative (COTR)
16. Abstract
In 1999, the California Legislature passed Senate Bill (SB) 63, which lowered the vehicle-occupancy requirement on the El Monte Busway on the San Bernardino (I-10) Freeway from three persons per vehicle (3+) to two persons per vehicle (2+) full time. The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) was directed to implement this change on January 1, 2000 and to monitor and evaluate the effects of the 2+ requirement on the operation of the Busway and the freeway. Based on the operational effects that resulted from this change, new legislation was approved increasing the vehicle-occupancy requirement back to 3+ during the morning and afternoon peak-periods effective July 24, 2000.
This report represents information on the effect the change in the vehicle-occupancy requirement had on the operation of the Busway and freeway, public transit services, violation rates, accidents, local and feeder roadways, and public response. The assessment is based on available information from Caltrans, Foothill Transit, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the California Highway Patrol, and other local agencies.
Lowering the vehicle-occupancy requirement from 3+ to 2+ full time had a detrimental effect on the Busway. At the same time, significant improvements were not realized in the general-purpose freeway lanes. Morning peak-period travel speeds in the Busway were reduced from 65 mph to 20 mph, while travel speeds in the general-purpose lanes decreased from 25 mph to 23 mph for most of the demonstration. Hourly Busway vehicle volumes during the morning peak-period increased from 1,100 to 1,600 with the 2+ designation, but the number of persons carried declined from 5,900 to 5,200. The freeway lane vehicle volumes and passengers per lane per hour remained relatively similar. Peak-period travel times on the Busway increased by 20- to 30-minutes. Bus schedule adherence and on-time performance declined significantly and passengers reported delays.
17. Key Words
High-Occupancy Vehicle Lanes, HOV Lanes, Concurrent Flow Lanes / 18. Distribution Statement
No restrictions. This document is available to the public through NTIS:
National Technical Information Service
5285 Port Royal Road
Springfield, Virginia 22161
19. Security Classif.(of this report)
Unclassified / 20. Security Classif.(of this page)
Unclassified / 21. No. of Pages
64 / 22. Price
Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized
Effects of Changing HOV Lane Occupancy Requirements:
El Monte Busway Case Study
Katherine F. Turnbull
Texas Transportation Institute
The Texas A&M University System
College Station, Texas
June 2002
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This study was conducted in cooperation with staff from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), and other agencies. Jon Obenberger, FHWA Office of Traffic Management and ITS Applications, served as the project director. Robert Cady, FHWA B California Division, and Antonette Clark and Dawn Helou, Caltrans, provided guidance and information throughout the study. In addition, Bonnie Duke, TTI, was responsible for word processing on the report and Gary Lobaugh provided editorial review. The assistance of these individuals is both recognized and appreciated.
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Texas Transportation Institute
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
CHAPTER ONECINTRODUCTION 1
Case Study Objectives 1
Background 1
Activities Conducted 2
Organization of Report 2
CHAPTER TWOCOVERVIEW OF EL MONTE BUSWAY 3
Physical Description of the Busway 3
Operation of the Busway 4
Utilization of the Busway 10
CHAPTER THREECEFFECTS OF VEHICLE-OCCUPANCY CHANGE 13
Operation of Busway and Freeway 14
Public Transit Services 21
Enforcement and Vehicle-Occupancy Violations 24
Accidents 25
Local and Feeder Roadways 31
Public Response 31
CHAPTER FOURCISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH OPERATIONAL CHANGES 33
Management and Operation of HOV Facilities 33
Examples of Operational Changes 38
Process and Stakeholder Involvement 39
Issues to be Considered 43
Experience in Other Areas 44
Federal Interest in Operational Changes 49
CHAPTER FIVECCONCLUSIONS 51
REFERENCES 55
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LIST OF TABLES
Page
1. Morning Peak Hour Utilization of the El Monte Busway 10
2. Vehicle-Occupancy Level Violation Rates 24
3. Recorded Accident Summary for Three Time Periods 27
4. Accident Rate Summary B Six Months Before 2+ Requirement Implemented
(3+ Requirement in Effect) 28
5. Accident Rate Summary B Six Months When 2+ Requirement was in Effect 29
6. Accident Rate Summary B Twelve Months When 3+ Peak/2+ Off-Peak
Requirement was in Effect 30
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LIST OF FIGURES
1. Location of El Monte Busway in Los Angeles County 5
2. Major Elements of El Monte Busway 6
3. El Monte Busway Buffer Separated Section 7
4. El Monte Busway Separated Section 7
5. Major Milestones in Operation of the El Monte Busway 8
6. Congestion in El Monte Busway with 2+ Requirement 16
7. Changes in Morning Peak Hour Travel Speeds 17
8. Changes in Afternoon Peak Hour Travel Speeds 17
9. Changes in Hourly Vehicle Volumes During the Morning Peak-Period 18
10. Changes in Hourly Vehicle Volumes During the Afternoon Peak-Period 18
11. Changes in Morning Peak Hour Persons Per Hour Per Lane 19
12. Changes in Afternoon Peak Hour Persons Per Hour Per Lane 19
13. Changes in Hourly Total Vehicle and Person Volumes for the Freeway
Lanes and the Busway During the Morning Peak-Period 20
14. Changes in Total Vehicle and Person Volumes for the Freeway
Lanes and the Busway During the Afternoon Peak-Period 20
15. Vehicle Illegally Exiting Busway 23
16. Process for Assessing, Implementing, and Monitoring Changes in
HOV Operations 42
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CHAPTER ONECINTRODUCTION
Case Study Objectives
Opening in 1973, the El Monte Busway on the San Bernardino (I-10) Freeway is the oldest high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) facility in the Los Angeles area. In 1999, the California Legislature approved Senate Bill 63 (SB 63), lowering the vehicle-occupancy requirement on the El Monte Busway from three persons per vehicle (3+) to two persons per vehicle (2+) full time. The legislation directed the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to make this change on January 1, 2000 as part of a temporary demonstration project, which was to extend until June 30, 2001. The legislation also required Caltrans to monitor and analyze the effect of this change on the operation of the freeway and the Busway (1). Based on the operational effects of the change, as documented in the Caltrans operational study (2), new legislation was passed increasing the vehicle-occupancy requirement back to 3+ during the morning and afternoon peak periods and maintaining the 2+ requirement at all other times, effective July 24, 2000 (3).
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) sponsored this study examining the effects of lowering the vehicle-occupancy requirement. The analysis conducted by Caltrans focused primarily on the operational impacts of changing the vehicle-occupancy requirement. This FHWA-sponsored study builds on and expands upon the Caltrans effort. The primary objective of this project was to examine and present additional information on the effects the change in vehicle-occupancy requirements had on public transportation services, violation rates, accidents, local roadways, and public responses. A second study objective was to explore the issues, factors, and impacts associated with making operating changes on HOV facilities that agencies should consider.
This report contains the technical analysis of the affects changing the vehicle-occupancy requirement from 3+ to 2+ had on the operation of the Busway and freeway, public transit services, violation rates, accidents, local and feeder roadways, and public response. Issues associated with operational changes are also examined. This report is intended for agency staff and consultants who may be involved with or responsible for studies, decisions, or actions that may influence the operation of HOV facilities. A separate Executive Report is targeted toward policy makers and administrators.
Background
High-occupancy vehicle (HOV) facilities represent one approach used in metropolitan areas throughout the country to help improve the people-moving capacity rather than vehicle-moving capacity of congested freeway corridors. The travel time savings and improved trip time reliability offered by HOV facilities provide incentives for individuals to change from driving alone to carpooling, vanpooling, or riding the bus.
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Texas Transportation Institute
The development and operation of HOV facilities have evolved over the past 30 years. The opening of the bus-only lane on the Shirley Highway (I-395) in Northern Virginia/Washington, D.C. in 1969 and the contraflow bus lane on the approach to New York-New Jersey=s Lincoln Tunnel in 1970 represent the first freeway HOV applications in the country. Today there are some 130 HOV freeway projects in 23 metropolitan areas in North America (4).
The El Monte Busway on the San Bernardino (I-10) freeway in Los Angeles County represents one of the longest operating HOV projects in the country. The Busway was opened in 1973 and 1974 from El Monte to the edge of downtown Los Angeles. A one-mile extension into the downtown area was completed in 1989. The 11-mile Busway includes two design treatments. Part of the Busway is separated from the adjacent freeway lanes by a painted buffer and the other segment is physically separated from the freeway.
Only buses were allowed to use the facility when it opened in 1973. Carpools with three or more persons (3+) were allowed to use the Busway for three months in 1974 due to a strike by bus operators. The Busway was opened to 3+ carpools in 1976 as part of the mixed-mode operation. The 3+ vehicle-occupancy requirement was in effect from 1976 until the legislative directed change in 2000. More information is provided in Chapter Two on the design and operation of the Busway.
Activities Conducted
A number of activities were completed as part of this study. First, the operations assessment conducted by Caltrans, and reports and documents provided by Caltrans and other agency staff were examined. Second, a review was conducted of available reports and other literature using traditional information sources and on-line search engines. Third, additional information was obtained through telephone calls, E-mails, and meetings with representatives from Caltrans, Foothill Transit, the California Highway Patrol (CHP), the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), and other agencies. The information obtained through these activities was reviewed and analyzed. The results of this assessment are presented in this report.
Organization of Report
This report is divided into four chapters following this introduction. Chapter Two provides an overview of the history and recent operation of the El Monte Busway. Chapter Three summarizes the affect of the change in vehicle-occupancy levels on the operation of the Busway and the freeway, public transit services, enforcement and vehicle-occupancy violations, accidents, local and feeder roadways, and public responses. Chapter Four examines issues associated with making operational changes on HOV facilities. The report concludes with a summary of the main points examined in the study and possible areas of further research.
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CHAPTER TWOCOVERVIEW OF EL MONTE BUSWAY
Physical Description of the Busway
The El Monte Busway on the San Bernardino (I-10) Freeway is located in eastern Los Angeles County, stretching from El Monte to downtown Los Angeles. The Busway was opened in 1973 and 1974, making it one of the earliest HOV facilities in the country. A one-mile extension into the downtown area was opened in 1989, providing a link to the Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal. Figure 1 shows the location of the El Monte Busway and other freeways and HOV lanes in Los Angeles County.
The two-way HOV facility includes two design treatments. From El Monte to I-710, the Busway is located in the center of the I-10 Freeway, separated from the general-purpose lanes by a 10.5-foot painted striped buffer. From I-710 to downtown Los Angeles, the Busway is located adjacent to, but separated from, the I-10 Freeway. Figure 2 highlights the major elements of the Busway and the limited access points. Figure 3 shows the buffer separated section of the Busway and Figure 4 illustrates the section separated from the freeway. Adding concurrent flow HOV lanes to the east of the current Busway termination point at El Monte are in various stages of planning and design.
Three bus stations are located along the Transitway at El Monte, the California State University at Los Angeles (University Station), and the Los Angeles County University of Southern California Medial Center (Hospital Station). A direct HOV connector access ramp is located at Del Mar Avenue and a direct connector for buses is provided at the El Monte Bus Station. A total of 15 park-and-ride lots in the corridor are oriented toward the Busway, providing some 5,100 parking spaces to travelers. The El Monte Station park-and-ride is the largest, containing 2,100 spaces. Additional lots serve the Metrolink rail system, which also operates in the corridor.
The San Bernardino Freeway is located on the east side of Los Angeles, stretching from the Nevada border to downtown Los Angeles. It was one of the earliest freeways constructed in the area and served as the major east/west travel corridor until the completion of I-210 to the north. State Route 60 to the south also serves east/west traffic. These three freeways serve as the major east/west travel corridors in eastern Los Angeles County.
During the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s concurrent flow HOV lanes have been added to numerous freeways in the area. These HOV lanes operate with a 2+ vehicle occupancy requirement mostly full time. As of 2000, some 377 lane-miles of freeway HOV facilities were in operation in Los Angeles County. Concurrent flow HOV lanes are in operation on I-210 to the north of the San Bernardino Freeway and I-605, a north/south freeway that crosses the San Bernardino Freeway to the east of the current start of the El Monte Busway. Like other freeways in the area, Caltrans has added a number of elements over the years to help manage traffic on the facility. These elements include metering the freeway entrance ramps, providing HOV ramp meter bypasses at selected ramps, and operating a Freeway Service Patrol.