Potential Single-Occupancy Vehicle Demand for High-Occupancy Vehicle Lanes: Results from Stated-Preference Survey of Travelers in High-Occupancy Toll Corridors

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the use of high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes as an alternative to high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes to help manage the increasing demand for travel. HOT lanes combine pricing and vehicle occupancy restrictions to optimize the demand for HOV lanes. As two of the five HOT lanes in the world, the HOT lane facilities in Houston, Texas, require peak period travelers in vehicles with two occupants to pay a toll to use the lanes. During other periods of the day, two-occupant vehicles can use the lanes for free. Single-occupancy vehicles (SOVs) are never allowed. There was an opportunity to increase the usage of these HOT lanes by allowing SOV travelers to use the lanes during the off-peak periods, for an appropriate toll. This research examined the potential SOV demand for HOV lane use during the off-peak periods from the Katy Freeway and Northwest Freeway general purpose lane travelers. Of course, allowing SOVs on the HOV lanes is a multifaceted policy decisi...