INCREASING THE PEOPLE-MOVING CAPABILITY OF SHIRLEY HIGHWAY

Because of the dramatic increase in construction costs of rail rapid transit in recent years, the exclusive highway right-of-way for high-occupancy vehicles has emerged as a possible cost effective alternative for transporting peak-period commuters through congested corridors. The Shirley Highway busway in northern Virginia offered the first such exclusive right-of-way when its first section was opened to buses in 1969. The busway was opened to car pools of four of more riders in December 1973 and became the principal element of the Urban Mass Transportation Administration's Shirley Highway express-bus-on-freeway project, which was conducted for 1 year until December 1974. Priority treatment accorded buses and car pools resulted in a substantial improvement in the corridor's people-moving capability during peak hours. In addition, considerable travel-time savings were realized by all commuters using Shirley Highway. This paper discusses (a) increases in the people-moving capability of Shirely Highway and (b) the reasons for the increases. The increases in the people-moving capability of Shirley Highway can be attributed to increases in commuter use of buses and car pools. Particular attention was given to bus users to determine why a large number of automobile users--many with upper-middle incomes from homes with several automobilies--switched to bus and why some bus users switched to automobiles (driving alone or car pooling). /Author/