7TH NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON HIGH-OCCUPANCY VEHICLE SYSTEMS - PART 1 - PLENARY SESSIONS. IMPLEMENTATION OF HOV LANES ON I-270: LESSONS LEARNED

The first freeway high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane in Maryland opened in September 1993 on Interstate 270. Discussed here are the transportation planning for this first HOV project, the opening of the HOV lane, the ongoing monitoring of the HOV lane, and the key factors involved in making this project successful. This I-270 pilot project is the first of four phases planned in the I-270 corridor. One of the most important lessons learned from this project is that for HOV lanes to succeed, they have to be used, and in the final analysis, it will not be the Maryland State Highway Administration that determines whether HOV lanes will be used, but the drivers themselves.