HIGH OCCUPANCY VEHICLE FACILITIES AND THE PUBLIC INTEREST

Traffic problems, financial constraints, and a desire for cleaner air are forcing reexamination of traditional efforts to expand the capacity of roads and highways. A popular proposal in recent years has been to build additional lanes and other facilities for high occupancy vehicles (HOVs)--buses, passenger vans, and carpools. This paper reviews the history of the HOV concept and explores the assumptions underlying the expansion of HOV facilities. Some in highway and transit agencies argue that the construction of HOV lanes is a revolutionary new direction that will improve transportation efficiency, provide incentives for higher occupancies, promote transit, and reduce car trips, vehicle miles traveled, and air pollution. The authors of this paper question these claims and suggest that new HOV lane construction, as now being planned and implemented, is simply increasing the roadway space devoted to the automobile. They believe that, in the long run, HOV lanes may worsen air quality, reduce transit mode share, and increase vehicle trips and the miles driven. They also believe that constructing HOV lanes on long stretches of freeway encourages urban sprawl and diverts resources from needed improvements in transit within cities.