FHWA/TRB Managed and Priced Lanes Workshop
Summary of Workshop Results
Introduction
Potential policy, program and research initiatives to advance the planning, implementation and operation of managed and priced lanes were the focus of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) two-day workshop in Key Biscayne, Florida on November 18 and 19, 2003. The objectives of the workshop were (1) to identify and prioritize potential research and technology transfer activities to advance the implementation of managed and priced lanes; and (2) to identify opportunities to champion and advance managed and price lane research-related initiatives, particularly within TRB. The structure of the workshop allowed participants to spend the first day focused on the broader concept of managed lanes, while the focus of the second day was narrowed to address priced lanes. This workshop serves as a first step by FHWA and TRB to receive focused feedback on managed lane issues. Further efforts to obtain feedback in the future can be expected as additional planning and coordination takes place.
Defining Managed Lanes
Transportation agencies are faced with growing challenges of congestion and a limited ability to expand freeway capacity due to construction costs, right-of-way constraints, and environmental and societal impacts. Transportation officials are taking advantage of opportunities to address mobility needs and provide travel options through a combination of limited capacity expansion coupled with operational strategies that seek to manage travel demand and improve transit and other forms of ridesharing. The managed lanes concept is gaining interest around the country as an approach that combines these elements to make the most effective and efficient use of a freeway facility.
The term "managed lanes" has different meanings depending upon the agency. In some agencies the term is commonly thought of as high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes: facilities that employ pricing and vehicle eligibility as a way to maintain free-flow conditions and still provide HOV preference. In other agencies a broader definition is customary, one in which a variety of management tools and techniques are combined in order to improve freeway efficiency and meet certain corridor and community objectives. This broader definition of "managed lanes" includes HOV lanes, value priced lanes (including HOT lanes), and exclusive or special use lanes (such as express, bus-only, or truck-only lanes).
Figure 1 is a diagram that captures the potential lane management applications that fall into this broad definition of "managed lanes". On the left of the diagram are the applications of a single operational strategy – pricing, vehicle eligibility, or access control - and on the right are the more complicated managed lane facilities that blend more than one of these strategies. The multifaceted facilities on the far right of the diagram are those that incorporate or blend multiple lane management strategies.
Lane management strategies have been used by agencies for decades to improve flow on freeway facilities. The distinction between managed lanes and other traditional forms of freeway lane management is the operating philosophy of "active management." Under this philosophy, the operating agency proactively manages demand and available capacity on the facility by applying new strategies or modifying existing strategies. The agency defines from the outset the operating objectives for the managed lanes and the kinds of actions that will be taken once pre-defined performance thresholds are met. Here are some examples:
- raising the toll rate on a priced facility to maintain a speed of 60 mph;
- raising the occupancy requirement to use an HOV lane so that bus operating speeds of 50 mph can be maintained;
- closing an on-ramp to express lanes during peak periods to operate within a volume threshold of 1500 vehicles per hour per lane.
Figure 1. Managed Lane Applications
The common themes among the different managed lane definitions in use today are as follows:
- The managed lane concept is typically a "freeway-within-a-freeway" facility, where a set of lanes within the freeway cross-section is physically separated from general purpose lanes;
- The facility incorporates a high degree of operational flexibility, so that over time operations can be actively managed to respond to growth and changing needs.
- The operation of the facility is managed using a combination of tools and techniques in order to continuously achieve an optimal condition, such as free-flow speeds;
- The principal management strategies can be categorized into three groups: pricing, vehicle eligibility, and access control;
For the purpose of this workshop, "priced lanes" were defined as facilities that charge tolls varying by the time of day or level of demand and/or occupancy on single or multiple lanes. The first priced lanes in the United States began operation in 1995 in Orange County, CA on State Route 91. Additional facilities are now operational and numerous studies have explored the possibility of introducing pricing to facilities. The FHWA Value Pricing Pilot Program and its precursor the Congestion Pricing Pilot Program were charged with testing and evaluating various pricing strategies. While the Pilot Program encompasses more types of pricing than are considered under priced lanes, the experience gained by state, local, and regional partners in the Pilot Program allowed participants at the workshop to identify lessons learned and challenges facing Priced Lanes.
Workshop Participation and Structure
Enthusiasm and participation at the workshop yielded numerous ideas and initiatives from over 20 experts gathered from across North America. Participants at the workshop represented 17 different organizations or agencies, with numerous experts on managed lanes and priced lanes in attendance. The participants represented different backgrounds and different levels within their organization, including administration, programming, and project-level planning, design, operation, and evaluation.
One of the unique aspects of this workshop was the opportunity to bring together experts on priced lanes, high-occupancy vehicle facilities, transit operations, and managed lanes. While some participants brought broad experience in all areas, this workshop clearly served as a new experience in bringing the diverse participants together to work and communicate together on a common goal, learning from each other and building upon one another's experience. Appendix 1 provides a list of participants. The interaction between participants at the workshop yielded numerous ideas and initiatives.
The workshop was structured to address managed lanes during Day 1 and priced lanes during Day 2, each day beginning with a presentation and discussion of the state-of-the-practice and identified gaps in practice. The bulk of both days were spent in small groups that each focused on a broad subject area and developed research problem statements and program initiatives to address gaps in the specific area. Because of the interrelationship between managed lanes (in the broadly defined sense) and priced lanes (a specific type of managed lane), there was understandably some replication in the problem statements developed in Day 1 and Day 2.
Workshop Results
The summary provided below highlights the priority research problem statements as defined by the participants. Appendix 2 lists all problem statements without any attempt to merge overlapping ideas.
Each day concluded with a discussion of how to move the research initiatives forward. Those actions are also highlighted in the summary that follows.
