Sometimes it seems the HOV lanes are underutilized compared to the adjacent general purpose lanes; does that mean they are not working?
Some persons are critical of HOV lanes because they appear to be underutilized. HOV lanes are designed to carry more people in fewer vehicles than general purpose lanes, but more people. How many people an HOV lane carries will vary from corridor to corridor. The northbound HOV lane on I-5 in Portland carries upwards of 2,600 people per hour, while each adjacent general purpose lane carries 1,600 people. Also, it is carrying those 2,600 people in only 800 vehicles per hour, compared to 1,500 vehicles per hour in each of the other two lanes. That s almost half (44% to be exact) of all commuters in the corridor in one-fifth of the vehicles. HOV lanes in Seattle also experience the same result: an HOV lane north of Seattle carries about 40 percent of all people traveling on southbound I-5 during the morning peak hour in 19 percent of the vehicles.
Related Questions
- Currently, the existing High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes appear to be underutilized. Why include them in the design in place of additional general purpose lanes?
- Can I use the HOV lane when there is an incident in the general purpose lanes?
- Why are motorcycles allowed to use HOV lanes, but hybrids are not?
