SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS HOV FACILITIES AND MANAGED LANES IN HOUSTON

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SAFETY CONSIDERATIONSHOV FACILITIES AND MANAGED
LANESIN HOUSTON
Suhag Kansara Ned Levine, PhD Houston-Galveston
Area Council TRB Conference on HOV and Managed
Lanes Houston, TX April 18, 2005
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Purpose

• Document crashes on HOV lanes
• Compare safety of HOV lanes with General Purpose
  freeway lanes
• Identify characteristics of HOV crashes

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Data sources

• METRO HOV crash data 2001-2004
• DPS freeway crash data 1999-2001

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HOV Corridors in Houston Region
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HOV Crashes 2001-2004
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Crashes by time of day 2001
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HOV Crashes 2001
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Crashes on HOV segments
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Crashes on Freeway segments
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Crash risk HOV vs. Freeway lanes
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Multiple Crash Locations
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Multiple Crash Locations large scale
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Hot-spot locations
HOV lanes merging to freeway lanes
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Hot-spot locations
Direct access ramps merging with HOV lanes from
park and ride lots
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Junction related HOV crashes
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Hot-spot locations
Design compromises in geometrical structure of
HOV lane shoulder width
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Contributing factors

• Single vehicle crashes
• HOV facility 30
• Freeway facility 24
• Speeding
• HOV facility 53
• Freeway facility 56
• Following too close
• HOV facility 5
• Freeway facility 3

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Tentative conclusions

• HOV lanes are safe
• Design compromises can increase crash risk
• Trade-off safety between barrier facilities vs.
  diamond lanes

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Future research

• Compare barrier facilities with diamond lanes
• Who is involved in the crashes
• Disproportionate number of males
• Disproportionate number of persons in their 30s
  and 40s
• Do certain groups have more difficulty with
  barrier facility?

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For more information, seehttp//www.h-gac.com
/safety
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Thank You