Evaluating Alternative Operations Strategies to Improve Travel Time ...

SHRP 2 L11: Final Report
to Giovanni’s company. He checks his options and sees that his parcel delivery van is eligible to
use the HOT lane, which is not directly affected by the crash. While the HOT lane price is more
expensive than usual for that time of day (and not an option Giovanni would normally instruct his
drivers to use in the middle of the day), it will save the delivery van enough time to avoid a late
charge. The driver gets this same information via his head’s up display. The driver calls Giovanni
using his voice activated phone in his van and gets the OK to take the HOT lane. Not only does it
save Giovanni the late delivery fine, it means that he won’t have to pay the driver overtime.
Funding the Agency Response
While our four travelers are revising their travel decisions—all different choices but all choices
and all designed to maximize their own values—the agencies that supply transportation and
incident management services are actively responding to the crash. In this story, funds from
general roadway tolls and the HOT lanes are used to fund or subsidize many of the incident
response services. These funds provide equipment and communications for the EMS crews, as well
as training to allow more fire department personnel to become qualified EMS respondents, thus
dramatically reducing response times. These funds also help to acquire the sophisticated
communications equipment the EMS crews carry, allowing them to move injured patients offscene
more quickly - both saving lives and decreasing the durations of incidents. The actual
response actions have also been improved, with funding provided for specialized systems for
quickly containing and cleaning up the hazardous materials spilled at the site as a result of the
crash. Of course, fewer incidents occur nowadays, thanks to the vehicle improvements provided by
Vehicle Infrastructure Integration (VII). But, no mechanical system is failure proof. In addition,
there are still some older, non- Vehicle Infrastructure Integration (VII) vehicles on the road.
Corridor revenues have funded the Active Traffic Management system. When combined with the
in-vehicle Vehicle Infrastructure Integration (VII) functions of most vehicles, the current roadway
carries more vehicles at more consistent speeds than was possible in 2010. However, those higher
volumes mean larger queues when disruptions do occur, despite the fast incident response. In
addition, these capacity improvements do not meet peak period travel demands. Public resistance
to the loss of housing, parks, and businesses that must be moved to expand right-of-way may mean
that other kinds of capacity must be found.
Consequently, corridor revenues also have helped to fund specific transit improvements. Those
improvements have helped to reduce peak period vehicle demand, decreasing total congestion and
providing travel options on the occasions when incidents cause higher than normal congestion. In
the off peak period, better transit traveler information and cooperative agreements with taxi
companies have allowed quantum improvements in on-demand carpool formation and shortdistance,
flexible-route transit services to solve the “last mile” problem that off-peak transit has
traditionally faced. This allows transit agencies to concentrate significant portions of their revenue
service hours on fast, frequent, direct regional transit service that is available throughout the day.
The result is that quality transit service is provided to diverse origins and destinations throughout
the day. All transit fares are paid with a unified smart card, eliminating fare payment barriers and
fare collection delays on all transit vehicles.
People still like (and prefer) to drive their cars. The differences are that it is easy to find fast,
convenient, and safe alternatives when driving is not a good option. And travelers know when
driving is not a good option.
A CONCEPT OF OPERATIONS Page 124