Carpool Lanes

Congestion Pricing in the San Francisco Bay Area
Planners call them “express lanes,” but make no mistake, they are congestion pricing in action, and they're successful. The Bay Area network of what the Federal Highway Administration calls “high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes” is growing.

California EV Owners To Lose Carpool Lane Privilege
A program that began in 1999 to encourage more electric car ownership is set to expire next year without Congressional and state action.

Legal Settlement a Major Win for High-Capacity Transportation in Massachusetts
A decision by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to rescind a carpool lane has not resulted in a significant expansion of transit and carpool capacity on Interstate 93 north of Boston.

Solo-Occupant Hybrid Vehicles Lose Access to Carpool Lanes
A change in federal law on Monday meant that over 16,000 Virginia motorists must double or triple-up when using carpool lanes in Virginia. Next month, electric vehicles will need three occupants to drive free on I-395 when HOV lanes become HOT.

Converting a Carpool Lane to a High Occupancy Toll Lane No Easy Task
Supervisors of California's fourth-largest county declared their formal opposition to the conversion of carpool lanes on the Riverside Freeway to high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes, but they are open to toll lanes, under the right conditions.

The Many Ongoing Public Transportation Projects of the Bay Area
The San Francisco Chronicle offers a round-up of 11 big transit projects, by Caltrans, BART, SFMTA, and others, making progress around the bay.

New Year's Law: Over 200,000 EV Drivers Lost Access to California Carpool Lanes
As many as 215,000 owners of mostly electric vehicles purchased before 2017 lost their privilege to access carpool lanes on New Year's Day. The main purpose of HOV lanes is to reduce congestion.

220,000 EV Drivers in California to Lose Carpool Lane Perk in 2019
The good news: the Clean Air Vehicle program for electric vehicles will be extended for at least three years. The bad news: not all EVs that have a decal now will be able to be renewed. Congestion on HOV and HOT lanes is a major concern.

Toll and Tax, or Just Tax, to Pay for Highway Expansion?
A political decision by the Texas Transportation Commission last December to drop projects which included toll lanes was thought to doom 15 road expansions from their 10-year capital plan, but some will go forward with HOV as opposed to HOT lanes.

San Francisco Supervisors Cool to Express Lanes on City's Freeways
The county agency that had hoped to do downtown cordon pricing now wants to add express lanes on Highways 101 and 280, but city supervisors are divided on charging solo drivers the option to buy into managed lanes. Both freeways lack carpool lanes.
Popular but Controversial Seattle Express Toll Lanes Face Possible Termination
The two-year-old I-405 express toll lanes are actually a trial. It's up to the legislature to decide whether they will be permanent. Two metrics were laid out: revenue and performance, but there's controversy there as well.

Three Transportation Ballot Measures Could Be Headed to Bay Area Voters Next Year
The California Legislature approved bills to allow voters to decide on hiking sales taxes and tolls for regional transportation. Gov. Jerry Brown already signed a bill to allow San Mateo County voters to hike sales taxes for transportation.

Second Attempt at Renewal for California's Clean Air Vehicle Decal Program
New legislation would continue the Clean Air Vehicle program after Jan. 1, 2019 to allow zero and near-zero emission vehicles to continue to qualify for carpool lane stickers in the Golden State.
Carpool Lanes Near Denver Switching to HOV 3
Denver carpool lanes are making a switch to HOV 3. Two-seater cars need not apply.

New Carpool Lanes Under Construction in Los Angeles County
The ongoing build out of carpool lanes in Los Angeles County continues. A five-mile stretch of I-10 in the eastern portion of the county—a commuter corridor and a corridor frequented for getaways from L.A.—will be adding new capacity.
Clean Cars May Lose Express Lane Privilege in LA
Single occupant electric vehicles retained access to carpool lanes in California, while hybrid owners lost it on July 1st.
Last Month For Hybrids In CA Carpool Lanes
In Sept. 2005, eligible hybrid vehicles could use CA carpool lanes with only one occupant as an incentive to purchase them. The expiration date was extended by legislation twice, but DMV assures the 85,000 yellow decal owners it ends July 1.
The Congestion of Good Intentions in L.A.
The addition of a 10-mile carpool lane to one of Los Angeles' busiest freeways is creating a huge stress on the region's transportation system.
HOT & Green Proposal For Illinois Tollway
What do you get when you designate a carpool lane on a toll road for hybrids and carpoolers? A 'green' lane, say Illinois planners. However, they still pay the toll. Now add a "HOT lane overlay" to it - solo drivers can use it for a 'premium'.
Desperate Commuters Cheating in Carpool Lanes
Commuters in Sydney, Australia are risking fines rather than waiting in traffic. Along one stretch of highway, over 1000 cheaters were documented in just one hour.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research