In the face of growing urban congestion, the range of strategies to maintain and improve highway service is also increasing. The traditional approach has been the addition of general-purpose lanes. However, because of the high costs and impacts of creating new capacity, increasing attention is also being given to strategies that make the maximum use of existing highway capacity. One of the most recent management concepts - High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes - combines HOV and pricing strategies by allowing single occupancy vehicles to gain access to HOV lanes by paying a toll. The lanes are "managed" through pricing to maintain free flow conditions even during the height of rush hours. The appeal of this concept is tri-fold: (1) It expands mobility options in congested urban areas by providing an opportunity for reliable travel times to users prepared to pay a significant premium for this service. (2) It generates a new source of revenue, which can be used to pay for transportation improvements, including enhanced transit service. (3) It improves the efficiency of HOV facilities, which is especially important given the recent decline in HOV mode share in 36 of the 40 largest metro areas. The combined ability of HOT operations to introduce additional traffic to existing HOV facilities, while using price and other management techniques to control the number of additional motorists and maintain high service levels, renders the HOT lane concept a promising means of reducing congestion and improving service on the existing highway system. With only four HOT lane facilities operating in the Untied States in 2002, decision makers may not have the familiarity necessary to recognize the potential of the concept and consider it in situations where it could be appropriate. This guide is intended to encourage further consideration of the concept by providing transportation professionals with information and insight gained from the nation's initial experiments with HOT lanes.
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