Special usage lanes (SULs) are those roadway lanes dedicated to particular vehicle types or to unique operating characteristics. The most common usage is for high occupancy vehicles (HOVs-buses and carpools). In this report SULs and HOV lanes are used interchangeably and denote the same concept. The energy shortages of the 1970's brought a proliferation in the number of SULs and considerable variation in the signing and delineation of these lanes could be found among regions, among cities and even within metropolitan areas. Recognizing the need for more uniformity in signing and marking systems, this research had as its objectives: Determination of the information requirements of users and non-users of SULs; Development of signing and delineation systems to meet the information requirements; Evaluation of the efficiency of the developed signing and delineation systems. The objectives were achieved through literature search, analyses of SULs across the country and development of initial SUL information systems. The systems were evaluated through 13 laboratory and closed field experiments. The laboratory findings and several SUL information systems were then verified through operational field studies. This volume, the third in the series, describes the six operational evaluations that were conducted at seven east and west coast cities and includes design suggestions for information systems for nine classes of SULs. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting