This study raises the question of whether it might be more cost effective to have separate traffic lanes for lorries and for cars, vans and pickup trucks. The provision of second lane on a highway can increase vehicle throughput, but often high occupancy vehicle lanes and bus lanes are underutilized, impeding traffic flow. The arguments for cars-only lanes include the building of narrower lanes and hard shoulder widths, so that cost savings can be made or greater flows of vehicles can be achieved in a given space. Such narrow roads could be constructed on underused railway tracks (with trains replaced by trams), drainage channels or power line corridors. Overhead clearances would also be considerably smaller. Retrofitting urban expressways such as the missing link on the A86 Paris ring road are given as an example where the double deck tunnel under the Versailles area is suitable for light vehicles only. The arguments in favour of toll truck highways include freight transport productivity gains, use of higher capacity lorries, and the reduced maintenance costs of a highway built specifically to withstand the weight of heavy vehicles. The use of separate studies of the value of time for car drivers and freight transport is discussed. Safety considerations on narrow lane widths are debated and it is concluded that such designs should be limited to light vehicles only. The trend towards downsizing of vehicles in the USA to reduce energy costs and greenhouse emissions is noted. If lorry only lanes resulted in increased productivity then there would also be a worthwhile decrease in emissions. For the covering abstract see ITRD E146823
Samenvatting