SMART RAMP : OREGON'S EXPERIENCE WITH BUS-BYPASS LANE OPERATION

Introduction of ramp meters in the Portland metropolitan area seemed to cause undue delay to transit buses. A Smart Ramp is introduced on a freeway on-ramp for use by transit and school buses, as well as high occupancy vehicles. These vehicles carry special tags, which are identified by on-site equipment to provide preemption in the bypass lane. The Smart Ramp operates during the morning and afternoon rush hours. This paper discusses the establishment and operation of the Smart Ramp. The ramp is monitored over a one-year period, when its usage is examined. Data on registered users, dwell times, and ramp's influence on encouraging carpools are gathered as part of research. User surveys are also conducted to determine ramp's acceptance. Including buses and high occupancy vehicles in the bypass lane encouraged some illegal use. Illegal usage and related enforcement issues are investigated. Overall, the ramp has been well accepted and served its intended purpose in encouraging carpooling and saving time (and costs) to travelers and the transit agency

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Publication Date: 2000 Transportation Research Board, Washington DC Remarks: Presentation at the 79th annual meeting of the Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., January 2000
• Corporate Authors:

  Texas Transportation Institute

  Texas A&M University System, 3135 TAMU
  College Station, TX  United States  77843-3135
• Authors:
  • Lall, B Kent
  • Lucas, Debbi
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 79th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington D.C.
  • Date: 2000-1-9 to 2000-1-13
• Date: 2000

Language

• English

Media Info

• Pagination: 20 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bus lanes; High occupancy vehicle lanes; Public transit; Ramp metering; Ridesharing
• Subject Areas: Operations and Traffic Management; Public Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00788749
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: UC Berkeley Transportation Library
• Files: PATH
• Created Date: Mar 23 2000 12:00AM