MAKING PRICING OF CURRENTLY FREE HIGHWAY LANES ACCEPTABLE TO THE PUBLIC

This article discusses value pricing (VP), also called congestion or peak-period pricing, which entails assessing relatively higher prices for travel during periods of peak demand. In metropolitan areas, VP holds great promise as a means of reducing highway congestion and emissions and increasing economic efficiency with a relatively small public investment in infrastructure. VP applications being implemented or proposed for implementation in the U.S. usually involve new freeway traffic lanes, or converting existing freeway high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes into toll lanes. However, few new freeway lanes are being constructed in urban areas. The market could be expanded significantly if metropolitan areas could convert existing freeway lanes to toll lanes. The public, though, is not likely to readily embrace this idea. The author proposes an innovative concept, called "Fast And Intertwined Regular (FAIR) Lanes that would overcome these objections. FAIR lanes would involve separating currently free, freeway lanes, using plastic pylons and striping, into 2 sections: Fast and Regular lanes. Fast lanes would be electronically-tolled lanes, where tolls are set in real time to limit traffic to the free-flowing maximum, while Regular lanes would remain toll-free, where constricted flow would continue. The further intricacies and benefits of FAIR Lanes, including those circumstances where their use would be advantageous to highway, freeway, or urban transportation, are discussed.

• Record URL:
  https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015047810828?urlappend=%3Bseq=431
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/oclc/7938948
• Corporate Authors:

  Eno Transportation Foundation

  1250 I Street, NW, Suite 750
  Washington, DC  United States  20005
• Authors:
  • DeCorla-Souza, P
• Publication Date: 2000

Language

• English

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: p. 17-20
• Serial:
  • Transportation Quarterly
  • Volume: 54
  • Issue Number: 3
  • Publisher: Eno Transportation Foundation
  • ISSN: 0278-9434

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automobile driving; Congestion pricing; Economic efficiency; Freeways; High occupancy toll lanes; Highway transportation; Metropolitan areas; Road pricing; Toll roads; Traffic congestion; Traffic lanes; Travel demand; Urban transportation policy; Value of service pricing
• Uncontrolled Terms: Fast and intertwined regular (FAIR) lanes
• Subject Areas: Economics; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Planning and Forecasting; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning; I73: Traffic Control;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00797599
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, ATRI
• Created Date: Aug 7 2000 12:00AM