This paper introduces a microscopic simulation method to investigate the operational effects of allowing single occupant hybrid vehicles and or toll-paying single occupant vehicles into HOV lanes. The demand methodology is based on disaggregate stated and revealed preference vehicle purchase models, and includes a flexible aggregation method for converting the household level predictions to agg...

As the evidence mounts that some HOV lanes will not produce expected reductions in congestion and emission, alternatives are being sought. High occupancy toll (HOT) lanes and truck only lanes are attractive alternatives. In this study, a region-wide system of new HOV lanes, HOT lanes, and truck only lanes in the Sacramento region are compared. The travel effects are simulated with the Sacrament...

Recently, the conversion of HOV lanes to HOT lanes has been increasingly popular in the United States. Several empirical studies have explored the benefits and costs associated with the conversion. However, few quantitative studies have been performed to examine the impact of HOV-to-HOT conversion on traffic safety. Introduction With the hope of relieving highway congestion and generating reven...

High-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes usually go through an evolution of stages in their life cycle. The typical evolution includes changes in demand levels from several modes including 2+ or 3+ carpools and vanpools, transit, and general-purpose vehicles. To ensure adequate usage, most facilities have started out with a designation of HOV 2+. In some cases, over time, HOV2 volumes have exceeded c...

This paper addresses safety issues associated with High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes constructed along freeway medians, without physical separation from adjacent traffic. Data associated with operation of such an HOV facility in Southern California are analyzed relative to the pattern of accidents on the facility and the potential role of congestion. Detailed analyses of accident characteristi...

The I-290 / Illinois Route 53 corridor in the west and northwest suburban areas of Chicago suffers from heavy congestion throughout and beyond peak travel periods. Traffic management strategies, particularly ramp access strategies prioritizing high occupancy vehicle (HOV) travel, have been recommended as a means of mitigating and even reducing congestion in this corridor. The FREQ model develop...

Predictive knowledge discovery is an important knowledge acquisition method. It is also used in the clustering process of data mining. Visualization is very helpful for high dimensional data analysis, but not precise and this limits its usability in quantitative cluster analysis. In this paper, we adopt a visual technique called HOV to explore and verify clustering results with quantified measu...

Procedures for cryopreserving embryos vary considerably, each having its specific advantages and disadvantages in terms of technical feasibility, embryo survival yield, temperature permissibility and species- or strain-dependent applicability. Here we report a high osmolality vitrification (HOV) method that is advantageous in these respects. Cryopreservation by vitrification is generally very s...