HOV LANES AND TRAVEL DEMAND MANAGEMENT
Travel demand management (TDM) programs enable roadways, which have a fixed capacity, to accommodate more travelers without increasing traffic congestion. TDM programs accomplish this in three ways:
(1) encouraging ridesharing through the use of high-occupancy vehicles (HOV)—by ridesharing (either in private vehicles such as cars or vans, or by using mass transit) more people can be transported using the existing transportation systems;
(2) encouraging travelers (particularly commuters) to consider—when possible for particular trips—either making the trip during off-peak (low-demand) time periods or not making the trip at all (for example, telecommuting); and
(3) supporting a travel mode shift to nonmotorized means of travel, such as bicycling and walking.
The Boston area has programs that support all of these TDM approaches.
High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) Lanes
One program is the use of HOV lanes along the I-93 corridor. MassHighway constructed these lanes to encourage ridesharing and to improve the flow of general-purpose traffic along the I-93 corridor. These “carpool” lanes handle vehicles with passengers approaching downtown Boston from the north and the south during the morning peak period, and outbound traffic traveling southbound from Boston during the evening peak period.
For performance information on the HOV lanes along the I-93 corridor, please click here.
For MassHighway’s HOV FAQ, click here.
Alternative Commute Programs and Ridesharing: Carpools, Vanpools and Commuter Bus
Another significant TDM program is the state’s MassRIDES program. It helps transportation management associations (TMAs), employers, and commuters to engage in TDM activities and alternative commute options, such as ridesharing.
MassRIDES provides commute planning assistance directly to commuters through its statewide commuter information line (1-888-4-COMMUTE), which serves as a single source of information on over 50 public and private transportation providers statewide. Commuters interested in alternatives to driving solo can receive a match-list from the statewide ridematching database (information on people with whom they may carpool or vanpool) or information on transit options. Phone callers can receive bilingual assistance on weekdays during MassRIDES’s hours of operation, and after hours they can be automatically connected to other transportation agencies around the state.
MassRIDES also helps commuters form vanpools, recruits drivers and riders, and coordinates third-party, company-sponsored, and/or owner-operated vanpool programs.
The Massachusetts Highway Department (MassHighway) and the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority (MassPike) operate park-and-ride lots throughout the commonwealth. These lots are intended for use by commuters organizing carpools and vanpools. Many of these lots are conveniently located along major highways; all-day parking is often free. Some of the lots are even serviced by private commuter bus companies.
For a map with detailed park-and-ride lot information by city/town please click here.
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