HOV lanes are Hot Property

Part of my virtual job, I use the web to search out the relative build out of HOV,HOT, and BRT; to see what's hot in lane space.

My results are informal, but adding HOT to HOV is very big news right now. The cost of the relative addition is low, simply the cost of the transponder.  The results are much better efficiency with variable pricing. This is why this is a major industrial revolution, the huge multiplier of technology applied to transportation.

But that is not all, what does BRT have? Lane guidance.  Can BRT vehicles use lane guidance in HOT lanes? You bet, works great.

But that is not all! An additional offer.  Add a cheap display on the transponders so each driver can see the digital view of the HOT lane.  Great safety addition for mere pennies, pay off in about two days.

But wait! Who is done here?  Having so far spent pennies and generated multipliers way above one, we can do more.  Let the BRT pay for right of way on the HOT lane, and speed them up to 80 MPH, on todays HOT lane, generating revenue, great increases in energy efficiency, and cost?  You have to give instructions to motorists when they get their transponder, and the transponder has to give warning of BRT on the move.

Using existing asphalt, we add $30 to the car, then another $4, then another $2; pretty soon  we have added almost $50 in fixed  cost to commuting.  Yet yield successive gains in efficiency of 10%,15%,30%; compounding that we get application layering in the software.  You will find that existing bus lines get their routes with half the traffic delay, twice the speed; independent effects.

The ability of technology to offer traffic space at velocity ranges  yields the huge gains.  The limit to these gains is the limit of the pneumatic tire and the cost of managing human drivers in protected lanes (high speed lanes have to be curbed) .

But, back to the main point, right on schedule traffic planners are finding '$20 bills'  in those underutilized HOV lanes.   Technology vendors!!! Start talking about traffic sourcing for transponder users, applications and simple displays.  The HOT lane concept breed consumer demand for traffic applications, for example, roadside meetings for route based convoys.  Traffic planners, look for cash in those traffic lights, green lights have more value than red, and should go for higher prices; get your traffic lights and parking meters on the transponder nets.

Let's talk infrastructure

Taking our tractors out on the hgihways and adding, repaving, installing etc. I track those numbers, and my baseline is the I-15 corridor, per mile (lane installation only) for high speed BRT at $3 million/mile. HOV to HOT lane conversion should be no more than $1/2 million/mile. If we define high speed HOT lanes, with limits up to 85 MPH, transponder tracking for the consumer, and sufficient passing right of way; then lane costs should be around $1-2 million/mile. A high speed HOT lane from Victorsville to Vegas costs something like $100-$150 million, but using that we can move a 200 passenger BRT at speeds averaging 80 MPH. If traffic control can guarantee that speed, then roads fees of $1,000 per bus are justified.

What about super HOT lanes?
Let's define a lane that requires collision warning and lane drift warning. These two applications can be had with more expensive dashboard transponders. But, with these things and car inspections; then we have super HOT lanes with velocity lanes for 85-90 MPH, fixed speed! In other words, Nevada governor candidate Gino's plan for pay for speed works, with today's HOT lanes and today's digital assist. That means super HOT lanes can support BRT systems at that speed.