High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) Lane Marketing Manual September 1994
NOTICE
This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S.
Department of Transportation in the interest of information
exchange. The United States Government assumes no liability for
its contents or use thereof.
The United States Government does not endorse manufacturers or
products. Trade names appear in the document only because they are
essential to the content of the report.
This report is being distributed through the U.S. Department of
Transportation's Technology Sharing Program.
DOT-T-95-04
High Occupancy
Vehicle (HOV) Lane
Marketing Manual
Final Report
September 1994
Prepared by
John W. Billheimer, J.B. Moore,
and Heidi Stamm
Systan, Inc.
343 Second Street (P.O. Box U)
Los Altos, CA 94022
Prepared for
Traffic Management Systems Division
Federal Highway Administration
U.S. Department of Transportation
Washington, D.C. 20590
Distributed in Cooperation with
Technology Sharing Program
U.S. Department of Transportation
Washington, D.C. 20590
DOT-T-95-04
PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS PREFACE
This manual has been prepared by SYSTAN, Inc. for the Federal
Highway Administration to provide marketing and HOV professionals
with practical guidelines for improving and the public awareness,
understanding, acceptance and use of HOV lanes.
The manual has been prepared in the Los Altos, California
offices of SYSTAN, Inc. under Contract No DTFH61-93-C-00090 with
the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Mr. Jerry Emerson of
FHWA acted as the project's technical monitor.
SYSTAN's project manager and principal investigator was Dr.
John W. Billheimer. Mr. J.B. Moore of The Roanoke Company provided
public information insights and wrote major sections on Campaign
Implementation, while Ms. Heidi Stamm of Pacific Rim Resources
contributed her hands-on experience with HOV lane marketing and
authored the subsection dealing with Constituency Building and the
Case Study of Seattle's I-5 South HOV lanes. Ms. Juliet McNally of
SYSTAN helped to organize the final report, and Ms. Fran Vella of
Phrasemaker Word Processing prepared all project reports, including
this Manual.
The manual has been prepared under the close scrutiny of the
Transportation Research Board's Committee on HOV Lanes. Committee
members and friends Charles Fuhs, Ron Klusza, Heidi Stamm, Katie
Turnbull, and Carole Valentine liberally contributed their time in
reviewing the manual outline and each of its drafts and made many
helpful suggestions as the work progressed.
The authors received generous assistance from a number of
individuals affiliated with various HOV projects throughout the
U.S. Special acknowledgement is due to Al Pint and Judith Rockvam
of MNDOT and Charleen Zimmer of Strgar-Roscoe-Fausch, Inc. for
their assistance with Minneapolis I-394; to Lynda South Webster and
Frank Dunn of VDOT for their help with both Hampton Roads Projects;
to Ron Klusza and Bob Goodell of CALTRANS District 7 for dredging
up their memories of Santa Monica Diamond Lanes; to M. Scott
MacCalden Jr. of JHK Associates for unearthing the early technical
reports on the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Bridge; to Mary Ann
Reynolds and Carole Valentine of VDOT for reliving their experience
with the Dulles Toll Road; and to Jerry Ayres, Melissa Loomis and
Rob Fellows of VA DOT for sharing their insights into Washington
State HOV policies and programs.
SYSTAN wishes to thank all of those who provided information
and insights on the marketing of HOV lanes, and acknowledges full
responsibility for the analysis, interpretation, and presentation
of the information they provided.
i
FOREWORD
This report has been organized In a modular format, with each
subsection preceded by a topic sentence In bold type and
Illustrated with an exhibit on the facing page.
This report has been organized in four major chapters.
1. Introduction
2. Planning the Campaign
3. Implementing the Campaign
4. Monitoring and Evaluating
The four chapters are further divided into Sections
(designated by letters) and Subsections (designated by numbers).
Each Subsection has been designed as a self-contained, modular
element, with a single page of text facing an exhibit illustrating
the thesis of the Subsection. The layout of each modular
Subsection is sketched in the illustration on the facing page.
For the convenience of the reader, the Chapter Number and
Section and Subsection designation are prominently displayed at the
top of each page. In addition, a topic sentence summarizing the
Subsection thesis appears in bold type at the beginning of each
modular element (See exhibit). The reader interested in a quick
overview of the report can easily skim its contents by reading
these topic sentences, pausing to explore subjects of particular
interest.
ii
FOREWORD
EXHIBIT: TYPICAL SUBSECTION LAYOUT
iii
CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
SECTION PAGE
A. OVERVIEW 1-2
B. CASE STUDY HIGHLIGHTS
1. Overview 1-4
2. Minneapolis I-394 1-6
3. Hampton Roads Route 44 1-8
4. Hampton Roads I-64 and Route 44 (Phase 11) 1-10
5. The Santa Monica Diamond Lanes 1-12
6. The San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge 1-14
7. The Dulles Toll Road 1-16
8. Seattle I-5 South 1-18
MARKETING FOR SUCCESS
1. Start Early and Keep Going 1-20
2. Build Constituencies 1-22
3. Refine the Product 1-24
4. Respect the Single Auto Vehicle 1-26
5. Develop a Marketing Plan 1-28
6. Monitor and Evaluate 1-30
iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PLANNING THE CAMPAIGN
SECTION PAGE
A. MARKET RESEARCH
1. Overview 2-2
2. Preliminary Research 2-4
3. Focus Groups 2-6
4. Telephone Surveys 2-8
5. Mail-Back Surveys 2-10
6. Executive Interviews 2-12
7. Traffic Measurements 2-14
B. CONSTITUENCY BUILDING
1. Overview 2-16
2. Database Development 2-18
3. Educational Workshops 2-20
4. Interagency Coordination 2-22
5. Political Liaison 2-24
6. Enforcement Liaison 2-26
7. Judicial Liaison 2-28
8. Identifying Media Partners 2-30
9. Keeping the Media's Attention 2-32
10. Environmental Group Concerns 2-34
11. Community Relations 2-36
C: CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGIES
1. Overview 2-38
2. Setting Campaign Objectives 2-40
3. Identifying Key Issues 2-42
4. Identifying Target Audiences 2-44
5. Budgeting 2-46
6. Hiring Professionals 2-48
7. Selecting Media Channels 2-50
8. Scheduling 2-52
D. MARKETING MATERIALS
1. Overview 2-54
2. Brochures 2-56
3. Newsletters 2-58
4. Flyers 2-60
5. Posters and Print Ads 2-62
6. Newspaper Advertisements 2-64
7. Radio Spots 2-66
8. Television Spots 2-68
9. Outdoor Advertising 2-70
10. Official Signing 2-72
11. Premiums 2-74
v
CONTENTS
TABLE OF CONTENTS
IMPLEMENTING THE CAMPAIGN
SECTION PAGE
A. MEDIA RELATIONS
1. Orientation 3-2
2. Press Kits 3-4
3. Press Releases 3-6
4. Personnel Training 3-8
B. ADVERTISING PLACEMENTS
1. Radio 3-10
2. Billboards 3-12
3. Paid Television Advertising 3-14
4. Television Public Service Announcements 3-16
5. Newspapers 3-18
C. PROMOTION
1. Direct Mail 3-20
2. Radio and TV Appearances 3-22
3. Computer Communication 3-24
D. COMMUNITY RELATIONS
1. Overview 3-26
2. Public Meetings 3-28
3. Ridesharing Agencies 3-30
4. Business Liaison 3-32
5. Private Industry Support 3-34
6. Telephone Hotline 3-36
E. ONGOING MARKETING
1. Overview 3-38
2. Common Questions and Answers 3-40
3. More Questions and Answers 3-42
4. Answering Criticism 3-44
vi
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CONTENTS
MONITORING AND EVALUATING
SECTION PAGE
A. OVERVIEW
1. Overview 4-2
B. EVALUATION PLAN
1. Elements of the Evaluation Plan 4-4
2. The Evaluation Tableau 4-6
3. Setting Evaluation Objectives 4-8
4. Defining Measures of Effectiveness 4-10
5. Comparison Strategies 4-12
6. The Evaluation Sample 4-14
C. MONITORING THE PROJECT
1. Overview 4-16
2. Data Collection Frequency 4-18
3. Presenting Findings 4-20
D. MONITORING THE CAMPAIGN
1. Overview 4-22
2. Measuring Exposure 4-24
3. Cost Vs. Exposure 4-26
4. Measuring Reaction 4-28
E. EVALUATION PITFALLS
1. Lack of Historical Perspective 4-30
2. Threats to Validity 4-32
3. Internal Threats to Validity 4-34
4. External Threats to Validity 4-36
5. Threats to Credibility 4-38
vii
CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS
APPENDICES
APPENDIX PAGE
A. CASE STUDIES A-1
B. SAMPLE MATERIALS B-1
C. HOV PROJECT DATA C-1
D. SAMPLE SURVEY FORMS D-1
E. DIRECTORY OF MARKETING CONTACTS E-1
F. SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY F-1
viii
SECTION ONE
INTRODUCTION 1
INTRODUCTION 1 A. OVERVIEW
This Marketing Manual is designed to provide marketing and HOV
professionals with practical guidelines for Improving the public
awareness, understanding, acceptance, and use of HOV lanes and
their support facilities.
Over the past 20 years, as congestion has increased on the
nation's freeways and the funds and space for freeway expansion
have become more and more constrained, jurisdictions throughout the
U.S. have begun to implement facilities offering preferential
treatment for high-occupancy vehicles (HOVs). These facilities are
intended to help maximize the movement of people along roadways by
providing HOVs - carpools, vanpools, and buses - with reduced and
more predictable travel times.
Although High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes save time for
carpoolers, vanpoolers, and mass transit users and encourage more
effective use of the nation's highways, the restrictions they
impose on single-occupant vehicles (SOVS) have in some cases led to
misunderstandings, criticisms, loss of public support, organized
opposition, and even the cancellation of critical projects. It is
essential that-extensive marketing efforts to be undertaken before,
during, and after the implementation of HOV projects to educate the
public and develop a base of political and community support.
Marketing efforts represent a relatively recent addition to
the transportation planning process and, in some areas, the
inclusion of marketing in the process has been met with skepticism
by traditional highway planners. Where it is no longer possible to
build enough freeways to handle the demand for services by single
occupant vehicles, however, something must be done to alter the
shape of that demand. Marketing tries to do this by opening
channels of communication with the driving public. In the case of
HOV lanes, many different messages can be sent (and received)
through these channels. A few of the marketing objectives cited in
past HOV projects are listed below.
HOV Marketing can:
. Heighten public awareness of ridesharing as an option;
. Increase public confidence in HOV strategies;
. Develop accurate expectations for HOV facilities;
. Advertise the opening of HOV lanes;
. Educate drivers in the use of HOV lanes;
. Promote immediate use of HOV lanes;
. Create awareness of support facilities (i.e., park-and-
ride lots, ridematching services); and
. Provide" updated accounts of HOV lane time savings and
usage.
This HOV Marketing Manual is designed to provide marketing and
HOV professionals with practical guidelines for improving the
public awareness, understanding, acceptance, and use of HOV
facilities.
The organization of the manual is outlined in the accompanying
exhibit. This organization features four main sections. The first
section, this INTRODUCTION, contains highlights from case studies
of HOV marketing experience and summarizes a few key principles of
successful marketing gleaned from these studies. The next main
section, PLANNING THE CAMPAIGN, addresses such key topics as market
research, campaign strategy, marketing materials, and constituency
building. The third main section, IMPLEMENTING THE CAMPAIGN,
covers media relations, advertising placement, promotion, community
relations, and ongoing marketing activities. The last major
section, MONITORING AND EVALUATION, discusses the need to monitor
and assess the marketing campaign, public response, and HOV lane
performance. Finally, APPENDICES contain sample marketing
materials from a variety of HOV projects, project data, the case
studies themselves, and a list of contacts who have had experience
marketing HOV lanes in various parts of the country.
1-2
1-3
INTRODUCTION 1
B. CASE STUDY HIGHLIGHTS
1. OVERVIEW
It's easy to market a good project, but the best marketing
campaign In the world won't save a badly flawed HOV project.
In preparing this manual, case studies were developed focusing
on the marketing aspects of seven HOV projects. These case studies
appear in Appendix A. Key findings from the Appendix A case studies
are outlined in this section of the manual.
The seven projects for which case studies were developed are
listed below.
Appendix Project
A1 Minneapolis I-394
A2 Hampton Roads Route 44
A3 Hampton Roads I-64
A4 The Santa Monica Diamond Lanes
A5 The San Francisco/Oakland Bay Bridge
A6 The Dulles Toll Road
A7 Seattle I-5 South
These case studies were chosen to represent a range of
successful and unsuccessful HOV projects. As shown in the
illustration on the facing page, four of the projects, Minnesota I-
394, Hampton Roads 1-64, The San Francisco/Oakland Bay Bridge, and
Seattle I-5 are generally recognized as successful examples of HOV
lane implementation. The remaining three projects, Hampton Roads
Route 44, The Santa Monica Diamond Lanes, and The Dulles Toll Road,
generated such high levels of public hostility that they were shut
down by political or judicial decrees.
The projects selected for case studies received varying
amounts of marketing attention prior to opening. The amount of
marketing did not necessarily correlate with a project's ultimate
success or failure. Two of the projects studied, Hampton Roads
Route 44 and the San Francisco/Oakland Say Bridge, received
negligible marketing attention prior to opening. While the Hampton
Roads project suffered badly from the empty lane syndrome and was
discontinued by a political maneuver temporarily exempting the area
from HOV restrictions, the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Bridge has
proven to be one of the most successful HOV projects in California.
The best marketing tool for HOV lanes is a well conceived and well
designed project.
A well-designed HOV project can succeed with a minimum of
marketing, but no amount of marketing is likely to save a badly
flawed project. The table below compares the marketing efforts
devoted to two high profile HOV projects, Minnesota I-394 and the
Santa Monica Diamond Lanes.
Minnesota Santa Monica
I-394 Diamond Lanes
Marketing Elements
Marketing Plan? Yes Yes
Constituency Building? Yes Yes
Marketing Budget (1st Year) $400K $350K
Targeted Materials? Yes Yes
1-4
Thus the marketing plans for the two projects were nearly
identical in all respects, and more than ample by the standards of
most HOV projects. Yet the express lanes on Minnesota I-394 are
generally acknowledged as a successful HOV project, while the
Diamond Lanes on the Santa Monica Freeway, which cost non-
carpoolers far more time than carpoolers and caused the accident
rate to more than double, were an early and widely publicized HOV
failure. It is not likely that any marketing program could have
made the Santa Monica Diamond Lanes, as designed and implemented,
palatable to the Los Angeles public.
The case studies appearing in this manual were selected with
an eye toward identifying projects that were unequivocal successes
or failures. Most HOV lanes fall somewhere between these two
extremes. These lanes require marketing programs to build
constituencies, promote projects, and attract patrons. This manual
has been developed to assist the designers, planners, and marketers
of these lanes
1-5
INTRODUCTION 1
B. CASE STUDY HIGHLIGHTS
2. MINNEAPOLIS I-394
"Good media relations are more Important than advertising In
ensuring project success."
Al Pint, I-394 Project Manager
PROJECT OVERVIEW
I-394, the last segment of the interstate system to be
constructed in the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area, extends eleven
miles to the west of downtown Minneapolis. A detailed case study
of this project may be found in Appendix A-1. The design consists
of eight miles of concurrent-flow, two-person HOV lanes, with three
miles of barrier-separated, reversible HOV lanes entering
Minneapolis. The lanes are supported by a variety of elements,
including two major transit stations, seven park-and-ride lots,
ramp metering, HOV bypass lanes at selected ramps, and three new
directly accessible parking garages in downtown Minneapolis, which
offer discounted rates to carpoolers.
The I-394 lanes afford a time savings ranging from five to
seven minutes to buses and two-person carpools traveling the length
of the project. Since the lanes opened to provide temporary
construction relief in 1986, usage has nearly tripled. By the
Spring of 1993, 4,606 people, or 48% of the inbound commuters
during the peak hour, used the I-394 Express Lanes each morning.
MARKETING OVERVIEW
Elements: The Express Lanes on I-394 have been accompanied by
a dedicated and extensive marketing program which has grown and
evolved as the lanes proceeded from construction to completion.
The marketing program includes:
. Market Research Activities which used telephone surveys,
focus groups, and employer interviews to assess marketing
potential, identify target audiences, test promising
marketing approaches, and measure public reactions to the
Express Lane.
. Marketing Plan. A unified marketing plan guided the
production and dissemination of a wide variety of
promotional materials, including a Commuter Guide,
quarterly newsletters, construction bulletins, weekly
press releases, press tours, press kits, radio spots,
billboards, newspaper ads, bus-side advertising, posters,
and a telephone hotline.
. Constituency Building Programs included the creation of a
Corridor Management Team involving all affected public
agencies and the maintenance of good community
relationships with businesses and residents.
. Marketing and Evaluation Programs which enabled MN/DOT to
report project impacts in a timely and accurate fashion.
Objectives. Marketing objectives evolved gradually from
introducing the HOV concept as construction began to filling the
HOV lanes when construction was completed. According to MN/DOT,
marketing personnel concentrated on "increasing carpooling and bus
riding, establishing two-way communication with target audiences,
and maintaining positive media relations... Strategies regularly
focused on communicating the benefits of I-394, utilizing both paid
and non-paid media to reach target audiences and tying all
communication vehicles together with a similar look and a Highway
12/I-394 logo."
Budget. The marketing program was supported by an in-house
marketing liaison, a contract with a public relations/advertising
agency, and a dedicated budget that averaged $400,000 per year.
1-6
INTRODUCTION 1
B. CASE STUDY HIGHLIGHTS
2. MINNEAPOLIS I-394
EXHIBIT: REASONS FOR PROJECT SUCCESS
Source: Phase 1 Report (Strgar-Roscoe-Fausch,
. The lane worked the way It was intended to work. Its benefit
in bypassing congestion is clearly visible to people who use
the highway.
. The promises for time savings were kept. People perceive
greater time savings than were promised and say this is the
main reason they use the HOV lane.
. The definition of a carpool as a passenger vehicle with two or
more people made it easier to form carpools and put reasonable
volumes in the lane immediately; thus, there was no "empty
lane syndrome."
. Occupancy requirements were rigorously enforced: Patrols were
highly visible during the first two weeks of operation and
periodically thereafter.
. There was top-down open support from-within MN/DOT and strong
interagency support for the project. The public commitment of
the Commissioner and the major decision-making role of the
Corridor Management Team were very important in achieving this
support.
. By designating a Corridor Manager, with responsibility for the
operation of the interim HOV lane as well as the construction
of I-394, MN/DOT was able to respond immediately to any
problems or criticism.
. A lot of attention was given to providing timely Information
to people, to maintaining a positive image of I-394
construction and the HOV lane, and to marketing the benefits
of carpooling and riding the bus. A variety of methods were
used including a telephone "hotline," newsletters, billboards,
media coverage and special, events.
. A system of supportive facilities and programs was implemented
to provide the best possible level of service, cost savings
and time savings for people who carpool or ride the bus.
REASONS FOR SUCCESS
By almost any measure, the I-394 Express Lanes can be termed a
success. They are widely accepted by the public, offer carpoolers
and bus riders a consistent time savings, have minimal violation
rates, carry 48% of the Corridor's commuters during the peak
morning hour, and have led to the formation of a number of
carpools. Many factors contributed to this success in the
planning, design, construction and operation stages. The factors
judged to be most important by the participants themselves are
cited in the above exhibit in the project's Phase I Report (Strgar-
Roscoe-Fausch, 1987):
The last four of the cited factors (interagency support,
focused responsibility, timely information, and support facilities)
fall under the traditional heading of marketing concerns. However,
the first four factors, which address the design and operating
decisions which ensured that the lanes would work the way they were
intended to work, were just as important from a marketing
standpoint. In the words of Corridor Manager Al Pint, "It's easy
to market a good product."
1-7
INTRODUCTION 1
B. CASE STUDY HIGHLIGHTS
3. HAMPTON ROADS ROUTE 44
"I don't think people would have been so mad if they'd seen a
car in there now and then. "
State Senator opposing Route 44 HOV Lanes
PROJECT OVERVIEW
The Virginia DOT (VDOT) planned HOV lanes on the Virginia
Beach-Norfolk Expressway (Virginia Route 44) and I-64 at the
crossroads linking Norfolk, Hampton Roads, and Virginia Beach. The
segment on Route 44 consisted of five miles of concurrent-flow HOV
lanes, while adjoining lanes on I-64 were designed as barrier-
separated reversible flow lanes. The initial design of the lanes
made no provision for express bus service or park-and-ride
facilities.
The first leg of the HOV system was constructed on Route 44
and was scheduled-to open in September 1986. When funding for the
reversible lanes on I-64 proved to be slow in coming, VDOT had to
decide whether to open the Route 44 lanes as concurrent flow HOV
lanes or open the new lanes to all traffic and restrict them to
HOVs when the entire system was complete. Feeling it would be too
difficult to reclaim the lanes for HOVs once they had been opened
to all traffic, VDOT decided to restrict the new lanes to vehicles
with three or more occupants from opening day onward.
Once operational, the lanes shaved five minutes from commuting
times during rush hour. However, few motorists elected to take
advantage of this time savings by forming three-person carpools.
One month after opening, the lanes carded just 50 vehicles per
hour, or about one percent of the total number of rush-hour
vehicles. One year after opening, HOV lane traffic had grown to
250 vehicles per hour, including a number of Violators. This was
far too little traffic to overcome the empty lane syndrome, and the
promise of more vehicles at some indefinite future date when I-64
opened did little to sway adverse public opinion. Politicians,
recognizing that non-carpoolers far outnumbered carpoolers,
capitalized on the public outrage and made the HOV lanes an
election-year issue. The Virginia General Assembly passed a law
rescinding the HOV concept in the Hampton Roads Area, and the lanes
were opened to general traffic nineteen months after they had been
designated as HOV lanes. In a compromise move undertaken to
protect federal funding, it was agreed that the lanes would be
reopened when the entire HOV system was completed on I-64.
Accordingly, the HOV-3 signs were left standing, covered with a
message saying that the carpool provisions were "Temporarily
rescinded." (See Exhibit.)
MARKETING OVERVIEW
Because the decision to open the Route 44 lanes with a rather
restrictive 3+ occupancy requirement was delayed until two months
before the actual opening of the lanes, little pre-project
marketing could be accomplished. Marketing activities budgeted
$40,000 for a brochure entitled "Want to Travel in Faster
Company?"; a two-page newspaper ad in the Virginia Pilot, and an
instructional video.
Little research into public attitudes preceded the project,
and the adverse public response to the HOV lanes was
underestimated. The short set-up period also left no time to build
coalitions with allied agencies or seek out potential supporters in
the legislature. As a result, the lanes were largely unenforced,
and the General Assembly had no trouble passing the bill that
killed HOV lane operations.
1-8
REASONS FOR FAILURE
When reversible HOV lanes on I-64 were completed, the Route 44
lanes were reopened as part of a broader system (See Appendix A-3).
VDOT personnel reviewed the reasons the lanes had failed to gain a
following during their initial incarnation. These reasons are
listed below:
- Failure to gain support for HOV from those who could not use
the lanes;
- Low usage. Volume never increased enough to overcome the
empty lane syndrome;
- Commuters experienced little time savings in the HOV lane;
- The system was too incomplete to be a significant benefit to
the public;
- The inconvenience of making rideshare accommodations;
- The high violation rat e attributed to low enforcement levels.
Lynda South Webster, VDOT's Director of Public Affairs, noted
that the Failure to realize material benefits in time savings, slow
growth in overall use, and a poor understanding and "buy in" of the
longrange benefits" led to the rescinding of the Route 44 lanes.
While she observed that reducing the carpool requirement to two or
more occupants might have helped counter the empty lane syndrome,
the project as staged was incomplete and unsupported by either a
rideshare program or park-and-ride lots. "The product was simply
not a good one," she concluded and "the best marketing program
can't salvage a poor product."
1-9
INTRODUCTION 1
B. CASE STUDY HIGHLIGHTS
4. HAMPTON ROADS I-64 AND ROUTE 44 (Phase II)
"THIS TIME HOV GOES THE DISTANCE."
VDOT Marketing Slogan
PROJECT OVERVIEW
To protect federal funding for the freeway improvements
planned at the Norfolk/Hampton Crossroads, it was agreed that the
HOV lanes on Route 44 (See Section 1 -B-3) would be re-opened when
the reversible lanes on I-64 were completed and the entire HOV
system was in place. The completed project, which is described in
detail in Appendix A-3, opened on September 15, 1992. In the four-
and-a-half years between the legislatively-mandated lifting of
restrictions on Route 44 and the opening of the completed system,
VDOT took several measures to ensure the success of the new system.
These included:
- The formation of an HOV Steering Committee composed of local
municipalities, public utility districts, the Norfolk Naval
Base, the Virginia State police, VDOT, the state public
transportation department, and the regional transportation
district;
- The development of a long-range marketing program, which
included market research activities;
- The design of several--rideshare support facilities including
computer ridematching, employer outreach programs, park-and-
ride lots, promotional signage, express bus service, and
subsidized transit fares; and
- The redefinition of occupancy requirements from three persons
to two persons.
With the installation of the full HOV project, speeds in
conventional lanes improved dramatically, and HOVs were able to
travel at 55 miles per hour. Eight months after installation, the
freeways were carrying approximately the same number of people in
12% fewer vehicles during the morning peak, and the number of
carpools with two or more people had more than doubled, increasing
from 1,439 before the HOV lane opening to 3,043 after eight months.
MARKETING OVERVIEW
Five Year Plan: In view of the negative public reaction to
the initial opening of HOV lanes on Route 44, the HOV Steering
Committee felt it needed to "...be more positive, set a stronger
image, and promote a civic responsibility (to rideshare)." To
accomplish this, the Committee developed a five-year, three-phase
marketing plan designed to "overcome past problems, create positive
awareness, and induce ridesharing through the use of HOV lanes."
The three phases were designed to promote the general concept of
ridesharing up to one year before opening (Phase 1); focus on HOV
operating issues during the year before opening (Phase 2); and
successfully open the lanes and ensure their continuing acceptance
and use during the first two years of operation (Phase 3). The
marketing plan was budgeted at $1.5 million over the five years.
Key Issues: To address key issues, VDOT developed a series of
positioning statements that addressed the HOV system's key selling
points and provided a solid, consistent base for discussing the HOV
system with the news media, citizens, civic groups, and other
audiences. The statements were divided into four key categories;
(1) Benefits to commuters; (2) Benefits to the community; (3) The
changing transportation network; and (4) The importance of I-64 and
Route 44 to the new HOV system.
1-10
INTRODUCTION 1
B. CASE STUDY HIGHLIGHTS
4. HAMPTON ROADS I-64 AND ROUTE 44 (Phase 11)
EXHIBIT: MARKETING CONCLUSIONS OF VDOT PERSONNEL
1. The HOV concept Is not easily accepted by the public.
2. Keep the business community, political leaders, and
traffic reporters regularly briefed so they won't become
critics In the media.
3. Build support for HOV lanes among major employers (Navy)
and make them a part of your marketing team. A transient
workforce such as the Navy necessitates constant
education on "how to",use the HOV system and Its
benefits.
4. Continued acceptance of HOV requires continued education
and promotion of the personal and social benefits of
ridesharing to commuters, employers and political
leaders.
5. Good enforcement is also key to positive perception of
how well the HOV lanes work. Ease of enforcement must be
a key component in designing future systems.
6. Convenience is a key factor. Convenient, safe park-and-
ride lot locations, ridematching services, express bus
service and employer support are essential elements In
the success of the HOV system.
7. It appears that public acceptance Is contingent on the
perception of high lane use. Success breeds success...
The strategy of starting with HOV-2 and moving up as
congestion dictates Is consistent with this idea.
Marketing Materials. VDOT found the following marketing elements to
be most effective.
- "Burma Shave" Signs. Roadside jingles modeled after the old
"Burma-Shave" signs reached corridor commuters directly with
memorable messages. One series of signs read: Savvy
commuters/Soon can snore/Ten more minutes/Than before/Call
623-RIDE.
- Traffic Report Spots. VDOT sponsored live "reads" by traffic
reporters during the commute periods. These messages not only
reached drivers during their commute (and sounded like
reporting rather than public service messages) but also
improved the reporters views of the HOV lanes.
- Employer Outreach Kits with a variety of information, ranging
from computer ridematching programs to express bus service.
- Heavy placement of articles and maps on how lo use HOV lanes
in public and private sector employee newsletters. Camera-
ready "Questions and Answers" were highly effective and
customized maps were particularly well-received by the media--
maps almost guaranteed widespread coverage.
General --Marketing-Conclusions. Commuter surveys conducted
after the lanes opened indicated that 70% of those surveyed were in
favor of the lanes. Reflecting on their experience with both the
initial HOV lanes on Route 44 and the more complete network, the
public relations personnel at VDOT set down the conclusions listed
in the above exhibit.
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INTRODUCTION 1
B. CASE STUDY HIGHLIGHTS
5. THE SANTA MONICA DIAMOND LANES
"DIAMOND IS ROUGH"
Los Angeles Herald Examiner headline on opening day of the
Santa Monica Diamond Lanes
PROJECT OVERVIEW
On March 15, 1976, the California Department of Transportation
(CALTRANS) reserved the median lane in each direction of a 12-mile,
eight-lane segment of the Santa Monica Freeway linking the city of
Santa Monica with downtown Los Angeles for the exclusive use of
buses and carpools carrying three or more occupants during the peak
hours of traffic flow. Implementation of the Diamond Lanes was
accompanied by the introduction of a variety of express bus
services and the opening of three new Park-and-Ride lots in Western
Los Angeles.
The Santa Monica Freeway project marked the first time
preferential lanes had been created by taking busy freeway lanes
out of existing service and dedicating them to the exclusive use of
highoccupancy vehicles. Although the Diamond Lanes entailed no
major physical modifications or construction on the freeway itself,
they generated considerable emotional reaction among freeway
drivers and other residents of Los Angeles. The first day of
operations was disastrous, featuring bumper-to-bumper traffic, long
queues at on-ramps, a malfunctioning ramp meter, many accidents,
outraged drivers, poor press notices, and derisive news commentary.
As the project progressed, freeway performance improved somewhat
and both bus and carpool ridership increased, but accidents
remained a serious problem and the climate of public opinion and
media reaction grew more and more hostile. (A more detailed account
of the project's impacts may be found in Appendix A-4.) The
preferential lanes operated amid much controversy for 21 weeks
until August 9, 1976, when the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles
halted the project and ordered additional environmental studies
prior to its continuation.
MARKETING OVERVIEW
The participating agencies had developed a conventional
marketing plan (CALTRANS, August, 1975) designed primarily to
introduce the public to the Diamond Lanes and induce ridesharing.
From its disastrous opening day onward, the project was anything
but conventional. It quickly became a media event, generating
reams of newsprint, radio and television coverage, vocal public
reactions, political debate, lawsuits, banners, slogans, badges,
cartoons, and at least one song. As expressed in the official DOT
evaluation (Billheimer, et al., 1977), "From their implementation
to their dissolution, the Diamond Lanes were never far from public
View and, when in view, they were treated as an eyesore."
Key issues: From the start, CALTRANS and its allied agencies
recognized that the key marketing issue was the problem of taking a
lane away from one of the busiest freeways in the U.S. and
restricting it to bus and carpool use. (Federal requirements at the
time dictated carpool occupancy rates of three or more persons.
Prior to opening day, an average of 500 cars per hour met this
restriction, which placed projected operations on the threshold of
the empty lane syndrome.) To counteract the anticipated adverse
reaction during the early days of operations, the marketing team
planned to stress the anticipated benefits of the project: economy,
convenience, environmental improvement, energy conservation, better
utilization of existing transit facilities, and increased
ridesharing.
Budget: The marketing campaign was allocated a budget of
$358,000 for the first year's activity. Prior to the project
implementation, this appeared to be ample. As noted earlier (See
Section 1-B-1), the marketing plan for the Santa Monica Diamond
Lanes contained many of the same elements as that of a vastly more
successful project, Minnesota I-394.
Constituency Building Attempts: Because of the fragmentation
of public power and authority in Los Angeles, many government
agencies and elected officials had some purview over-the
1-12
INTRODUCTION 1
B. CASE STUDY HIGHLIGHTS
5. THE SANTA MONICA DIAMOND LANES
EXHIBIT: PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION SUGGESTIONS FROM SANTA MONICA
DIAMOND LANE DEMONSTRATION
Source: Billheimer et al. 1977
EARLY PLANNING
- Identify all potentially adverse effects in advance
- Publicize both positive and negative impacts in advance
- Include all affected public agencies and officials in the
planning process
- Involve the public in the planning process
- Involve the planners in the public process
PRE-IMPLEMENTATION
- Establish and communicate standards for project performance
- Develop a detailed evaluation plan and follow it
- Provide a call-in number as a lightning rod for public
response
IMPLEMENTATION
- Establish a focal point for information dissemination
- Let the demonstration run its course
Diamond Lane Project. In an attempt to unify these diverse
elements, CALTRANS formed a Joint Project Committee Composed of
representatives of key agencies with an interest in the project.
Although there was broad agency participation in the Joint Project
Committee, each decision-maker had his own concept of project
goals, and the degree of involvement and commitment to the Diamond
Lanes varied greatly from agency to agency. When the media
spotlight turned on the project, the public saw not a united front
but a number of public agencies and elected officials pointing
accusing fingers at the lead agencies, while other officials
remained prudently silent.
Community Reaction. Surveys, interviews, telephone calls,
newspaper polls, public hearings, and letters to newspaper editors
occurring during and after the project all revealed an
overwhelmingly negative public response to the Diamond Lanes. In
the most extensive survey undertaken, eighty-six percent of the
corridor drivers surveyed--including the majority of carpoolers--
felt the Diamond Lanes were either harmful or of no benefit
whatsoever. Although newspaper, television, and radio coverage was
overwhelmingly negative, attempts to lay the full blame for the
hostile public response on the media both oversimplify and
overstate the case. It is unlikely that the media reports alone
could have generated such a hostile response if the reports were
not reinforced by a daily negative impact on the lives of the
commuting public.
Marketing Impact. To suggest that better marketing might have
salvaged the Santa Monica Diamond Lanes is like saying that a
better ad campaign might have saved the Titanic. The marketing
approach, a well-planned public information program, could not
withstand the media outcry which was fueled by the project's
technical shortcomings. While the Diamond Lanes succeeded to some
degree in attracting riders to carpools and transit, they brought
about a significant increase in freeway-accidents, non-carpoolers
lost far more time than carpoolers gained, and the negative public
reaction stalled the implementation of other preferential treatment
projects in Southern California.
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INTRODUCTION 1
B. CASE STUDY HIGHLIGHTS
6. SAN FRANCISCO-OAKLAND BAY BRIDGE
An exceptional project can survive and thrive without much
formal marketing.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
The Bay Bridge between San Francisco and Oakland features one
of the oldest and most successful preferential carpool lanes in the
U.S. The bridge has two roadway decks, each of which carry five
traffic lanes. Tolls are collected only in the westbound direction
at a toll plaza located a half mile east of the bridge's upper
deck. On December 8, 1971 two lanes of the seventeen toll lanes
approaching the westbound bridge deck were taken from general use
and reserved for carpools with three or more occupants. At the
time of their opening, the toll-free HOV lanes saved carpoolers
between four and five minutes of waiting time, as well as the 500
toll assessed of non-carpoolers.
Since the lanes were opened, a metering system has been
installed beyond the toll booths. This system allows the bridge to
carry the maximum number of vehicles and simplifies enforcement of
the HOV lanes. The current bridge approach contains twenty-two
lanes, three of which are dedicated to three person HOVs between 5
a.m. and 10 a.m. and between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. These lanes save
carpoolers an estimated ten minutes of waiting time during the
morning peak, as well as the $1.00 toll collected in other lanes.
A more complete description of bridge operations may be found in
Appendix A-5.
Prior to the opening of the Bay Bridge HOV lanes, counts
showed only 1,100 carpools using the bridge during the morning
peak. After the introduction of the HOV lanes, the number of
carpools initially doubled, jumped. to 4,400 during the 1974 AC
Transit strike and rose to nearly 7,000 just prior to the Loma
Prieta earthquake in October, 1989, which shut the bridge down for
a month. In 1993, the bridge carded 5,360 carpools during the 3-
hour morning peak. During the peak hour between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m.,
the HOV lanes carried 57% of the people crossing the bridge in only
one-quarter of the vehicles.
MARKETING OVERVIEW
Although the San Francisco Bay Bridge HOV lanes are easily the
most successful carpool lanes in California, the project has
received very little marketing support. At the time the lanes were
introduced, bridge handouts announced the project and advance signs
warned drivers that the carpool lane began in the next 1,500 feet.
In subsequent years, the bridge lanes have been included in
promotional materials prepared by RIDES for Bay Area Commuters,
which provides referral services for Bay Area residents seeking
ridesharing assistance, and in the Year 2005 HOV Lane Master Plan
prepared by CALTRANS, the CHP, and the Metropolitan Transportation
Commission (MTC). However, no marketing activities are dedicated
to the promotion of the lanes themselves, which have thrived
largely on word-of-mouth advertising.
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GENERAL CONCLUSIONS
With a minimal amount of marketing, the HOV lanes on the San
Francisco Bay Bridge have become one of the most successful
preferential lane projects in the country. The number of three-
person carpools crossing the bridge has increased more than five-
fold since the lanes were opened in December 1971. Even though the
lanes were created by converting mixed-flow lanes, they have
remained free of controversy and enjoy one of the lowest violation
rates among California's preferential lane projects. The addition
of metering in March 1974 made the lanes easy to enforce and
ensured that the bridge would be used to its fullest capacity.
Moreover, because the metering system controlled the rate of flow
onto the bridge, the total delay for all vehicles remained the
same, guaranteeing that the time lost by noncarpoolers would
exactly equal the time saved by carpool vehicles.
The lesson of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge priority
lanes would seem to be that if you've got a good project, one that
is safe, easily enforced, allows the facility to operate at 100%
capacity, and saves carpoolers significant amounts of time without
costing non-carpoolers more time than carpoolers save, then you may
not need much formal marketing. Since these conditions are rarely
met, and may not be recognized in advance, it is best to assume
that all HOV projects will need some level of advance marketing.
1-15
INTRODUCTION 1
B. CASE STUDY HIGHLIGHTS
7. THE DULLES TOLL ROAD
"A commuter's worst nightmare come true."
U.S. Representative Frank Wolf from Northern Virginia
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Location: The Dulles Toll Road stretches twelve miles from
the Dulles International Airport to Tysons Corner, Virginia,
paralleling the Dulles Airport Access Road and providing Northern
Virginia residents of Loudoun and Fairfax Counties access to the
Washington, D.C. In 1989, the Virginia General Assembly approved
the addition of one new lane in each direction to the two existing
toll road lanes and mandated that the new lanes be HOV lanes.
After a lengthy construction period, the lanes were scheduled to
open for buses and carpools with three or more occupants on
September 2, 1992, the day after Labor Day. Temporary park-and-
ride lots were to support the new HOV lanes, with more extensive,
permanent facilities planned for the future.
Premature Opening: A six-mile section of the new roadway was
completed in October 1991, nearly one year in advance of the
projected HOV-lane opening date. In the face of existing
congestion, Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) officials
decided to open the new six-mile stretch to all traffic during this
interim period. A similar decision was made when the final six-
mile section of toll road was completed the following July. The
opening of 12 miles of new lanes to all traffic relieved congestion
on the toll road and made commuters happy, but it left VDOT faced
with the prospect of shoe horning three lanes of traffic back into
two lanes when HOV restrictions were imposed following Labor Day.
Political Opposition: By early August, opposition to the
opening of the Dulles Toll Road HOV lanes began to manifest itself.
Opposition was led by U.S. Representative Frank Wolf, a Republican
from Northern Virginia, who argued that closing one of the already-
opened lanes to normal traffic would increase congestion, pollution
and the risk of accidents. Wolf's arguments generated a heated
debate in the local news media and led to the formation of an anti-
HOV group, the Citizens Against Dulles HOV, as well as anti-HOV
votes by the Supervising Boards of both Loudoun and Fairfax
counties.
HOV Opening: On opening day, traffic tie-ups exceeded those
experienced before the new lanes were constructed, commute trips
that had taken only a half-hour before stretched to over an hour,
the HOV lanes appeared empty in comparison to the bumper-to-bumper
congestion in adjacent lanes, and the frustrations of thousands of
non-carpoolers further fueled the controversy.
Closing: The initial month of operations was marked by public
argument and political electioneering with VDOT adopting a "wait-
and-see" attitude as HOV lane usage increased. Near the end of
September, Representative Wolf seized the initiative by attaching
an amendment to a federal transportation appropriations bill
banning HOV lanes on toll roads on federal lands--a proviso that
applied only to the Dulles Toll Road. The measure passed but the
Governor of Virginia preempted it with a decree that the lanes
revert to general-purpose use pending further study. The lanes
reverted to general use on Monday, October 5, roughly one month
after their controversial implementation.
MARKETING OVERVIEW
Key Concerns: Because other HOV lanes had been operating
successfully in Northern Virginia for some time, VDOT's initial
marketing efforts focused on advertising the coming of the HOV
lanes on the Dulles Toll Road. Planned marketing activities
included the use of "Burma Shave" signs singing the praises of
carpooling, bus advertising brochures, and elaborate opening day
ceremonies, including a barrel-bashing. (See Appendix A-6 for more
details.) When the lanes were opened
1-16
INTRODUCTION
B. CASE STUDY HIGHLIGHTS
7. THE DULLES TOLL ROAD
EXHIBIT: MARKETING LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE DULLES HOV LANE
EXPERIENCE
1. Know the market and refine the product: Opening the Toll Road
Lanes in advance seriously weakened the lanes' chances of
success, but the lack of support facilities such as permanent
park-and-ride lots also contributed to the lanes' demise.
2. Start selling early, six months to a year in advance of
opening day.
3. Seek out natural allies: Build constituency groups in
advance, particularly among politicians, community leaders,
and media representatives such as traffic reporters and
columnists.
4. Choose a unifying theme: Marketing becomes easier when
materials are unified through a consistent logo or slogan
(i.e. Sane Lanes or Smart Lanes).
5. Time the opening carefully. Open the lanes when traffic is
relatively low.
6. Avoid election years: Opening just before an election tempts
politicians to cater to single auto drivers, who represent
more votes than carpoolers.
7. Stick with It: A project whose life is constantly threatened
isn't likely to attract many full time commitments to
carpooling.
temporarily to unrestricted traffic, their concerns and problems
expanded enormously. While under siege, they had to find ways to
respond to critics, mollify politicians, and make non-carpoolers
accept being shoehorned back into two lanes when HOV restrictions
were imposed. These weren't easy tasks under the best
circumstances, and they were undertaken under the worst of
circumstances, in a short time frame while under attack from
politicians, the press, and the public.
Constituency Building: One of the most critical shortcomings
in VDOT's marketing efforts was the failure to build constituencies
that could provide backing for the Toll Road HOV lanes during the
month of controversy that preceded their opening. As the
Washington Post noted "When Rep. Frank R. Wolf(R-VA) made his first
nonpublic rumbles against HOV to the highway department, no
official bothered to hold his hand in an attempt to ease his
constituent-instigated apprehensions."
Media Relations: One all-important constituency which VDOT
failed to bring around to its point of view was the media.
Newspaper editorials were overwhelmingly opposed to the HOV lanes,
and feature pages were filled with tales of angry motorists who
claimed to experience long delays, see many violators, narrowly
avoid accidents, and who viewed the lanes as "social engineering
designed by bureaucrats for bureaucrats." Two local traffic
reporters also joined the anti-HOV chorus, calling HOV lanes
"wishful thinking" and attacking VDOT's "Inflated statistics"
during prime drive time.
Budget: Whereas a total of $52 million was spent to build the
Dulles Toll Road HOV Lanes and related improvements, the Washington
Post reported that "...only $12,000 was spent on public-private
efforts to get commuters to use the new lanes." In the words of the
Post "Everybody fell asleep on the Dulles Toll Road, including
HOV's most ardent supporters." By the time they woke up, the best-
marketing campaign in the world couldn't have saved the project.
As a Loudoun Times-Mirror editorial noted, "All the high powered
public relations in the world can't overcome terrible policy."
1-17
INTRODUCTION 1
B. CASE STUDY HIGHLIGHTS
8. SEATTLE I-5 SOUTH
"What would you do with 100 hours of free time?"
Slogan from I-5 Marketing Campaign
PROJECT OVERVIEW
The Interstate 5 (I-5) Corridor is the major north-south
interstate running the entire length of Washington State. In the
Puget Sound region it bisects Seattle and serves as the major
roadway to and through the Metropolitan Seattle Area. The
Washington State DOT (WSDOT) originally planned to open HOV lanes
along the I-5 to the South of Seattle Corridor in the late 1990's.
In response to public pressure, this schedule was moved up, and HOV
lanes were opened to traffic between South Center and Federal Way
in the summer of 1991. The HOV lanes run 4.5 miles in both
directions and are temporarily squeezed into narrower lanes
adjacent to the freeway general purpose lanes. When first opened,
the HOV lanes were restricted to vehicles carrying three or more
persons. This designation was changed to two or more persons in
1993. The lanes are supported by park-and-ride lots and easily
accessible parking locations in downtown Seattle that offer
discounted rates to carpoolers.
While the lanes were underutilized under the three-plus
carpool definition, no evaluation of occupancy and operations under
the two-plus definition had been undertaken at the time this manual
was prepared.
MARKETING OVERVIEW
The marketing activities for the I-5 HOV Study were designed
to stimulate awareness and comments from a variety of target
markets associated with or having an interest in the study process
and its outcome. These markets included elected officials,
jurisdiction staff, employers, commuters, the media and the general
public. A unique characteristic of the project was the early
involvement of the general public in the process. A group of
citizens, organized as SHOVE (5-Southend High Occupancy Vehicle
Enthusiasts), gathered more than 2000 signatures from commuters who
wanted HOV lanes in South King County and North Pierce County.
Leaders of SHOVE also testified before members of the State
Transportation Commission, and were instrumental in having the
lanes implemented early.
Market Research: A telephone survey of 819 households and
executive interviews with 22 political, neighborhood, and business
leaders were used to guide the marketing plan development. The
telephone survey showed that respondents were highly frustrated
with the level of traffic on I-5, and the majority believed that
HOV lanes were"fairly" or "very effective," even though few had
used HOV lanes in the past.
Campaign Strategy. An extensive education plan was developed
to educate elected officials and key jurisdictions about the role
HOV facilities play in providing mobility for the region. The
education focus of the plan included: a bus tour; a kick off
briefing; ongoing media relations and database management; the
publication of a quarterly newsletter; and jurisdictional
briefings. In addition, to promote the opening of this HOV segment
a marketing plan was implemented that included: the development of
a logo; transit advertising; displays; special event participation;
and the development of promotional materials including posters,
brochures, buttons, balloons and self-stick note pads all
incorporating the logo for the project.
1-18
GENERAL MARKETING CONCLUSIONS
As with most HOV projects, it is difficult to separate the
success of the marketing activities from the success of the
project. Well-designed projects where there is demand will result
in facility success, whereas poorly designed projects or projects
implemented in areas where there is little demand may be termed as
failures. In the case of the I-5 South HOV lanes, the facility did
little to contribute to Washington State's goals for mobility and
congestion management.
There were, however, two key elements which make the project a
success from a marketing perspective:
- Market--research activities established a baseline of depth
and breadth regarding HOV understanding and support. This
market research--both telephone survey and Executive
Interviews--gave the WSDOT an understanding of the
expectations their constituents had for HOV facilities. This
information aided not only in the marketing messages used to
promote the opening of the HOV lanes, but in the design of the
facility as well.
- The constituency-building process, which was an integral part
of the technical planning and implementation actions,
established the WSDOT commitment to HOV facilities as part of
the region's vision for mobility. This process of recognizing
jurisdictions and community leaders as partners in the
education and marketing process as well as the planning of the
facility broadened the understanding and support for the
specific HOV facility on I-5 in South King County.
1-19
INTRODUCTION 1
C. MARKETING FOR SUCCESS
1. START EARLY AND KEEP GOING
HOV marketing activities should begin as early as possible in
the project planning stages, peak at the time the project opens,
and continue over the life of the project.
Marketing activities surrounding HOV facilities can be divided
into three separate phases, covering (1) Project planning; (2)
Project opening; and (3) Ongoing project operations.
ADVANCE MARKETING
Project Planning. The HOV marketing process should begin as
early as possible in the project planning stages with constituency
building activities and a review of the project's selling points
and shortcomings from a public relations standpoint. Too often in
the past, marketing personnel have been excluded from the inner
circle of project planners until the facility is nearing completion
and it's time to try to fill the lanes with ridesharers. As a
result, many opportunities for public participation in the planning
process are lost, and these lost opportunities can turn into
marketing problems when the project is implemented. Potential
marketing problems can often be identified and headed off by
including marketing personnel on planning and design teams.
Market Research. A variety of market research activities are
needed throughout the planning and implementation stages of an HOV
project. Early in the planning stages, market research can help to
define the social and political atmosphere In which the project
will be set, identify key stakeholding groups, and assemble
information on other HOV projects with similar goals, objectives,
or design characteristics. As the planning progresses, surveys and
group discussions can be used to identify public concerns and
expectations, test marketing concepts, and document the attitudes
and awareness of various target groups. Opinion surveys taken
during the project planning stages will provide baseline
comparisons for ongoing evaluations once the HOV lanes are
operating.
PROJECT OPENING
The concentration of marketing activities around the opening
of an HOV project represents the best understood and usually the
best executed portion of the HOV marketing process. This phase
calls for the careful orchestration of materials and events
designed to announce the opening, advertise the benefits of
ridesharing, and entice commuters to try carpooling or transit
riding. The marshalling of marketing activities about an
identifiable event, the project opening, most closely resembles
traditional advertising promotions and can include such familiar
activities as calendar count-downs, media blitzes, ribbon-cuttings,
press tours and public speeches.
ONGOING MARKETING
HOV marketing should not stop once a facility has opened.
Marketing should be an ongoing part of project operations, tracking
the advantages of lane use, announcing operational changes,
advertising support services such as park-and-ride lots or
ridematching programs, educating the changing commuter population,
answering public criticism, and creating realistic expectations for
the role of HOV facilities in the modern transportation network.
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1-21
INTRODUCTION 1
C. MARKETING FOR SUCCESS
2. BUILD CONSTITUENCIES
Partnerships offer citizens and organizations a formalized
role In shaping their future and Increase your ability to
communicate with more people, more frequently, using fewer
resources.
Moving individuals out of SOVs requires a significant behavior
change. Significant for the individual, for business and for
government. It takes a long term effort involving interagency
coordination and involvement from a variety of public and private
organizations.
interagency Coordination. Certain agencies and jurisdictions
must be involved from the start in planning and implementing HOV
lanes. In addition to the local transportation agency, these
include the state police or highway patrol; the planning, public
works, and traffic departments of affected local jurisdictions;
public transportation providers; ridesharing agencies; and regional
transportation organizations. A management team composed of these
agencies cannot only provide air integrated foundation for planning
and designing HOV facilities, but also a broad base of experience
for marketing these facilities.
Other Key Constituents: Other key constituents who must be
both consulted and educated in developing HOV facilities include
local political figures, the judiciary, community leaders, chamber
of commerce, business representatives, and media personnel. This
last group, media personnel, is of special importance. Talking to
the people who talk to the public is one of the most important
aspects of constituency building.
Marketing Partnerships: Aggressive solicitation of
"partnership" relationships with suitable organizations can
leverage your limited financial and staff resources and
significantly increase your marketing effectiveness. Partnership
support can be provided in the form of direct financial support, in
kind support such as printing, advertising, materials distribution,
providing staff hours, providing product, etc. Fundamental to the
success of any partnership program is the willingness on the part
of all public and private organizations active in this area to
coordinate resources, messages and schedules. Many organizations,
corporations and agencies promote parallel messages, so that you
can expand upon this HOV ethic by unifying these separate efforts
into a more cohensive marketing plan.
The following list of agencies and organizations is intended
to help you generate a prioritized list of potential partners for
aggressive recruitment.
1-22
1 -23
INTRODUCTION 1
C. MARKETING FOR SUCCESS
3. REFINE THE PRODUCT
Good HOV design can overcome poor marketing, but the best
marketing program In the world won't overcome poor design.
HOV projects are more likely to fail because of poor operating
policies, faulty design, or bad timing than because of poor
marketing. It is important to review potential pitfalls in the
planning stages in the hope that they can be corrected before an
HOV project becomes a public relations disaster or places an
impossible burden on marketing personnel. Potentially fatal
pitfalls in HOV design include:
- Insignificant time savings;
- The empty lane syndrome;
- Insufficient enforcement;
- Lack of support systems; and
- Disproportionate disadvantages for SOVs.
Insignificant Time Savings: HOV lanes should be considered
only where sufficient congestion already exists so that the need
for relief is recognized and an HOV lane can provide a significant
and reliable travel time savings for buses and carpoolers. Fuhs
(1990) notes that "The single most important predictor of the
success of an HOV lane is its ability to reduce travel time and to
generate reliable travel times to users." He goes on to provide the
following guidelines for mainline HOV lanes: "Time savings realized
by line-haul HOVs must be on the order of about one minute per mile
over a typical trip from origin to destination. A five-minute time
savings overall is considered a minimum, and a savings of eight
minutes is considered desirable."
Empty Lane Syndrome: Nothing threatens the public acceptance
of HOV lanes so much as the perception that they are underutilized.
As one state senator opposed to Hampton Roads Route 44 said, "I
don't think people would have been so mad if they'd seen a car in
there now and then." The HOV Planning, Operation, and Design Manual
(Fuhs, 1990), identifies a minimum of 400 to 800 vehicles per hour
during the peak period as the initial usage needed to avoid the
empty lane syndrome. Lane occupancy restrictions are the key
determinant of initial usage. In some special instances, metering
can also help to solve the problem of apparent underutilization.
The operations of the San Francisco/Oakland Bay Bridge HOV lanes
were initially characterized by low utilization and high violation
rates until meters were installed beyond the toll booths to
regulate flow and improve lane utilization across the bridge.
Insufficient Enforcement: The wholehearted cooperation of law
enforcement agencies in both planning and implementing HOV lanes is
essential if the lanes are to succeed. Without sufficient
enforcement, HOV lanes will soon become SOV lanes. The general
public needs to understand what will happen if they do not comply
with HOV lane requirements and believe that the risk of
apprehension is high and that penalties will be enforced if they
are caught violating HOV provisions.
Lack of Support Systems: Main-line HOV lanes should be
accompanied by support systems that complement their operations and
reinforce the rideshare message. Examples of such systems include
park-and-ride lots, express bus service, HOV bypass lanes on
metered ramps, ridematching services, and preferential parking for
carpools in congested areas.
1-24
INTRODUCTION 1
C. MARKETING FOR SUCCESS
3. REFINE THE PRODUCT
EXHIBIT: EXTREME EXAMPLE OF THE EMPTY LANE SYNDROME
Source: Los Angeles Times Coverage of the Santa Monica
Diamond L
Disproportionate Disadvantages for Non-Carpoolers. In the case
of both the Santa Monica Diamond Lanes (Appendix A-4) and the
Dulles Toll Road (Appendix A-6), non-carpoolers were significantly
disadvantaged by the installation of HOV lanes. Their commute
trips lengthened considerably and the total time lost by SOVs
exceeded the time saved by HOVS. In both instances, this proved to
be a recipe for disaster, as politicians and the media correctly
perceived that the number of disadvantaged SOVs exceeded the number
of carpoolers and took action to redress the "wrong" done to the
majority of their constituents.
1-25
INTRODUCTION 1
C. MARKETING FOR SUCCESS
4. RESPECT THE SINGLE OCCUPANT VEHICLE
HOV lanes which leave non-carpoolers measurably worse off
haven't fared well. Neither have marketing campaigns which attack
the solo driver.
As noted in the previous section, HOV lane designs which leave
non-carpoolers measurably worse off than they were before lane
implementation have generally not fared well. This is particularly
true when non-carpoolers lose far more than their carpoolers gain,
either because of additional congestion in the mixed flow lanes or
because the carpool lanes are under-utilized. In a similar
fashion, marketing campaigns that attack the SOV as a menace to
society have not been remarkably successful.
As an example, the Virginia DOT used a villainous cartoon
character called "The Lone Rider"to publicize new HOV lanes in the
Hampton Roads area (see Appendix A-3). Through focus group
discussions, it was learned that the Lone Rider generated little
recognition and less credibility-among area commuters. The
accompanying exhibit depicts the cartoon image of the Lone Rider, a
masked bandit driving his car all by himself. Typical ad copy
reads: "DON't BE A LONE RIDER! SHARE A RIDE TO WORK AND ENJOY THE
BENEFITS!" This concept attempted to make "bad guys" out of the
majority of the drivers in the Hampton Roads area using the image
of the Lone Ranger (who was, after all, a "good guy.") Leaving
aside the bad-guy/good-guy confusion, the concept failed for more
basic reasons. In the first place, it was impossible to establish
the identity of the character in the public's mind using the
limited air time and print exposure available to donated public
service messages.
Even if Virginia had spent the money to establish the Lone
Rider's identity,, focus groups showed that the image didn't
register credibly with the general driving public because SOV
drivers do not commonly characterize themselves as the bad guys.
Most think of themselves and other drivers as hapless victims of
population growth and traffic congestion. In developing HOV
marketing campaigns, it's important to avoid themes that cast the
SOV driver in a negative light. Rather, marketers should strive to
develop imagery that reinforces the positive benefits of
ridesharing. That's not to say that the negative aspects of SOV
driving can't be stressed. But the SOV drivers themselves are the
ones you are trying to reach with campaign messages, so it's a bad
idea to start out by insulting them.
The most important group to be targeted by an HOV marketing
campaign contains those individuals who currently drive alone in
the HOV corridor but who are likely candidates for future carpools.
It is essential to recognize that this group is likely to represent
a relatively small proportion occurrent drivers. A survey
conducted in advance of HOV lanes on the Long Island Expressway
(Bloch, et al., 1994) found that only twenty percent of existing
expressway users were willing to consider carpooling as an option.
Market research conducted prior to the opening of I-394 in
Minneapolis determined that only ten percent of existing corridor
users would consider switching to carpooling or busing when the
Express Lanes were complete. (Strgar-Roscoe-Fausch, Inc., 1986).
Market research can help to identify the population most
likely to shift to carpooling and isolate he messages most likely
to appeal to members of that population. The more information that
marketers can obtain about their primary audience, the easier it is
to target the media to reach that audience. Generally, the two
most important audience characteristics for media purposes are age
and gender. In the case of Minneapolis I-394, for example, female
drive-alones under 35 represented the most likely target for a
shift to ridesharing.
Market research can also isolate the barriers to ridesharing
perceived by solo drivers. The accompanying exhibit documents the
perceptions of ridesharing modes revealed by a survey of solo
drivers in California's Santa Clara County (Crain & Associates,
1984).
1-26
INTRODUCTION 1
C. MARKETING FOR SUCCESS
4. RESPECT THE SINGLE OCCUPANT VEHICLE
EXHIBIT: RIDESHARING PERCEPTIONS OF SOLO DRIVERS IN SANTA CLARA
COUNTY, CALIFORNIA
Source: Crain & Associates, 1984
Percent of Solo Drivers
Perception Sharing Perception
1. Time is all important 79%
2. Might take the bus (it routes and schedules fit) 68%
3. Carpooling doesn't work 57%
4. Want car available during day 56%
5. Too many hassles with other carpoolers 55%
6. Might rideshare on some (but not all) days 50%
7. Need car as part of job 47%
8. Never think of ridesharing 37%
9. Situation (childcare, education) precludes ridesharing 25%
10. Suburban transit won't work 23%
11. Commuter lanes don't work 17%
12. Buses are undependable 12%
13. Dislike caliber of bus riders 12%
14. Diehard car lover 10%
15. Afraid to use transit 9%
1-27
INTRODUCTION 1
C. MARKETING FOR SUCCESS
5. DEVELOP A MARKETING PLAN
The question is not: How do we reach the largest number of
people with the same message?
The question is: How, when, where, and with what message do we
communicate to these non-carpoolers with the best likelihood of
becoming ridesharers?
CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVES AND STRATEGIES
Setting Campaign Objectives: The first step in undertaking an
HOV marketing campaign is the setting of well-defined objectives.
Objectives may be broad ("Increase regionwide acceptance of
ridesharing") or narrow ("Cause carpooling on I-394 to increase by
fifteen percent"). However, they should be defined explicitly,
since the development of campaign strategies, from the definition
of target audiences to the selection of media channels, will be
tied to these objectives.
Identifying Key Issues. Key issues surrounding HOV lanes
typically involve such topics as congestion, mobility, safety,
equity, and ecology. It is important to identify these issues and
develop positioning statements capable of focusing marketing
activities and developing realistic project expectations. Stamm
(1991) emphasizes the importance of developing realistic
expectations.
"Unrealistic public expectations can be extremely damaging to
the credibility and morale of the organization undertaking the HOV
project. They can also erode public confidence in the
organization's ability to carry out it's mission. On the other
hand, when the public (and the public's designated decision makers,
such as elected officials, local jurisdictions staff, etc) has been
included in the planning process, expectations are much more likely
to accurately reflect the goals, objectives and expected benefits
and outcomes of the project."
Defining Target Audiences. Its is essential that the primary
and secondary audiences for the marketing campaign be well defined
and carefully targeted. As noted, the primary audience is likely
to be composed of SOV drivers who are predisposed toward
ridesharing.
MARKETING MATERIALS
Range and Content. The accompanying exhibit displays the
range of potential HOV marketing materials, along with an
indication of the appropriate content and the likely target
audience. Printed materials include brochures, newsletters,
flyers, newspaper and magazine ads, and posters. Electronic media
channels include radio and television spots, while outdoor
advertising formats include roadside signs and billboards. A wide
variety of premiums such as key fobs, bumper strips, post-it notes,
balloons, matchbooks, coffee mugs, and jam jars have also been used
to encourage the use of HOV lanes.
Thematic and Graphic Consistency. The key to achieving
consistency in developing marketing materials is to translate
campaign objectives into an easily recognizable theme (both verbal
and graphic) which Will serve as a cornerstone for the media
efforts. First, the project should be given a "public" title.
This title should be brief and accurate. Research has shown that
few drivers refer to carpool lanes as HOV lanes. The public is
much more likely to understand and identify with more descriptive
titles such as the Sane Lane (the early title for Minneapolis I-
394), Express Lanes (Minneapolis, San Diego, Seattle, and others),
Diamond Lanes (Santa Monica and others), Carpool Lanes (Los
Angeles, Orange, and Riverside Counties in California), or
Transitways (Houston).
Use of Radio: Radio offers several advantages as a
communications medium for an HOV marketing campaign. It is
relatively inexpensive, is easily targeted, versatile, personal,
and reaches a captive audience of drivers at a time when they are
experiencing the congestion HOV lanes are designed to relieve. HOV
marketers report that one of the most effective means of reaching
the audience of drivealone commuters is through live-on-the-air
"reads" by traffic reporters. These messages not only reach
drivers during their commute (and sound like reporting rather than
the public service messages) but also improve the reporters' views
of HOV lanes.
1-28
1-29
INTRODUCTION 1
C. MARKETING FOR SUCCESS
6. MONITOR AND EVALUATE
HOV projects should undergo thorough evaluations which can
both guide and feed the marketing campaign.
The evaluation of an HOV marketing program must inevitably be
tied to the evaluation of the HOV project itself. The information
collected in evaluating the project can be used to guide marketing
efforts and help direct operating decisions regarding enforcement,
operating hours, occupancy requirements, and access/egress points.
This information can also be incorporated in the marketing campaign
through press releases and articles advertising travel time savings
and HOV lane use.
MONITORING THE PROJECT
The HOV project itself needs to be monitored on a regular
basis to provide timely information on project progress and
assemble data on the wide range of potential project impacts. In
the past, several HOV lane evaluations have focused on narrow
objectives (i.e., counting the vehicles in the carpool lane).
However, the range of potential impacts for any HOV project is too
broad to be covered by simple vehicle counts and requires a wide
range of measurements that includes travel time runs, vehicle and
occupancy counts, accident statistics, enforcement data, transit
performance data, user and non-user surveys, and air quality
measurements. Key information should be monitored quarterly (but
no less than annually--see Exhibit) before and after project
implementation in accordance with a formal evaluation plan that
relates measurement processes and analytic activities to project
objectives.
MONITORING THE CAMPAIGN
HOV marketing campaigns should be evaluated at three different
levels:
1. EXPOSURE: WHO was reached by the campaign?
This first level of evaluation documents promotional
approaches, tabulates the size of the audience reached by
each approach and gauges the success of the campaign in
reaching members of the target population.
2. REACTION: DID the public understand and remember the
message?
This second level of evaluation investigates public
reaction to the campaign. Typically, group discussions
and surveys might be used to determine how many people
remembered the campaign, liked it, understood its
message, and followed its suggestions.
3. IMPACT: WHAT was the campaign's effect on the Project
objectives?
This third level of evaluation documents the effect of
the campaign on project objectives. it is at this point
that the evaluation of the campaign directly intersects
the evaluation of the HOV project itself, as changing
travel patterns are documented and the influence of the
marketing campaign on these changes is evaluated.
Each successive level of evaluation is progressively more
difficult and more complex than the preceding level, and each level
depends on the successful accomplishment of the earlier steps.
Without some knowledge of whether the public has heard and
understood a campaign message, it makes little sense to try to
attribute changes in HOV carpooling levels to that message.
DEFENDING YOUR DATA
Even the most successful of HOV projects can attract a wide
spectrum of public criticism. Critics from the right of the
spectrum, seeing HOV lanes as half empty, will argue that public
funds have been misused creating a facility that does not operate
at peak efficiency and whose use is denied to most of the
1-30
taxpaying public. Critics from the left of the spectrum, seeing
HOV lanes as half full, will argue that they are just another ruse
to encourage additional auto travel, increase urban sprawl, and
worsen air pollution.
When critics attack an HOV project, they almost inevitably
attack the data developed by the project's sponsors as well. The
best defense against such attacks is to develop a detailed
evaluation plan, get multi-agency "buy-in" for the plan, and follow
it. It is often helpful to empower or employ a locally respected,
unbiased, third party (such as a university, expert panel, or
consulting firm) to develop and implement the evaluation plan.
While a detailed evaluation strategy will not stop critics from
attacking project data, it lowers the probability that they will
find embarrassing inconsistencies or errors in that data, or that
they can claim that reported findings are biased.
To discourage attacks on data credibility, a single outlet
should be established for data dissemination. Project information
should be released through the outlet on a schedule set by the
sponsoring agencies that allows data to be assimilated, checked for
consistency and accuracy, and thoroughly evaluated before it is
released. Project personnel should not attempt to hide or gloss
over negative findings (i.e. accidents, violations, or low HOV lane
use), but should report the findings along with positive results.
The use of an independent evaluator to assess HOV lane impacts can
sometimes help to establish the credibility of performance data and
project findings, as can the establishment of a multi-agency group
with oversight responsibility for reviewing evaluation results.
1-31
SECTION TWO
PLANNING
THE CAMPAIGN
2-1
PLANNING 2
A. MARKET RESEARCH
1. OVERVIEW
Market research is needed before and during HOV projects to
define the social and political atmosphere, Identify stakeholders,
document travel behavior, test marketing concepts, and measure the
attitudes and awareness of various target groups.
A variety of market research activities are needed throughout
the planning and implementation stages of an HOV project. Early in
the planning stages, market research can help to define the social
and political atmosphere in which the project will be set, identify
key stakeholding groups, and assemble information on other HOV
projects with similar goals, objectives, or design characteristics.
As the planning progresses, surveys and group discussions can be
used to identify public concerns and expectations, test marketing
concepts, and document the attitudes and awareness of various
target groups. Opinion surveys taken during the project planning
stages will provide baseline comparisons for ongoing evaluations
once the HOV lanes are operating.
Several research tools are available for developing market
information. The tools most used in planning and evaluating HOV
lanes are listed below and summarized in the accompanying exhibit.
Focus Groups: A focus group discussion is a flexible research
technique used to gather qualitative or exporatory information
regarding individual perceptions of an idea or product. Small
groups (usually eight to twelve people) freely discuss a set
of predetermined topics under the guidance of a trained
moderator. Focus groups are useful for sampling driver
opinion and attitudes regarding HOV lanes, testing marketing
concepts and exploring public concerns and expectations in
some depth.
Telephone Surveys: Telephone surveys are accomplished by
trained interviewers following a predetermined script with a
statistically sampled population of residents or drivers.
Telephone surveys can be used to gather travel information and
data, measure public opinions and attitudes, document
awareness regarding HOV projects and marketing campaigns;
record mode shifts; and track project acceptance over time.
Mail-Back Driver Surveys. Short questionnaires are either
distributed to drivers at sampling stations such as freeway
on-ramps or mailed to the registered owners of vehicles whose
license plates were recorded using the project corridor.
Mail-back surveys can be used to document attitudes, develop
origin/destination data, and document mode and route shifts.
On-Board Surveys: Questionnaires are distributed to transit
riders as they board the vehicle and either collected when
they leave or returned by mail. These surveys serve the same
purpose for transit riders that mail-back surveys do for
corridor drivers.
Executive Interviews: Face-to-face interviews with opinion
leaders and decision makers are conducted to gauge the
perceptions of key groups regarding HOV projects and identify
institutional issues. These interviews, which last
approximately one hour, are also useful for establishing
liaisons with business and political leaders as part of the
constituency building process.
The accompanying exhibit lists the primary advantages and
disadvantages of each of these approaches and provides some order-
of-magnitude information on cost ranges and likely survey response
rates. Each of these market research tools has its particular
uses, and all can be employed to advantage in marketing and
evaluating a particular HOV project. Subsequent subsections
discuss these tools in more detail.
2-2
2-3
PLANNING 2
A. MARKET RESEARCH
2. PRELIMINARY RESEARCH
Preliminary market research activities Include library work,
Informal conversations, examinations of related campaigns, and a
review of similar projects.
"If you steal from one author, it's plagiarism,, if you steal
from many, it's research. "
Wilson Mizner
This handbook is designed to help individual practitioners
start their own market research activities by reviewing relevant
literature, contacting experts in the field, examining related
campaign materials, and studying similar HOV projects throughout
the U.S.
Literature Review: A thorough literature search should be the
first market research activity undertaken on any project. The
bibliography of Appendix E contains references to reports on
relevant HOV marketing activities, as well as selected HOV
project evaluations and studies of a variety of HOV issues.
In addition to formal reports, local news clippings,
transportation plans, clean air ordinances, speeches, and
voting records should also be reviewed.
Expert Advice. Conversations with individuals experienced in
HOV planning and marketing may help to clarify specific
concerns. Appendix E contains the names of several such
individuals, including marketing consultants with HOV
experience, planners in,charge of overseeing HOV projects, and
public information specialists responsible for marketing HOV
lanes at the state and local levels.
Related Campaign Materials: Sample materials from past and
ongoing ridesharing campaigns and HOV marketing efforts are
used as illustrations throughout this manual. (The
accompanying exhibit shows a ridesharing poster that preceded
HOV marketing efforts in the U.S.) Appendix B contains
additional examples of marketing materials, while Appendix D
presents sample survey forms and formats for executive
interviews and focus group discussions.
Project Data: Appendix C contains data describing current HOV
projects in North America, as assembled by the Transportation
Research Board's Committee on HOV Lanes.
2-4
2-5
PLANNING 2
A. MARKET RESEARCH
3. FOCUS GROUPS
Focus group discussions can provide rich In-depth lnsight Into
public concerns regarding design Issues, highlight driver attitudes
and convictions, and flag promising and unpromising marketing
approaches.
A focus group discussion is a flexible research technique used
to gather rich, in-depth data in a relatively unstructured manner.
Discussion groups of eight to twelve people are allowed to interact
freely on a set of predetermined topics under the direction of a
trained group leader. The resulting interpersonal interactions can
be quite informative, particularly when the topics address issues,
such as HOV lane operation, which inherently contain a high degree
of public interest.
Because focus groups are relatively small, they are not
designed to provide precise statistical quantification of the
issues under discussion. Rather, they are designed to explore key
issues in greater depth and highlight related attitudes and
convictions. In-depth insights are obtained at the expense of the
precise quantification available through the larger sample sizes of
survey research. The insights obtained through focus group
discussions can, however, be applied in the development of formal
surveys designed to permit more precise statistical quantification
of key issues.
Uses. In marketing HOV lanes, focus groups can be used
effectively to pre-test marketing materials, probe awareness of
past campaigns, sample driver opinions and attitudes regarding HOV
lanes, and explore public concerns and convictions in some depth.
For these purposes, focus group participants could be composed of
corridor drivers, employee organizations, carpoolers, community
leaders, survey respondents, or other targeted groups.
Abuses: While focus groups are relatively easy to manage, they
yield subjective information and should not be used to support
quantitative estimates or rank alternatives. They are most
effective in exploring the direct experience and reactions of
participants, and less effective in addressing in addressing
hypothetical issues with which the participants have no direct
experience. "Would you buy a dog that flies?" is an example of a
question which isn't likely to produce fruitful focus group
results. "How would you react if we took a lane away from one of
your busy freeways and dedicated it to carpools?" is another
question which is more likely to generate polarized responses, but
little insight, unless the participants have direct experience with
a lane conversion project.
Examples: Several state DOTS, including those in Virginia and
Washington, have used focus groups effectively to test HOV
marketing materials. The Appendix A case studies of Hampton Roads
I-64 and Seattle I-5 contain examples of this use. CALTRANS has
used focus groups to explore public attitudes toward HOV lane
conversion (Gard, et al., 1993) and HOV lane enforcement
(Billheimer, 1990).
An example of a focus group protocol used in exploring driver
attitudes toward HOV lane operation and enforcement appears in
Appendix D. The protocol was designed to provide first-hand, in-
depth responses to key issues regarding public perceptions of HOV
use, enforcement activities, and violations on two Southern
California freeways (State Route 91 and Orange County Route 55),
and two Northern California Freeways (Marin Route 101 and Santa
Clara Route 101). At one point in each of these focus groups,
participants were asked to list a series of adjectives describing
their carpool lane. The accompanying exhibit lists the results of
this exercise.
Drivers in Southern California had a more negative view of
their lanes than Northern California drivers. The words "scary"
and "dangerous" recurred when drivers described the two Southern
California lanes (Orange County Route 55 and State Route 91), but
were not mentioned at all by Northern California drivers using
Santa Clara 101 and Marin 101. The features mentioned by drivers
finding the Southern California lanes "scary" were (1) the speed
differential, (2) the threat of people pulling into the lane
unsafely, and (3) the nearby Jersey barrier, which was right next
to the two Southern California-carpool lanes.
2-6
One State Route 91 driver noted:
"It's nervous driving (on State Route 91) when you have cars
virtually standing still and you're driving at 60 mph. The
differential speed makes for very nervous driving. And the ever-
present threat of people pulling in ... that's scary."
A carpooler on Orange County Route 55 found the lane so nerve-
wracking that he didn't use it, even though he was qualified to do
so.
"In the carpool lane you have on one side of you the fast
lane, which is not really fast...and in the other direction you
have a block wall When somebody cuts in front of a person in the
carpool lane, they've really only got one way to go and that's
either to crash into the person, or go into somebody else's lane,
or go into a block wall."
On Santa Clara Route 101, where a 10-foot median lane
separates carpoolers from the Jersey barrier, none of the
participating drivers volunteered the words "scary" or "dangerous"
in describing the carpool lane. Although Marin 101 has no median
lane, the speed differential separating the carpool lane from
general traffic was not nearly so great as on the other three study
lanes. Marin drivers were more concerned with under-utilization of
their HOV lane.
"Empty. That's the perfect word. You're sitting there and
you're mad because you see a car go by every two minutes, at 60
mph, and you're doing 25.
2-7
PLANNING 2
A. MARKET RESEARCH
4. TELEPHONE SURVEYS
Telephone surveys allow a more precise quantification of key
questions than focus group research. They can be used to gather
travel data, measure public opinions, document campaign awareness,
record modal shifts, and track project acceptance over time.
A well-designed and carefully executed telephone survey can
document public reaction to HOV lanes and marketing campaigns with
statistical precision and provide insights into the relative
effectiveness of different campaign messages and media channels.
Telephone surveys can be used to gather travel information and
data, measure public opinions and attitudes, document awareness
regarding HOV projects and marketing campaigns, record modal
shifts, and track project acceptance over time.
Sample Sizes: A minimum of 400 surveys is generally necessary
to guarantee that measured responses are within five percent of the
true state of affairs. If the survey sample is to be subdivided
significantly during the analysis, larger sample sizes may be
necessary. Uncertainties regarding appropriate sample sizes should
be resolved by consulting a statistician.
Population Definitions: If the population to be polled
resides in a particular geographic area, a straightforward means of
sampling is to draw telephone numbers at random from all the phone
books covering that area. To ensure that unlisted numbers have the
same chance of being reached as listed numbers, add a"l" to the
last digit of the number drawn from the phone book sample. (Lists
of randomly generated phone numbers for specific areas can also be
purchased from firms specializing in providing this information.)
it Will usually be necessary to screen persons answering the phone
to ensure that only licensed drivers are interviewed, and that a
representative sampling of males and females is obtained.
If the population to be sampled consists of drivers using a
particular corridor (or, more specifically, carpoolers in a
particular HOV lane), it can be inefficient to phone residents at
random trying to find drivers meeting the criteria. A more direct
means of reaching such narrowly defined populations is to sample
license plates along the route in question, use Department of Motor
Vehicles (DMV) records to identify the registered owners of the
observed vehicles, and look up the phone numbers of these owners.
While this approach has been used effectively in some studies, it
is not without problems. Barriers to this approach can include DMV
privacy laws, unlisted phone numbers, leased vehicles, and
ambiguous phone listings. In a recent polling of HOV lane users in
the San Francisco Bay Area (Billheimer, 1990), it was necessary to
videotape four license plates for every usable phone number
generated.
Survey Content: Copies of sample questionnaires from a
sampling of HOV lane surveys may be found in Appendix D. Typically,
these surveys consist of the following major elements.
1. Introduction and Freeway Use: Introductory remarks
designed to screen for licensed drivers who use the
particular freeway and document the current extent of
that use (i.e., How long have they used Marin 101 ? How
often? As carpooler or lone driver?).
2. Perceptions: Questions designed to explore drivers'
perceptions of such key issues as fairness, travel times,
and HOV lane enforcement. The accompanying exhibit
charts the response of Southern California drivers asked
whether they agreed or disagreed with the statement "it
is unfair to have special freeway lanes set aside for
buses and carpools." Over eighty percent of the
respondents (carpoolers and non-carpoolers alike)
disagreed with this statement.
2-8
3. Campaign Awareness (Unaided Recall). Questions designed to
probe, with no prompting, respondents' general awareness of
recent HOV marketing campaigns.
4. Specific Awareness (Aided Recall). Questions designed to
probe, through prompting, respondent awareness and
understanding of HOV campaign materials and lane operations.
Awareness of such specific issues as enforcement, violations,
and fines can also be tested.
5. Personal History vis-a-vis Carpool Lanes. Specific questions
designed to document any changes in travel time, route, trip
timing, or carpool formation resulting from the introduction
of HOV lanes or associated marketing campaigns. This may
include questions regarding illegal use of the lane and
personal citations for illegal use.
6. Opinions and Attitudes. Questions designed to document
drivers' opinions of the HOV lanes themselves and explore
pubic attitudes toward any contemplated changes in lane
operations (i.e., carpool definition, operating hours, etc.).
7. Demographics. Questions designed to document the age, sex, and
auto ownership status of the respondents.
2-9
PLANNING 2
A. MARKET RESEARCH
5. MAIL-BACK SURVEYS
Mail-back surveys can be distributed directly to corridor
drivers to sample awareness and attitudes, develop origin/
destination data, and document route and mode shifts.
Mail-back surveys consist of questionnaires which are either
distributed to drivers at sampling stations such as freeway on-
ramps or mailed to the registered owners of vehicles whose license
plates were recorded using the project corridor. Samples of such
surveys appear in Appendix D. Mail-back surveys have been used
effectively to sample awareness and attitudes, develop
origin/destination data, and document route and mode shifts.
Mail-back surveys can range from simple post-cards designed to
capture origin/destination data (see Exhibit) to more elaborate
two-page questionnaires documenting awareness, attitudes, 6ommute
choices, and demographic characteristics. Typically, the longer
the questionnaire, the lower the response rate. Reported response
rates for mail-back questionnaires used to monitor HOV projects
range from 200% to 40%.
The advantage of mail-back questionnaires is that they can be
distributed directly to the driving population in the corridors
affected by proposed or existing HOV projects. While it is more
difficult to track campaign awareness through mail-back surveys
than through telephone surveys (unaided recall cannot easily be
tested through mail-back surveys, for instance), issues regarding
perceptions, attitudes, and mode choice can be pursued equally well
by mail or by phone. Beginning in 1985, Houston has regularly used
mail-back surveys to track motorist attitudes regarding their
system of HOV transitways, opinions regarding transitory
effectiveness, perceptions of time savings, and self-reported
impacts of the transitways on mode choice (Bullard, 1991). Both
Seattle and Orange County, California have used mailback surveys to
record HOV lane acceptance among carpoolers and non-carpoolers.
CALTRANS and the California Highway Patrol have used mail-back
surveys to track driver awareness of enforcement and violations
before and after waves of HOV lane enforcement (Billheimer, 1990).
2-10
2-11
PLANNING 2
A. MARKET RESEARCH
6. EXECUTIVE INTERVIEWS
Executive Interviews can help to gauge transit market
Interest, Identify Institutional Issues, establish community
expectations, predict political reactions, and lay the groundwork
for future liaison with opinion leaders and decision makers.
Face-to-face interviews with opinion leaders and decision
makers regarding planned HOV projects can be useful in gauging
target market interest, group perceptions, community expectations,
and likely political reaction. These interviews can also help to
establish liaisons with business and political leaders as part of
the important process of constituency building.
Participants in executive interviews "...should be selected
based on their roles in the community, interest in the subject, and
potential impact they could have on the study's outcome." (Stamm,
1991). The list of potential candidates for executive interviewers
includes:
- elected officials
- business leaders
- community activists
- newspaper editors
- radio and television news directors
- chamber of commerce representatives
- tracking representatives
Once candidates have been selected, they are contacted by mail to
request their participation in the interview process. Interviews
should be carefully scripted, held to approximately one hour, and
conducted in person at the participant's office or location of the
participant's choice.
A sample Executive Interview script, drawn from the work of
Pacific Rim Resources in studying Arterial HOV Alternatives in
Snohomish County, Washington appears in Appendix D.
The interview requests feedback on HOV system components and
design issues; elicits perceptions of HOV market potential,
attempts to identify major public, institutional, any media
challenges, and concludes asking interviewees whether they would be
interested in participating in the project by reviewing and/or
communicating study fundings.
As in the case of focus groups, executive interviews provide
in-depth insights, but have no statistical validity. As with focus
groups, however, they can be used effectively in conjunction with
more rigorous statistical sampling approaches such as telephone
surveys. In a study of HOV facility design for Pierce County,
Washington, telephone interviews suggested that the general public
was likely to be more accepting of ramp metering and HOV treatments
than community leaders expected (SR-16, SR-512/SR-167 HOV Facility
Design Study Memorandum #6: Public Involvement).
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PLANNING 2
A. MARKET RESEARCH
6. EXECUTIVE INTERVIEWS
EXHIBIT: PURPOSE OF EXECUTIVE INTERVIEWS
CONCERNING HOV LANES
- HEIGHTEN VISIBILITY AND VIABILITY of HOV treatments as an
effective traffic congestion management technique.
- ASSESS ATTITUDES regarding a variety of HOV treatments: where
Is there the greatest consensus and where are there the
greatest differences?
- IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES for regional partnership In building
community awareness and support for this study, as well as HOV
treatments in general.
- IDENTIFY ANY SPECIFIC INSTITUTIONAL ORGANIZATIONAL CONCERNS
regarding the study, as well as HOV treatments in general.
- OBTAIN INFORMATION about the communications challenges
foreseen by the community/institutional leaders and solicit
their assistance facilitating broader communication of the
study process and ultimate outcomes.
Source: I-80/I-287 Feasibility Study, NJDOT
2-13
PLANNING 2
A. MARKET RESEARCH
7. TRAFFIC MEASUREMENTS
Counts of the current number of carpools In a corridor
targeted for HOV treatment give the most reliable basis for
estimating early HOV lane usage, provide baseline measures for 15
future elevations, and can alert marketers to potential pitfalls.
As soon as a corridor has been singled out as a promising
location for future HOV treatment, existing corridor traffic should
be monitored to determine whether such treatments are likely to
succeed, and if so, to identify the potential design, operating,
and marketing problems presented by HOV lanes. Chapter 4,
conveying project evaluation covers traffic monitoring issues in
some detail (See Section 4-C, "Monitoring the Project.") At a
minimum, the initial measurement process should ascertain:
Traffic volumes and speeds at points along the corridor
(including both primary and parallel routes) during peak hours
and peak periods
Vehicle occupancy rates, reflecting the number of 2+ and 3+
vehicles in the traffic stream during the peak operating
periods. Again, counts should include both primary and
parallel routes.
Typical origin-destination-patterns, including average trip
lengths and trip times.
Congestion measurements, including the location and deviation
of congestion and the identification of bottlenecks.
Transit and rideshare patronage, particularly those existing
operations which could benefit from an HOV facility.
Future demand projections, including growth factors for the
corridor and parallel routes.
Design limitations of the existing freeway facility.
The above measurements have been adapted from "High-Occupancy
Vehicle Facilities, A Planning, Design, and Operation Manual"
(Fuhs, 1990) which cautions that "candidate corridors should have
enough congestion, offer adequate travel time savings, exhibit
sufficient demand, and have reasonable potential for successful
implementation and operation."
Counts of the current number of carpools in a corridor
targeted for HOV treatment give the most reliable basis for
estimating preferential lane usage during the start-up phase and
provide a baseline measure for future evaluations. Techniques for
translating the existing carpool population into future HOV lane
use may be found in the "Planning, Design, and Operation Manual"
cited above. Projections of future HOV lane use are just as
important for marketing personnel as they are for planners. If,
for example, initial usage projections suggest that fewer than 400
vehicles will be using the lane during the peak hour, marketing
personnel will have to contend with the "empty lane syndrome" while
demand builds. If initial design projections suggest that non-
carpoolers will lose far more time than carpoolers gain, marketing
personnel can expect to be faced with a serious outcry from drivers
of single-occupant vehicles, followed shortly by howls from their
elected representatives. Few HOV projects have managed to survive
the onslaught that results if single auto drivers are
disproportionately inconvenienced or fail to see a substantative
improvement as a result of the HOV lanes.
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2-15
PLANNING 2
2-15
PLANNING
B. CONSTITUENCY BUILDING
1. OVERVIEW
To build constituencies successfully, you must address the
specific needs of targeted audiences.
The goal of this section is to help develop a constituency
building program as part of an overall public information plan.
The following pages will provide a framework to secure broad-based
support for HOV systems. The section is also designed to help
gather information and solicit support of media, environmental
groups, other agencies and potential users.
A well-executed constituency building program can:
Ensure that the concept and design of the facility is
compatible with the physical, social and aesthetic character
of the impacted communities;
Provide a basis for citizen support of changes in zoning,
conditional use, and other matters affecting development and
implementation;
Help avoid costly delays that result from protracted or
unresolved conflicts;
Accommodate the opinions and viewpoints of dissimilar
constituencies;
Instill a spirit of cooperation and trust;
Establish a reservoir of goodwill and cooperation that carries
over into future activities.
Gather Information and Analyze the Situation
In planning communication strategies it is first necessary to
establish several truths about your audience(s). You will be
targeting an extremely diverse audience. Questions that need to be
answered include: Who (specifically) is the audience? What do they
know about HOVs and how do they feel about them? What other
circumstances could impact their decisions? What do they know about
you and how do they feel about you? What specifically do you want
from them--increased knowledge, legislation or commitment to change
behavior? What form of communication should be used that is most
effective and efficient in reaching that audience?
Preliminary briefings are recommended to ensure that everyone
who should be involved and informed is updated. Key staff and
elected official briefings will provide essential guidance and
coordination in developing a constituency building process.
Deliver the Right Message, to the Right Person, In-the Right Place-
at the Right Time, In the Right Way!
After you have analyzed the information you have gathered, you
must develop a public information plan.
1. Segment your audiences by common interests and priority
to the success of the project
2. Determine the results (action you want from them,
knowledge you want them to have) you want from your
communications efforts
3. Provide the information that will be of most interest to
that audience
4. Identify the most effective location to provide
information to them; work, home, public facility-
5. Determine the most effective communications tool for
those individuals and that location
6. Identify the most important intervals in the process to
communicate with them
7. Communication programs should be coordinated, consistent
and interesting-to your audiences.
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2-17
PLANNING 2
B. CONSTITUENCY BUILDING
2. DATABASE DEVELOPMENT
Knowing your audience has always been vital. Keeping track of
them has always been difficult. Communicating with them
individually has always been next to impossible, until now.
Each individual and each organization will have strong
opinions about your project, each will also have a different level
of understanding. You can't treat each group or each individual
the same. Mass communication methods are no longer adequate to
communicate to an ever increasing and diverse audience.
Keeping Track
Computers have made it possible to understand and communicate
with each of these-individuals and organizations on a one-to-one
basis. But to understand your audience, provide them adequate
information and enjoy the maximum benefit of their support, you
must keep track of them.
Create and maintain a database of individuals and
organizations with whom you need to keep contact. Update the list
frequently to make sure that you are reflecting the changing
segments of the community. The database is not just for printing
labels. You will want to understand the reasons for each
individual's interest and be able to separate individuals with
common interests. You will want to know whether an individual
represents themselves or a large organization. You will want to be
able to recall what materials, meetings and other communications
have transpired with each individual and group.
We all expect that our government is listening to us, that our
opinions are being heard and considered. Now more than ever, we
have the opportunity to honor that expectation and communicate with
our constituents on a one-to-one level.
It will also be useful to develop an inventory of local public
involvement coordination opportunities. Throughout the project
corridor, activities related to local transportation efforts are
being planned. A central inventory will help identify
opportunities to share and coordinate common effo
