| Monday
through Friday, during peak travel hours, the LIE HOV lanes are reserved for use
by passenger vehicles with two or more occupants, buses and motorcycles. HOV requirements
are in effect about one-third of the day, between 6:00 and 10:00 in the morning,
and 3:00 to 8:00 in the evening, Monday through Friday only. The HOV lanes are
available to all other passenger vehicles at all other times. The focus
of efficient commuter transportation is on moving more people rather than just
more vehicles, especially during the most demanding commuter travel time periods.
The LIE HOV lanes are working, and working well, during Long Island’s
traditional "rush hour" periods: They are carrying more people than
any of the regular lanes — in fewer cars. HOV lane use is monitored regularly
to ensure that it is being used efficiently. Pickup trucks, which are legally
registered as passenger vehicles, may use the HOV lanes, provided they also meet
vehicle-occupancy requirements. Pickups may use the left lane on the LIE in Nassau
and Suffolk Counties at any time.
On a typical weekday:
- During
Long Island's traditional "rush hour," the LIE HOV lane carries 74%
more people than any regular lane in hundreds of fewer cars. During the
5-6 PM peak hour, the HOV lane carries 36% of all the people using the eastbound
LIE, yet those vehicles use only one-quarter of the roadway.
- During
the afternoon peak travel hour, 1,420 carpools and buses — carrying 3,550
people — use the eastbound HOV lane near Exit 49 (Route 110). It would
take more than 3,100 cars in a regular lane to carry the same number of people;
however, the capacity of a single lane on the LIE is only 2,000 vehicles per hour.
- During the morning peak travel hour, 1,175 carpools and buses
— carrying 2,930 people — use the westbound HOV lane near
Exit 49 (Route 110). It would take 2,600 cars in a regular lane to carry
the same number of people.
The data confirms that as the HOV lanes are extended,
they become even more effective at moving more people in fewer vehicles:
- Since the HOV lanes from Exit 64 to Exit 57 opened in September
1999, morning peak-hour usage of the HOV lane in western Suffolk increased from
890 to 1,175 vehicles per hour (32% increase in two years), while afternoon peak-hour
usage increased from 1,190 to 1,420 vehicles per hour (19% increase in two years).
It is estimated that more than 23,000 people began ridesharing on
Long Island for some of their trips in order to take advantage of the reliability
and time-savings offered by the HOV lanes, according to the spring 2001 HOV user
survey. As carpooling increases the number of vehicles used decreases.
The fewer vehicles there are on the roads, the less overall congestion and pollution
there is. So everyone is enjoying the benefits of the HOV lanes whether
they carpool or not. More than two-thirds of both regular LIE lane users
and HOV lane users said they supported extending the HOV lanes in a LIE driver
survey. According to Long Island bus operators, the HOV lanes are helping
them to serve more people more efficiently and have thus enhanced the services
they provide. About 80 percent of employed Long Islanders also work within
Nassau and Suffolk Counties, not New York City. The HOV lanes and the LIRR
serve two distinct, but critical, travel patterns for suburban Long Island workers.
In fact, there are more people carpooling to work on Long Island than commuters
using the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) to get to work each day. LIE HOV
construction:
- The first 12-mile segment between Exit 49 and Exit 57
opened on May 25, 1994.
- The eight-mile segment from Exit 40 to Exit 49 opened
on June 19, 1998.
- The 10-mile segment from Exit 57 to Exit 64 opened westbound
in July 1999 and in the eastbound direction to Exit 64 in
September 1999.
- HOV lanes between Exit 32 (Queens/Nassau border) and Exit 40 (about
ten miles) were completed in June 2005. There are now a total of 40 miles of continuous LIE
HOV lanes.
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