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[quote user="CMStPnP"] [quote user="Sam1"] Vehicles using the HOV lanes must have at least two passengers, with the exception of motorcycles, unless the user wants to pay a steep fine.  The HOV lanes are only open during weekdays.  The average number of persons, not vehicles, using the HOV option during 2012 was approximately 139,000 compared to an average of 48,000 persons, not passengers, who used the light rail system during the same period.  [/quote] Faulty comparison as the users of the HOV lane can have a destination of anywhere beyond Dallas and a good portion of them could just be transiting through the city or transiting to a suburb that DART does not serve.      However, we know that the riders on DART will disembark somewhere along the DART rail system.       Apples and Oranges to compare a HOV lane on a freeway with a rail mass transit system. [/quote] According to DART, the majority of people using the I-30 HOV lane reside in southeast Dallas, Mesquite, Garland, and Rowlett.  Some of the users, of course, come from points further east.  They could, if desired, park at the light rail station in Rowlett, and ride the Blue Line to downtown or any intermediate station. Obviously, a significant percentage of them prefer to drive and use the HOV lanes if able.  In fact, the HOV lanes have been so popular, that the I-30 HOV lanes have been extended to beyond I-635. By the same token, some of the riders on the Red Line come from Allen and other northern communities. This is the major reason DART attempted to charge them for parking at Plano or several other parking lots down the line.  As it turned out the pay for parking scheme did not work and, therefore, DART has or is removing the parking fees. Data regarding DART's fiances and operating statistics can be found in its annual reports. They are very detailed. But they require a thorough read and, furthermore an understanding of the statistics, i.e. how they are gathered,  processed, and analyzed.  The key point is this:  most people in Texas, as well as the United States, with the possible exception of the NEC anchor points, Chicago, and San Francisco, prefer their personal vehicle to public transit. This is even true for communities that have developed significant public transit capabilities.   The HOV/light rail line comparison is valid because it shows that many people, given an option, choose the convenience, comfort, flexibility, and economics of driving as opposed to riding on a public transit vehicle. This is the reason why one of the first steps in DART's mobility enhancement program was the development of the HOV lane along I-30. It was also an enticement to get support for the DART initiatives.   To repeat some of the boring statistics that many people would just like to ignore, the subsidy per HOV vehicle is 27 cents per passenger trip compared to $3.80 passenger trip for the light rail.
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