Houston Metro: HOT Lanes

Faced with intense freeway congestion, Houston sought an inspiring solution to ease peak travel traffic: HOT Lanes. Launched in early 2012, this innovative plan opened High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes—to single-occupancy vehicles for a fee, transforming them into High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes. <p> To address potential opposition, METRO created a campaign to inform commuters of the benefits for all drivers. The unbranded viral initiative gained city-wide attention through eye-catching billboards, print ads, and kiosks before evolving into a branded phase.<p> With a clever play on the misuse of mannequins as fake passengers, the campaign delivered the powerful message, “Ride the HOV Lane alone,” inspiring a new approach to the age-old problem of highway congestion.