HOV / Carpool lanes . . . good idea but dont' work

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Lithium381

Lifer
May 12, 2001
12,458
2
0
I know this is an old thread, bumping it.

Part of our congestion problem is a lack of people understanding the flow. I get assholes that ride two inches from my bumper in traffic . . . how the F is someone supposed to merge? I suppose they're not and that's what the tailgater is afraid of? Some days I get home in bumper to bumper traffic without having stopped my car completely once. I leave space and average out my speed.
Those rushing forward at full speed in a break-zone between onramps really add to the problem....
 

Attic

Diamond Member
Jan 9, 2010
4,282
2
76
In California this new "pilot program for hov lanes is crap. 40 dollar deposit for a transponder to be allowed to drive in carpool lane even if you have 2+ persons in your vehicle, no you don't get the money back at the end of the pilot program due to a 3 dollar monthly fee on your required account where the deposit is held. On the 10 the took away two lanes for this program, ~33% of lanes. So traffic is made artifically rose for non transponder users above what a one lane pilot program would do.
 

EagleKeeper

Discussion Club Moderator<br>Elite Member
Staff member
Oct 30, 2000
42,591
5
0
In California this new "pilot program for hov lanes is crap. 40 dollar deposit for a transponder to be allowed to drive in carpool lane even if you have 2+ persons in your vehicle, no you don't get the money back at the end of the pilot program due to a 3 dollar monthly fee on your required account where the deposit is held. On the 10 the took away two lanes for this program, ~33% of lanes. So traffic is made artificially rose for non transponder users above what a one lane pilot program would do.
If $3/month saves you 15-30 minutes/ day in commute, if would seem to be a bargain.

You probably waste more than that in gas when in the traffic mess.
 

glenn1

Lifer
Sep 6, 2000
25,383
1,013
126
but the point was to reduce pollution, theyv'e been in effect for what, 15 years now and just simple logic as pointed out in the OP shows that they do the opposite!!! who benefits from this?

HOV lanes are stupid. They're for own-fart-smelling hippies to feel good about buying a Chevy Volt. Meanwhile rich folks support them so they can laugh at the hippies while they are driven in chauffered cars to their chartered jets, allowing them to laugh at the same hippies being fondled by TSA agents at the "little person" airport.

What should make most people feel better, is that there is worse gridlock in other places. Which means we have not yet discovered how bad things must get before people give up the single-occupant commute, or live closer to where they work.

As far as I can tell 'length of commute' is not in the top-10 for reasons why people select their homes and/or jobs.

You forgot to include Option C: move to a more reasonably sized town; and Option D shut the fvck up about the traffic since that's an inherent condition when you choose to live in a multi-million person metropolis.