Why didn't someone come up with this solution?

We have been debating the question about hybrids in HOV lanes for months.

Just post sign: "HOV Lane Minimum Speed Limit 65mph - 75mph Maximum" (or something to that effect).

This makes HOV hypermiling illegal.

If it's rush hour, you get a ticket if you go slower than the pack.

If the HOV pack speed is 70mph, you go that speed to avoid a citation.

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"fanatic" is what the lazy call the dedicated

I think that might actually be do-able in some cases- an elevated minimum speed for the HOV lane, in the name of keepin' the mass flow rate up.

Interesting.

I don't think I've seen any hybrids clog up the HOV, then again that might be becuase I am doing so!

What is the difference if a hybrid v. grandma in front? As I've stated before I only get in the carpool lane if I intend to keep up with traffic upto 75. So please don't take my comments the wrong way, beside although my hybrid has the stickers, my wife and I work in the same building, so we would be on that lane anyways. The reason for the stickers is I can now ride the 3 person lane with only two of us.

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I think you are alright, edovando, but CNN had a stop on "Prius Backlash". A Prius driver seemed to think she could drive below the pack speed (don't know what speed that was, but she definitely made hybrid drivers look bad). An H2 and Escalade driver seemed to think they should drive alone in the HOV lane.

Assuming the Prius driver was hypermiling in the HOV, all three of the drivers should stay out of the HOV.

61.5mpg lifetime - 82mpg in recent months

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"fanatic" is what the lazy call the dedicated

I may be a litttle naive here but I thought that the speed limilt was just that no matter what lane you are in.

If someone is going the speed limit in the HOV lane (no matter what gave you the right to do so (multiple people or a sticker)) what is the problem, how is that bad? Since when is oebying the law a negative.

I think that the speed limit is meant to serve a purpose, it is what the respective jurisdiction finds to be the safest speed for that area. There are stats showing that accidents where someone was speeding are more deaddly.

If everyone drove the legal limit, this conversation would never take place. Why should anyone feel guilty or threatened for obeying the law?

While reading this I overheard "Find out why driving the speed limit can get you a ticket, find out tonight on the WB2".

Colorado has recently added a law that requires you to stay out of the left lane unless you are passing. If you are holding up vehicles that would be otherwise speeding you are breaking the law. Seems practical to me, I drive normally at or below the speed limit on the interstate, but will exceed the speed limit while passing to avoid congesting the left lane, common courtesy, I have no desire to be a roadway vigilante.

Speed limits are the law but are picked subjectively by politicians and hopefully objectively by traffic engineers. Wisconsin has reasons to choose max 65 that have nothing to do with traffic engineering or assessment of risk. Colorado decided 75, others 60 or 80. Police departments and politicians also decide whether 5, 10, 12, or 20mph over the speed limit will trigger a stop. Wisconsin may let 12 over slide, Colorado may let 8 slide. What they all want is free flowing traffic , not individuals disrupting that flow through either slow obstruction, or aggressive speeding.

It is naive to think that driving the speed limit in any lane you chose is never bad, or dangerous.

I am not at all stating that it is not unsafe or dangerous to drive the speed limit in the more left lanes when everyone around you is going 15 - 20 miles per hour faster than you. My point was more that if we all drove the legal limit that this would never be such an issue. It can be any driver, not necessarily a hybrid driver.

I drive 25 miles each way on the freeway 5 days a week and I see how dangerous it is daily as a speeding car swerves from lane to lane to avoid slowing down and that is where the hazard lies. If we all drove the speed limit that would no longer happen.

There was a time when I was one of those speeders and after a ticket or two and a little math regarding the time, I decided it was not worth it. I must be honest though, my hybrid is the reason that I starting figuring out how much time I save (or don't really save) if I go 15 or 20 over the limit. That lack of time saved coupled with the ticket, safety and the gpm made me realize that it was not worth it. Regarding saving time: how many times have we all been passed by a speeder only to meet them at the next light?

BTW, I am a right lane driver at almost all times, the only time that I am not is when I am passing.

Jessica

To me there is no issue with Hybrids in the HOV lane. The issue is with Slow Moving traffic in the HOV lane. Be it a hybird, a truck, a motorcycle, or a covered wagon. In my opinion if you are in the HOV lane you should be moving with the reasonable flow of traffic. That doesn't mean if there is some donkey behind you who wants to go 90 that you should, but it most major cities that I have lived with HOV lanes, the average driver tries to move 5-10 miles per hour over the posted limit.

I don't even have an issue if the someone is doing the speed limit, unless the non-HOV lanes are moving freely. It's when you get behind someone (regardless of make and model) that wants to do 5-10 under the speed limit the I get irritated.

Personally if we would give the proper distance to the car infront of us we would even be better off regardless of speed. This drives me crazy the most. It seems no-one on freeways anymore grasps the concept of safe driving distance. I don't care if I am doing 85 or 55 I always provide enough space for someone to get over into my lane if necessary and still be able to stop under heavy breaking conditions.

This to me is the cause of most freeway accidents, not the overall speed.

This is a very good law. Although one coudl argue that the road speed limit should never be exceeded, the passing lane is a logical exception. Let's say someoen in front of you is going 5 under the limit, and you want ot drive exactly the limit. It will be necessary to accelerate to faster than the limit in order to pass them, followed by moving back over and slowing down. If this law were passed in California, and people respected it and primarily passed on the left instead of on the right, the roads would be a lot safer even at faster speeds, as the primary problem with speed with respect ot accidents is differential speed, and creating driver interactions. Steady cruising with reasonable driving distances can be plenty safe with modern vehicles.

I find that the HOV lanes tend to run about 15mph faster than the rest of traffic. Meaning if traffic is congested to 50mph, they run about 65 with less stop and go. This extra speed is the whole incentive of the HOV lane in the first place and should be preserved.

However, one gripe that I have about the way the HOV lanes are designed around here in California is the fact that drievrs may only enter and exit at fixed points. I can understand why this is done in ordre to prevent carpoolers from treating the carpool lane like an extra passing lane, but it creates a problem when lots of drivers try to exit the carpool lane all at once to make it to an onramp. This is exacerbate by the fact that a slow driver in the HOV lane can actually make the HOV lane flow slower than the regular left hand lane to the right, which can cause the slowdown effect to "spill over" when the HOV drivers need to exit.

What I believe shuld be done is that there should be solid yellow line on the outside (no crossing), and dotted on the inside. This way, drivers coudl only enter HOV lanes at fixed points, but they could exit anywhere to get to a certain onramp. This would cut down on the number of interactions concentrated locally at the HOV entrance/exit points.