HOV-4

WMAL Radio reported this morning that V-DOT is considering increasing the number of riders to HOV-4 to reduce congestion on the HOV lanes. Sean Connaughton(sp) was also mentioned in the report of being generally supportive of the idea of not only HOV-4 but also HOT lanes. Sean is running for LT. Gov. and we need to make it painfully aware to him that these types of policy decisions without addressing the real issue will cost him support in the commuting suburbs of Northern Virginia. The report failed to mention the findings of the HOV Task Force, that the reason for congestion on HOV was: (drum roll, please) Hybrids. While I am not a traffic engineer, I cannot see how HOV-4 will fundamentally help the system. There is a finite amount of cars, riders and parking. For every fourth person you require to ride in a car in an HOV-4 system you either need to create a parking spot in the commuter lots or risk having one additional car on the main lines of I-95. I-95 has a heart attack every morning. The problem with HOV is Hybrids. This morning I commuted in from PM, I was surrounded by Hybrids the entire trip. The ratio of Hybrids to regular gasoline cars on the HOV is increasing exponentially. It is high time our elected leaders (and candidates for state office) to take this issue by the horns and resolve it once and for all.

HOV-4 is going to be necessary eventually. The metro region is growing and it is unlikely ever to stop so long as Washington remains the capitol (-al?) of the Putatively Free World.

So face up to the fact that "solutions" to our traffic problem must aim for long-term impact and be coupled to non-traffic-based policy changes, such as telecommuting (sigh), sprawl-reduction, distributed work-spaces, etc.

CedarCityNative: forcing more people into fewer cars is THE WHOLE POINT OF HOV! [:)]

HOV-4 is a necessary step in the process of dealing with our region's inevitable and unstoppable growth. Remember, the reversible lanes were intendeded to be HOV-4 in the beginning.

The only issue with HOV-4 is having enough parking spaces. The powers-that-be believe the commuter lots are not full. And for now they are right! Potomac Mills and 123 could easily accommodate hundreds more commuters. (Don't whine to me they aren't convenient; the fact is, they aren't full.)

Please, for the last time: Sean Connaughton could care less about the commuters of PWC. His whole raison d'etre is to change PWC from a bedroom community into a self-sufficient economic engine. If the 18% of PWC citizens who are commuters died and went to heaven tomorrow, it would not change his opinion of the value of toll roads to facilitating the distribution of job-loci in the region.

Tri2DC, I beg to differ -- nothing can spur hypebrid sales any more than they are spurred already: there already is a waiting list for them. Manufacturing more hypebrids to meet demand would only remove the premium the dealers charge. Ever wonder about that? Think the car dealers aren't calling their legislators in Richmond about the hypebrid/HOV issue? Think the legislators consider your opinion as important as, oh, Mr. Lustine Toyota's opinion?

But one thing HOV-4 WILL do, and that is make the HOV lanes appear to be more "fair" to the disgruntled drivers in the regular lanes who are unable to use the "empty space" in the HOV lanes. Carrying four people makes it look like we're really trying.

Sponge, while I agree that the purpose of HOV is to have more people in fewer cars, going to HOV-4 is such a fundamental shift, it is only bound to create more congestion on the I-95 and further fill our overflowing lots, in the short term. My broader point was, if HOV-4 is your panacea, then the system is going to be sick for a long time. The issue of hybrids MUST be addressed in both the short and long term. Without their exemption, according to the HOV Task Force, the HOV lanes would not be operating at capacity and we, therefore, would not be having this debate.

From a long time slug: "RESTORE HOV-4".

Their ROI was to use the HOV for free for years. They also get a tax deduction, don't they?

No, if you start making it HOV-2 for these kinds of cars and HOV-3 for other kinds of cars, the whole thing gets too hard to enforce. Imagine being a cop on the side of the road, it's raining, here comes a Civic. Is it a hypebrid or a regular...? Ooops, too late.