Zero Tolerance HOV Enforcement

I have been pitching the idea for some time (with little results) that we need a regular Zero tolerance enforcement program for HOV lanes just a couple days a month.

The way I envision this working is the Police picking one of the areas with wide shoulders and setting up a officer in the middle of the road slowing traffic and picking out violators, then directing them to the side of the road where one or two other officers are writing tickets for violators (the best spot on the morning commuute would be right after the Edsall ramp where they could turn violators back out the south bound exit and ticket them before sending them back southbound.)

The key here is that they could set this up and catch EVERY violator. If the cops did this twice a month they would soon weed out all the violators.

Questions for the board, do you think this would be too big a distruption? Do you think it has any merit? any suggestions to how we might make it a reality?

Another technique that they dont use much anymore is enforcement at the off ramps (except Springfield in the morning). I know there was an incident at the Pentagon recently in which a cop jumped out in front of a car to stop it and got hit. The off ramp enforcement is dangerous because people have to go from 50 down to zero in about 100 feet.

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Originally posted by colossus911
[br] setting up a officer in the middle of the road slowing traffic and picking out violators, then directing them to the side of the road where one or two other officers are writing tickets for violators

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This is a wonderful idea, and I have seen this done in the past, but with lack of organization in which many violators zoom by as the two or three officers on duty are writing up tickets with their backs to the flow of traffic. One or two officers need to be spotters, while the other officers are writing up tickets. I would like to see this enforced on random afternoons at the end of the HOV merge.

Slug'n till 2010 (when the HOT lanes roll in)

bumping subject up over spam

I have certainly seen a significant number of violators and I generally drive around 6 a.m. in the morning -- it's definitely not only a late morning problem. Although traffic enforcement is rare on HOV for 395, I have occassionally seen it done and there are no major back ups. A backup can be caused for many reasons and just because there is someone at the end of the line getting a ticket doesn't mean he caused the backup. (Plus, if Raymond was backed up all the way to King street, why was the violator still there when he reached the Pentagon?)

What I would like to see is first, having cops at the on ramps to stop the scofflaws from even getting onto HOV. A couple of times randomly enforced could make a significant difference -- plus it really tick off a lot of people who suddenly find themselves in the wrong route to get on the car choked I-95. Secondly, capture the violators at the Pentagon area. Most violators could be directed down to the Pentagon parking area where the police could set up a nice little ticket line. This would minimize the amount of disruption on HOV. Unfortunately, given the large number of violators, they might have to wait in a long line to get their ticket.