HOV cheaters or just a lot of real HOV?
Printed From: Slug-Lines.com
Category: General Slugging Questions and Comments
Forum Name: General Slugging Topics
Forum Description: This is the area for all general slugging comments. To add a comment simply create a new topic or see FAQ for detailed information on how to post comments.
URL: http://www.slug-lines.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=448
Printed Date: 19 May 2024 at 12:32am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.10 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: HOV cheaters or just a lot of real HOV?
Posted By: Bob
Subject: HOV cheaters or just a lot of real HOV?
Date Posted: 27 Mar 2003 at 12:19pm
I read in Dr. Gridlock all of the complaints about the volume of HOV cheaters. I am not saying this is not a problem, but at the times that I travel on 95, I am just seeing a much larger number of real HOV cars as wells as the hybrids. In my opinion, the percentage of cheaters is way down from a few years ago. Now this is probably largely a function of time of day. For example, I am sure that between 6 and 6:30 am there are a huge number of cheaters. I travel around 7:30 or so.
One reason this is important is that, if as I suspect, we just have a very large increase in HOV use, then we are headed for major slowdowns in the HOV lanes, regardless of what law enforcement does.
Bob
|
Replies:
Posted By: mycroftt
Date Posted: 28 Mar 2003 at 7:43am
|
I am on HOV between 6:00 and 6:30 every day. Without exageration I would say that a minimum of 25% of the cars are cheaters. There's no way that will ever change until points are assessed against the cheater's licenses.
|
Posted By: mirangus
Date Posted: 28 Mar 2003 at 10:49am
quote:
Originally posted by mycroftt
[br]There's no way that will ever change until points are assessed against the cheater's licenses.
There is a regulation that says you lose your license after 5 violations, but the cops can't even catch some people once, let alone 5 times!![:o)]
|
Posted By: swichowski
Date Posted: 28 Mar 2003 at 12:13pm
|
I know a guy who cheated everyday for a year and a half till he got caught twice in a month. He then stoped cheating and started picking up slugs. He said the first ticket or two was worth it but did not want the $500 one.
|
Posted By: 3ForHOV
Date Posted: 28 Mar 2003 at 2:43pm
quote:
Originally posted by swichowski
[br]I know a guy who cheated everyday for a year and a half till he got caught twice in a month. He then stoped cheating and started picking up slugs. He said the first ticket or two was worth it but did not want the $500 one.
One way to keep cheaters off is by raising the 1st offense fine from $50 to $200 or so.
|
Posted By: mirangus
Date Posted: 28 Mar 2003 at 3:31pm
|
swichowski- And you know what the sad thing is? There are so many other cheaters out there that feel the same way!! [:0]
|
Posted By: MDC
Date Posted: 02 Apr 2003 at 10:24pm
You do get points for HOV violations, at least you did in the '80s. The infraction is "highway sign violation" and carries 3 points from my recollection.
Other than the people who cheat on the cutoff times, there really aren't that many cheaters other than the ones that continue past Springfield to get off at the "FSP".
Other cheaters that annoy me are "hybrids" with out of state tags which are specifically not allowed in the law. I guess they get a pass since I see the same ones are there frequently.
|
Posted By: MISS "T"
Date Posted: 03 Apr 2003 at 11:34am
There are quite a few cheaters on the express lanes between 5:00 and 6:00 p.m. and they are very annoying [:(!],driving 30 miles per hours,I don't get that, what makes them think driving slow will not bring attention to them violating?[:0]
MISS "T"
|
Posted By: mycroftt
Date Posted: 03 Apr 2003 at 11:38am
quote:
Originally posted by MDC
[br]You do get points for HOV violations, at least you did in the '80s. The infraction is "highway sign violation" and carries 3 points from my recollection.
Nope. Virginia code section 33.1-46.2.B paragraph 6 states, in pertinent part, "Upon a conviction under this section, the court shall furnish to the Commissioner of the Department of Motor Vehicles in accordance with § 46.2-383 an abstract of the record of such conviction which shall become a part of the person's driving record. Notwithstanding the provisions of § 46.2-492, no driver demerit points shall be assessed for any violation of this section." The referenced section 46.2-492 makes mention of the three points for highway sign violation so it looks like they made a change at some time since the '80's and specifically eliminated the points for HOV violation. Bad move, IMHO.
Mike
|
Posted By: Telser
Date Posted: 07 Apr 2003 at 4:44pm
When they are driving slow between Edsall Rd. and Springfield (where they let less than 3 people in a car get on the HOV lane as long as they get off on the last Springfield exit) close to the 6pm hour, they are trying to time it so that they aren't too much before 6pm when they reach that last Springfield exit so that they can stay on the HOV lane. They are a pain in the neck because they slow everyone down. I've even seen them pull over and stop on the shoulder, especially if they see a cop car's lights ahead. When they all start pulling out into the lanes from the shoulders about 6pm, it is not only annoying, but dangerous. If they are doing this elsewhere, I don't know the reason. As far as earlier times, the instances that I have noticed is when they spot a cop car ahead, they tend to put on the brakes and start crawling along.
quote:
Originally posted by MISS "T"
[br]There are quite a few cheaters on the express lanes between 5:00 and 6:00 p.m. and they are very annoying [:(!],driving 30 miles per hours,I don't get that, what makes them think driving slow will not bring attention to them violating?[:0]
MISS "T"
|
Posted By: dkerley
Date Posted: 08 Apr 2003 at 2:25pm
You know why they are driving slow is because the cheaters are trying to "hide" amongst us non-cheaters. Picking up slugs has become difficult for me over the past couple of years but I still do it. There are times when I think to myself "Why am I waiting 30 minutes for riders when I could get in the HOV lanes with just a slight chance of getting caught? Especially since I have close to limo tint?"
I think some of cheaters that are "hiding" amongst us are unsafe as well as slow.
quote:
Originally posted by MISS "T"
[br]There are quite a few cheaters on the express lanes between 5:00 and 6:00 p.m. and they are very annoying [:(!],driving 30 miles per hours,I don't get that, what makes them think driving slow will not bring attention to them violating?[:0]
MISS "T"
Dina
|
Posted By: jjmahoney
Date Posted: 09 Apr 2003 at 12:01pm
[:(!]
As I brought up in a previous thread, the traffic in HOV has been horrendous the past few weeks! This week in particular (except for Monday). Two accidents in the past two days have had me sitting in traffic for 30+ extra minutes. In both cases the accident was cleared before I got to it. My question is, are these accidents caused by cheaters and their "hiding" or "slow driving" tactics to keep from getting caught?
I'm all for the Hybrid cars on there. If I had one, I'd take advantage of that too. But I'd just like to know who is screwing traffic for us normal HOV'ers. When my commute time is doubled two days in a row, I get very upset. If I wanted to sit in 2 hours of traffic, I'd just drive alone in the main lines!
"My therapist says you're always making withdrawls from my Self-Esteem account to fill your Ego Balloon!" Gabe - Penny-Arcade.com
|
Posted By: USA
Date Posted: 17 Apr 2003 at 2:29pm
quote:
Originally posted by Telser
[br]When they are driving slow between Edsall Rd. and Springfield (where they let less than 3 people in a car get on the HOV lane as long as they get off on the last Springfield exit) close to the 6pm hour, they are trying to time it so that they aren't too much before 6pm when they reach that last Springfield exit so that they can stay on the HOV lane. They are a pain in the neck because they slow everyone down. I've even seen them pull over and stop on the shoulder, especially if they see a cop car's lights ahead. When they all start pulling out into the lanes from the shoulders about 6pm, it is not only annoying, but dangerous. If they are doing this elsewhere, I don't know the reason. As far as earlier times, the instances that I have noticed is when they spot a cop car ahead, they tend to put on the brakes and start crawling along.
They do this around the Pentagon near 6:00 PM too, waiting for the HOV hours to expire. As soon as you take the left split at the Potomac Park exit in DC, you start seeing cars on the shoulder as early as 5:35. I've seen cops ticket these people occasionally, but not very often. It's extremely dangerous, especially because they think they're entitled to be let into traffic when 5:55 rolls around. They will pull out in front of you and slam on the accelerator in a mad rush to beat everyone else into the express lanes before the flood comes. It's kind of absurd when you consider that no cop is going to pull over a violator between the Pentagon and Shirlington at 5:55.
|
Posted By: elama
Date Posted: 17 Apr 2003 at 3:11pm
I've never understood why the cops don't position themselves at trouble areas and do a clean sweep and give everyone a ticket. At certain areas out in the suburbs, if there are, say, 3 traffic violators, the cops (who are standing outside their cars at trouble spots) point and wave each person over to the shoulder instead of staying in their car and pulling one person over at a time. One cop's job is solely to "point and wave," so everyone is caught.
On the HOV lane, of course, you could have quite a few cars pulled over at one time, waiting their turn to have a ticket written, and some people may complain that it would slow the traffic in the HOV lane, but that would only be temporary. Once the word got out, I believe the drop in cheaters would be drastic. Together with the ticket and the wait to get the ticket - yeah - double whammy for the cheaters. Near the Lakeridge entrance onto the HOV, often you will see a couple cops standing outside their cars and doing a version of this, but they don't have a cop who is only waving people over. They may have two cops pulling people over, but those same two cops are only pulling a few over at a time and while they are writing the tickets, calling in license #s, etc., a mess more violators are whizzing by.
|
Posted By: Mancilla
Date Posted: 29 Apr 2003 at 3:18pm
The only solution I see to this problem is that the cops should position themselves in the HOV entrances, that way the cheaters
will be forced to not enter the express lane. They will not have
to patrol along the express lane anymore and will keep it clean
from cheaters. How's that sound?
|
Posted By: Tupe
Date Posted: 30 Apr 2003 at 7:40am
It sounds like the best way to me. It has been suggested numerous timesb the question is why the state police don't implement something that sounds so sensible.
quote:
Originally posted by Mancilla
[br]The only solution I see to this problem is that the cops should position themselves in the HOV entrances, that way the cheaters
will be forced to not enter the express lane. They will not have
to patrol along the express lane anymore and will keep it clean
from cheaters. How's that sound?
|
Posted By: mirangus
Date Posted: 30 Apr 2003 at 9:30am
Originally posted by Tupe
[br]It sounds like the best way to me. It has been suggested numerous timesb the question is why the state police don't implement something that sounds so sensible.
Because they'd miss out on a lot of ticketing revenue when they do their bi-monthly HOV stings!!!
|
Posted By: Telser
Date Posted: 30 Apr 2003 at 3:00pm
OK, then about they position themselves on or immediately after the ramp, pull ALL violators over (as opposed to one at a time)? Then they would be on the HOV lanes and could collect the dough.
quote:
Originally posted by mirangus
[br]Originally posted by Tupe
[br]It sounds like the best way to me. It has been suggested numerous timesb the question is why the state police don't implement something that sounds so sensible.
Because they'd miss out on a lot of ticketing revenue when they do their bi-monthly HOV stings!!!
|
Posted By: mirangus
Date Posted: 01 May 2003 at 9:25am
Because if they were there everyday and everyone knew they were there everyday, no one (except those unfamiliar with the area and made a mistake) would violate the HOV. Just like how it is rare to find a truck illegally cruising down Rt. 110 past the Pentagon. Everyone is well aware of the constant police presence.
quote:
Originally posted by Telser
[br]OK, then about they position themselves on or immediately after the ramp, pull ALL violators over (as opposed to one at a time)? Then they would be on the HOV lanes and could collect the dough.
quote:
Originally posted by mirangus
[br]Originally posted by Tupe
[br]It sounds like the best way to me. It has been suggested numerous timesb the question is why the state police don't implement something that sounds so sensible.
Because they'd miss out on a lot of ticketing revenue when they do their bi-monthly HOV stings!!!
|
Posted By: 3ForHOV
Date Posted: 01 May 2003 at 10:10am
Originally posted by mirangus
[br]Because if they were there everyday and everyone knew they were there everyday, no one (except those unfamiliar with the area and made a mistake) would violate the HOV. Just like how it is rare to find a truck illegally cruising down Rt. 110 past the Pentagon. Everyone is well aware of the constant police presence.
The cops can't be there "everyday" - just random days; otherwise, like you said...it wouldn't work if cheaters knew they would be there everyday.
|
Posted By: VAwitch
Date Posted: 01 May 2003 at 7:27pm
As of 2 yrs ago, it was at least 1 point for HOV violation. I got the $50 ticket, and 1 point, helping a friend get to Arlington courthouse, and we couldn't get slugs that morning.
|
Posted By: mycroftt
Date Posted: 02 May 2003 at 8:26am
quote:
Originally posted by VAwitch
[br]As of 2 yrs ago, it was at least 1 point for HOV violation. I got the $50 ticket, and 1 point, helping a friend get to Arlington courthouse, and we couldn't get slugs that morning.
There are no longer any points for HOV violation.
|
Posted By: 3ForHOV
Date Posted: 02 May 2003 at 9:58am
As previously posted...one way to keep cheaters off the HOV is to raise the first fine from $50 to $100 or so... This would make them think twice about taking the risk. I also like what another poster suggested about honking three times at violators.
What perturbs me is seeing the cops sitting on the side of the road chatting with each other. What are they there for? Catching speeders? How can you speed if the lanes are so clogged up in the mornings? I'll be lucky to travel at 60mph when the speed limit is 65mph.
|
Posted By: Admin
Date Posted: 19 May 2003 at 3:23pm
There is an article on HOV Violators in the Washington Post (Sunday, May 18th). See:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A3822-2003May17.html
Everyone might be interested to know, that the Post writer (Katherine Shaver), was very interested in the viewpoint of Slugs! She accessed the website and read a number of the postings regarding HOV violators to get a feel on what slugs were thinking.
Although I do not pretend to represent the slugging community, I did share my viewpoint and the comments from the message board for about 30 minutes prior to her writing this article.
It's nice to know that people are now aware of the impact slugs have on congestion!
|
Posted By: Juli
Date Posted: 28 May 2003 at 3:25pm
|
Why don't they do what they did in DC with the cameras? Just take a picture of the cars as they get off the exit and if there isn't enough people and they have a violating history, give them the fine they deserve.
|
Posted By: 3ForHOV
Date Posted: 28 May 2003 at 3:44pm
quote:
Originally posted by Juli
[br]Why don't they do what they did in DC with the cameras? Just take a picture of the cars as they get off the exit and if there isn't enough people and they have a violating history, give them the fine they deserve.
My spouse drives while I ride in the backseat of my SUV with our child. It appears that my spouse is a single passenger because you can't see us in the back through the tinted windows. So it wouldn't be fair to those of us who travel with children in car seats (because the camera won't be able to see them either). When we come upon the state police at the 495 exit in the mornings, we roll down the windows so the trooper can see us in the back.
|
|