Here’s the latest reader question, along with my reply!
Pete asks: I like your website but you are way off base on the guy driving in the car pool lane (story here) or the HOV lane as we call it here. I live here in PHX and we have dedicated HOV lanes for a reason…it helps the flow of traffic. When individuals choose to disobey the hours they are allowed to drive in them without another occupant they deserve the very expensive ticket. The drivers are basically flipping the rest of us off as they pass those who follow the rules. Of course if the offender chooses to take on that risk of a ticket them so be it but I have no problem when a rule that helps the flow of traffic is broken. I’d like to see the cops issue more tickets for this offense to send a message to those drivers who are better than us and choose not to follow the rules.
My reply: The issue isn’t the traffic infraction; it’s the way it was handled by the armed government worker. Note that the original article was titled “AGW Escalation.” Not: “Unjust HOV Ticket.”
The AGW behaved like a bully, belittling the man and then – when the man he’d just demeaned (and mulcted) expressed contempt by spitting at the AGW’s car – the AGW responded with a brutal and potentially lethal attack. He drew a gun on the guy – over spitting.
I have a concealed handgun permit. If I drew a gun on someone who spat at me, I’d be in for a felony. If I charged the guy who spat at me with a loaded gun, I’d be in for several.
Can you tell me why it’s ok for an AGW to commit what would be several felonies for anyone else and suffer no consequences?
. . .
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There should actually be HOV lanes, with the ability to “upgrade” your car to that lane with a fee…I believe that currently happens in SoCal on State Highway 91 which borders Los Angeles and Orange County. I also think that toll roads with demand based fees offer opportunities to maintain sanity while commuting(just have a great job with deep pockets!)
The transponder requirement along with the License plate scanner for toll skippers with the accompanying surveillance data is the downside of course…
Here’s a political powder keg: Can a pregnant woman use the HOV lane because there are actually two people in the car?
Hi Bryce,
An unborn child is only considered a person by the State when they wish to punish the mother for drinking or taking drugs that may have caused harm to the child. Kind of weird when you think about, why wouldn’t a rational woman, who wishes to keep partying through her pregnancy, just kill it. Which, after all, is perfectly legal.
Kind Regards,
Jeremy
There shouldn’t be an HOV lane, period.
Imagine how much better traffic would flow if they just got rid of that inane liberal crap and just made it a normal 3rd/4th lane.
I drive to various parts of NYC weekly, and whenever I drive to Brooklyn to Staten Island, in the HOV lane, 3/4’s the cars are tinted in the rear with one person in the drivers seat. Only people who get pulled over are the too obvious ones (Example: Red SLK with the top down) or those who enter or leave with an AGW nearby.
In a sane world, HOV would be eliminated, period, but as we seen with those Maple Syrup Sipping Ice Rats up north electing the two time mangina of the year, worlds gone mad, and especially in NYC, where 20% of the overall pop. votes and the only alternative to the Insane Left are people fit to be PTA board members in flyover country.
Until that happens, just remember what they say in NY; Only rule is to not be caught (paraphrasing)
The reader evidently has problems with reading comprehension. The story said that the driver’s mom was in the hospital, and he was going to see her. Hence, he was using the HOV lane to get there faster.
HOV lowers road capacity and only worsens traffic flow. Why? Because most people drive alone, and the size of the car is the same wether there is one or more people in the car. So the HOV lane is underused and the space wasted. HOV’s are a government “solution” to a problem that government created, which of course only makes the problem worse.