scuba26
member
Posts: 58
Reg: 08-26-06
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06-25-14 09:23 AM - Post#169347
Just saw the news story where TxDOT wants to convert HW 75 HOV lane to another toll lane, mirroring that of 635, at a cost of $11 MILLION.
I completely disagree with this. Just take down those stupid plastic barriers and open the lane up for everyone. There...$11 Million saved overnight!
Thoughts?
Link TO WFAA story
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EnjoyingLife
enthusiast
Posts: 539
Reg: 08-09-10
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06-25-14 09:41 AM - Post#169349
In response to scuba26
Agreed. That HOV lane was a complete waste of money in the first place. It's hardly ever used not because people don't ride share, because you can only get on and off at 635, Parker or Bethany.
If they want people actually using the HOV lane, they should add another entry/exit point in Richardson near Arapaho. If they don't want to do this, then as Scuba26 sugggested, just get rid of it all together and open the lane up to everyone.
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Mrs. Tex
enthusiast
Posts: 351
Loc: Allen
Reg: 11-01-07
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06-25-14 09:59 AM - Post#169352
In response to scuba26
Where's the 'Like' button webbie?
I Like this idea...I'm not going to register my trip before hand 'cuz I don't know if I'll use HOV till I'm on the road & see what traffic is like.
Nothing WORSE that taking the HOV prematurely & getting behind a slow poke!!
Preregister, OH YEA...we'll all be on our phones on the road...great idea!!
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jogo
enthusiast
Posts: 1475
Reg: 08-31-05
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06-25-14 10:15 AM - Post#169354
In response to Mrs. Tex
I think the preregister idea is beyond ridiculous!
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Stirling
enthusiast
Posts: 175
Reg: 03-06-12
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06-25-14 11:23 AM - Post#169365
In response to jogo
A) it is open to everyone. I've had plenty of battles in that lane with f*s violating it.
B) we're getting what we deserve. No one follows the rules.
I travel that HOV a lot on a bike - typical speeds are 70-80mph. Handful of occasions over four years I've gotten behind someone doing the speed limit of 60. Typical car driver attitude. How fast do you want to go? 90? 100?
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rw
member
Posts: 617
Reg: 10-11-01
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06-25-14 01:03 PM - Post#169370
In response to Stirling
I take 75 to 635 every day...my guess is that 75% of the vehicles exiting in Plano are single occupant vehicles.
I say do away with it and open up for all...not just the law breakers...
Edited by rw on 06-25-14 01:27 PM. Reason for edit: No reason given.
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javaprincess
enthusiast
Posts: 151
Reg: 06-01-10
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06-25-14 01:11 PM - Post#169371
In response to Stirling
I do not like taking the HOV lanes especially during low traffic times because we often ran into drivers that came up 5ft behind us. Either he/she just did it as a habit of following too close (no! cars don't need hugs), or some crazy person who wanted to push us to go faster because he/she came up behind us at 90mph. It's just dangerous.
Anyways I think the HOV lanes should just be converted to express lanes, keeping the current exits and allowing everybody to get on. We've seen enough drivers who move from the left-most lane to the exit at the last minute. It's all the lane changing that's causing the slow down during rush hour. The express lanes will keep the commuters out of the busy main lane traffic and keep more people moving.
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mgrayar
enthusiast
Posts: 3859
Reg: 09-25-09
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06-25-14 01:23 PM - Post#169374
In response to javaprincess
Toll sounds good to me. I'd pay extra to use it single occupant.
Learn more about Cystic Fibrosis and how you can help at:
http://www.cff.org
Everyone can make a difference! |
Edited by mgrayar on 06-25-14 01:25 PM. Reason for edit: No reason given.
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nomoon
enthusiast
Posts: 1026
Loc: Allen
Reg: 05-31-06
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06-25-14 02:17 PM - Post#169379
In response to mgrayar
So now they want another $11 million to try to improve this wasteful monstrosity.
HOV Lane = Poorly Utilized Lane
From the beginning, it was a wasteful use of money and resources. There’s a reason that HOV lanes are always created from newly added lanes, rather than converting a non-HOV lane to an HOV lane. HOV lanes are poorly utilized. We’d get better overall traffic flow if all lanes were open to all people. I read an article about where they converted a non-HOV lane to an HOV lane, and it created a huge traffic jam and negative PR for the whole concept.
Also, on 75, they had to shrink the width of the existing lanes in order to accommodate the wasted spaced required for the barrier. This article from 2011 reports that “the design of HOV lanes on US 75 led to a 40 percent spike in serious crashes and directly contributed to three deaths.”
Because of federal matching funds, it looks like we’ll be stuck with the existing HOV lanes for now. We would have to repay the federal matching funds if we were to convert the existing HOV lanes to non-HOV lanes.
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SB
enthusiast
Posts: 1551
Reg: 09-07-03
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06-25-14 03:59 PM - Post#169380
In response to nomoon
I believe when the HOV lanes on 75 were built, failure to meet air quality standards in Collin County precluded use of federal funds for additional lanes but allowed funding for HOV. In this context the lanes, perhaps, were successful because they reduced traffic in the other lanes. "Perhaps", in part, because as another writer noted there was a cost from the increase in accidents. The idea of no entrance/exits in Richardson came from the plan that the HOV lanes were intended to move traffic THROUGH Richardson and the benefit came from this traffic not having to mix with the other traffic. The public never bought into this idea.
I don't think any drivers make a decision to ride share just so they can take advantage of these lanes although it does reward drivers during rush times who do have passengers.
I don't tailgate but still feel that if you are not in the right most lane and traffic starts piling up behind you, then you need to speed up or move over to the right. That is just driving friendly.
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Al C
enthusiast
Posts: 5921
Loc: McKinney/Allen, TX
Reg: 02-16-01
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06-25-14 07:21 PM - Post#169387
In response to SB
I don't tailgate but still feel that if you are not in the right most lane and traffic starts piling up behind you, then you need to speed up or move over to the right. That is just driving friendly.
No ... don't hover in the right lane either. People are trying to merge on/off in the right lane. Stay in the middle except to pass.
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brian0527
enthusiast
Posts: 225
Loc: Allen,Tx,USA
Reg: 03-15-01
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06-25-14 08:57 PM - Post#169389
In response to scuba26
Just take down those stupid plastic barriers and open the lane up for everyone. There...$11 Million saved overnight!
Agree 100%
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PartyOfEight
enthusiast
Posts: 303
Reg: 12-09-07
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06-26-14 06:40 AM - Post#169392
In response to brian0527
I agree, but the addition of the original HOV lane was done without widening the rest of the roadway and narrowing all the lanes. 75 between 635 and Allen has the narrowest lanes of any highway I drive on. It's become a demolition course. Last evening, there were remnants of crashes everywhere between Allen and Richardson.
I've loaded the free interactive app Waze on my phone and it routes me away from active crash scenes and warns me of police traps. It's been a saving grace.
Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of a cancer cell.
Edward Abbey |
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ccw
newbie
Posts: 12
Reg: 04-29-12
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06-26-14 09:24 AM - Post#169398
In response to scuba26
I've always argued that the HOV lanes here don't work based on their design. It's virtually impossible to get on and off of them (especially if you're unfamiliar with the area) and the vast majority of the people who use them are either a) a single occupant or b) carpooling with friends/family that they would have been riding with regardless of the existence of an HOV lane.
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Jimi Ray Clapton
enthusiast
Posts: 2394
Reg: 09-03-07
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06-26-14 12:19 PM - Post#169400
In response to ccw
Indirectly related article by Ed Wallace from the Ft Worth Star Telegram
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