GRIDLOCK GAME
If HOV lanes are the answer, I beg to ask a different question
BY HEIDI HARRIS

Heidi Harris hosts “The Heidi Harris Show” weekday mornings, 8 to 10 a.m., on NewsTalk 720 KDWN in Las Vegas. Visit her website www.heidiharris.com. Other stories by Heidi Harris

As a professional communicator, I generally don’t have trouble getting my point across. I’ve even been known to change a mind or two along the way, but I think I’ve finally met my match. High Occupancy Vehicle, or HOV, lanes. No matter how I try to explain the concept, I can’t get through to most of my listeners.

Ever since the RTC first floated the idea of creating HOV lanes, I’ve been quite vocal in opposition. First, the orange barrels have been on U.S. 95 for so long I can’t even remember when there wasn’t construction happening there. And besides, where did these rocket scientists think they were going to find these phantom lanes that could be designated for High Occupancy Vehicles? 

Frankly, I think Las Vegans have all been pretty patient, sitting in daily gridlock, with no end in sight. Then, magically, over the last year, we’ve noticed new lanes have appeared! Once the road crews leave, the road will actually be wide enough to accommodate the traffic, for the first time in years! We can hardly wait. Suddenly it doesn’t seem like it’s been that long. It’s kind of like giving birth (or so I’m told). Once the baby comes, all the pain and inconvenience is quickly forgotten. 

Now that the road is finally expanded, we find out that we’ve once again been the victims of the old government bait and switch. After all the road expansion, the vast majority of taxpayers will be left with one less lane than anticipated, because they’ve been designated HOV lanes. I’m not opposed to the concept of commuter lanes, and I have no problem with rewarding people for driving to work with a buddy. But alas, that’s not how the HOV lanes will work in Las Vegas. 

Anyone traveling with a passenger will be able to use those lanes, and so will busses and motorcyclists. 

Wait a minute! Why does a single motorcycle rider get the benefit of an HOV lane? Where’s the logic in that exception? 

If the point of an HOV lane is to encourage drivers to carpool, then the rule should apply to only people who are truly carpooling, and thus eliminating a car from the highway. This does not apply in the case of mommies with kids, two guys who work together in a cable truck, or a landscaping crew.

It’s almost embarrassing to have point out what should be obvious. But when I bring up the fact that the “exceptions” negate the entire purpose of the HOV lanes, people act surprised. Even worse, they often say, “Well, we have do something.” I expect this claptrap from bureaucrats, whose job description requires “doing something” without regard to whether or not it really will help, but I expect more from the general public. Maybe that’s why I’m not a transportation official. If I were, I would already know that people rarely question the rationale of anything if it appears to be “doing something.”