HOV lane behavior... 4447

for the most part i agree... but i dunno, it can be pretty hard to get in and get out of the HOV lanes when the differential of speed is 40 MPH plus, *especially* if you're going to let a bunch of people pbutt. personally, when i'm behind someone who's doing 65 MPH in the HOV lanes, it's hard for me told hold it against them when traffic in the fwy lanes is going 25 MPH. it's pretty tough to get out to let me pbutt and then get back in again. i figure that i'm glad to be moving at 40 MPH faster than the flow of regular traffic and anything i get above that is gravy.

that's why i don't think the "you must *always* let faster traffic pbutt" mantra just can't apply so dogmatically in HOV lanes... because in this scenario the guy who's doing 80 MPH needs to cut into the 25 MPH traffic to let the 90 MPH guy by. but unfortunately in doing so, one can lock oneself into the fwy lanes without an entrance back onto the HOV lanes for quite a long while, 3 miles or so. and that's 3 miles of stop and go traffic...

this is true... my original scenario makes it sound like it's dang near impossible to get out of the HOV lanes during rush hour, which of course usually isn't true (though it sometimes is!).

the problem is of course the *mbuttive* speed differential at times, we're talking HOV running at 70 MPH while the fwy lanes are at stop and go. one of the unfortunate side effects of this is that one has little choice at times but to hit the brakes to change lanes while in the HOV lane, which sucks for everyone involved, including those behind us. the trick is to *gently* decelerate so there are no rear enders smashing into one another when someone slams on the brakes to get out.

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