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Old 03-27-2013, 09:45 AM
 
Location: U.S.
9,510 posts, read 9,087,690 times
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Driving up from 95, took beltway around to Maryland around 10am. Traffic was.light, HOT lanes were asking for $2.50 for entire route, which when empty, is too high. Around Tysons corner exits, multiple speed traps were set up by State Police. Couple cars (not semi trucks) were pulled over getting tickets. Traffic was moving at the same speed as regular 495. No idea why HOT lanes are not 65mph like 95 HOV. Why again would anyone pay top go through speed traps is beyond me. Regular 495 was moving well above 65. Amazing.
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Old 03-27-2013, 10:53 AM
 
1,784 posts, read 3,459,561 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by johnsonkk View Post
Driving up from 95, took beltway around to Maryland around 10am. Traffic was.light, HOT lanes were asking for $2.50 for entire route, which when empty, is too high. Around Tysons corner exits, multiple speed traps were set up by State Police. Couple cars (not semi trucks) were pulled over getting tickets. Traffic was moving at the same speed as regular 495. No idea why HOT lanes are not 65mph like 95 HOV. Why again would anyone pay top go through speed traps is beyond me. Regular 495 was moving well above 65. Amazing.
Yeah I often wonder if they're shooting themselves in the foot in terms of revenue maximization.
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Old 03-27-2013, 04:17 PM
 
Location: Metro Washington DC
15,431 posts, read 25,814,526 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by johnsonkk View Post
Driving up from 95, took beltway around to Maryland around 10am. Traffic was.light, HOT lanes were asking for $2.50 for entire route, which when empty, is too high. Around Tysons corner exits, multiple speed traps were set up by State Police. Couple cars (not semi trucks) were pulled over getting tickets. Traffic was moving at the same speed as regular 495. No idea why HOT lanes are not 65mph like 95 HOV. Why again would anyone pay top go through speed traps is beyond me. Regular 495 was moving well above 65. Amazing.
The cops see easy money there from those who can afford the Lexus lanes. I think it proves that they're out there for revenue generation. Why aren't they patrolling the regular lanes?
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Old 03-27-2013, 05:09 PM
 
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I wonder if they were nabbing HOV cheaters, instead of speeders. Although, I did see the nailing an obvious speeder a few weeks ago.
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Old 03-27-2013, 05:41 PM
 
Location: U.S.
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Lightbulb HOT lanes not HOV

Quote:
Originally Posted by kevbros View Post
I wonder if they were nabbing HOV cheaters, instead of speeders. Although, I did see the nailing an obvious speeder a few weeks ago.
Anyone can travel in the HOT lanes. The police would not know who doesn't and who does have transponders. Not much else they could pull people over except speeding.
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Old 03-27-2013, 06:44 PM
 
Location: McLean, VA
11 posts, read 27,432 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Starlily View Post
FYI, if you want a new EZ pass they cost money now. A new non-flex EZ pass is $.50/month and the flex EZ pass is $1/month. If you only use the flex EZ pass for HOV-3 purposes, they apparently don't charge you any fees. I have a old one (where you had to pay a $35 deposit) and they won't charge me a monthly fee until my old one breaks.
I'm not so sure about this. According to VDOT :: E-Z Answers, all accounts will get a monthly account maintenance fee. It doesn't specify new. Have you checked your account?
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Old 03-28-2013, 07:30 AM
 
2,266 posts, read 3,715,978 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by johnsonkk View Post
Anyone can travel in the HOT lanes. The police would not know who doesn't and who does have transponders. Not much else they could pull people over except speeding.
They can tell if you have the HOV switch turned on when you're using the Flex transponder. If it's on and you're the only one in the car, you're getting nabbed.
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Old 03-28-2013, 01:58 PM
 
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I question how well they can tell - or do the cops just not really care? I ride the hot lanes when we're HOV3 - which includes my baby in the backseat. A super observent cop might be able to tell I have a car seat, but I seriously doubt they can see my kid in it. Or maybe they don't bother b/c they can see two people up front and assume they can't see the third?
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Old 03-28-2013, 02:26 PM
 
2,688 posts, read 6,684,139 times
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Q: Couldn't drivers just buy an E-ZPass Flex and ride with fewer than three passengers for free?

A: Carpoolers must turn on the HOV mode on their E-ZPass transponders. Once they do that, they'll get special scrutiny both by police patrols in cars and by the multitude of cameras that are watching the road. Those authorities will be checking that you have the required three people in your car.

Frequently Asked Questions About the 495 Express Lanes | NBC4 Washington
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