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I repeat VN, there is no "fast land" the only thing special about the left lane is you are to pass on the left, not right. You can't go below the limit in the left lane, you can get a ticket for going below the limit in the left lane. You can't get a ticket for going the speed limit just because someone behind you wants to go faster.
If you are going fast that doesn't mean you can clog up the left lane. It's a passing lane, you can pass and then you are suppose to move back over to the other lane. It's for passing.
At least you understand the concept of the left lane: it is basically a passing lane. What's a little troubling is how certain ones feel "entitled" to hog the left lane while going slower than the flow of traffic. In my previous comment, I posted a website that defines the state law of slower traffic staying to the right. It means that if you are in the left lane moving slower than the general flow, you are breaking the law ... even if you're driving the speed limit. Why would anybody WANT to drive the speed limit in the HOV lane or left lanes when all the other traffic lanes are moving at a faster rate? The person who does that is holding up the flow, and is defined as "slow traffic". If he refuses to move over, then that person is just as much of a lawbreaker as the speed demon racing in & out of lanes driving aggressively.
The HOV lane is really the same concept as an "express lane". Think of it the same way as you would a grocery aisle with 10 items or less, or perhaps the self checkouts. If you're in that grocery aisle, I'm sure you wouldn't be too happy with somebody in front of you with 20+ items who is holding you up. Same thing with the HOV lane: a vehicle moving at a slow rate of speed in that lane is holding up traffic and defeating the whole purpose of the express lane.
You know what I find to be even more amazing? How so many people move here for the warm, sunny climate, but at the same time drive like they're waiting for a flash flood or a blizzard to hit. One of the reasons why Phoenicians drive fast is the weather & road conditions are generally good, and our 300+ days of sunshine ALLOW for faster driving. If a driver is attentive & the vehicle is in good shape, he/she can usually drive at a fairly fast rate on the freeways & still be safe. The only exceptions to this are incidents like rush hour & construction. Want slower drivers? Move to a place where there is more rain, snow, ice, and severe weather. That plays a HUGE factor in overall speed.
I'm a Canadian who is very well aware of speed rules, the HOV lane is not just a speed lane, it's also a "congestion avoidance" lane so I don't get bent out of shape if the person ahead of me is going the speed limit (ideally a little over) because it is likely if things get clogged up I'm still better off behind that person in that lane.
If "snowbird" is code for elderly cautious drivers I can live with that. But in my experience old people with AZ plates are far more common traffic impeders than those of us from out of state.
I'm in my 40s and spend a few months there but come from a province with penalties for left lane hogging so don't lump us all together!
"Snowbird" is code for a lot of things in Arizona.
Let's be honest for just a minute. Some people are just envious and are looking for a reason to hate. They wish they could dodge the heat in the prime-time age from their 40's to 50's (same same for the people stuck in the cold areas and freezing during the winter). But their defense mechanisms won't allow them to admit it and I completely understand.
All I can do is apologize that you are not as fortune as some people that are able to dodge the heat to because a hated "snowbird". I'll take all of the blame for driving slow, tipping poorly, driving up real estate prices, or whatever you like. Just fill in the blank; guilty as charged! So I'm really, REALLY sorry! Is my apology accepted?
Last edited by MN-Born-n-Raised; 04-20-2015 at 11:23 AM..
At least you understand the concept of the left lane: it is basically a passing lane. What's a little troubling is how certain ones feel "entitled" to hog the left lane while going slower than the flow of traffic. In my previous comment, I posted a website that defines the state law of slower traffic staying to the right. It means that if you are in the left lane moving slower than the general flow, you are breaking the law ... even if you're driving the speed limit. Why would anybody WANT to drive the speed limit in the HOV lane or left lanes when all the other traffic lanes are moving at a faster rate? The person who does that is holding up the flow, and is defined as "slow traffic". If he refuses to move over, then that person is just as much of a lawbreaker as the speed demon racing in & out of lanes driving aggressively.
The HOV lane is really the same concept as an "express lane". Think of it the same way as you would a grocery aisle with 10 items or less, or perhaps the self checkouts. If you're in that grocery aisle, I'm sure you wouldn't be too happy with somebody in front of you with 20+ items who is holding you up. Same thing with the HOV lane: a vehicle moving at a slow rate of speed in that lane is holding up traffic and defeating the whole purpose of the express lane.
You know what I find to be even more amazing? How so many people move here for the warm, sunny climate, but at the same time drive like they're waiting for a flash flood or a blizzard to hit. One of the reasons why Phoenicians drive fast is the weather & road conditions are generally good, and our 300+ days of sunshine ALLOW for faster driving. If a driver is attentive & the vehicle is in good shape, he/she can usually drive at a fairly fast rate on the freeways & still be safe. The only exceptions to this are incidents like rush hour & construction. Want slower drivers? Move to a place where there is more rain, snow, ice, and severe weather. That plays a HUGE factor in overall speed.
Again, you're wrong. HOV lanes are there to reward drivers who carpool, ride motorcycles, take transit, and drive fuel efficient vehicles or vehicles that operate on alternative fuels. It is not an express lane for self important jackholes who want everyone to get out of their way so they can shave 2 minutes off their drive time. There is no law about yielding to faster traffic in the HOV lane. You cannot produce any evidence that slower HOV traffic must move to the right for faster traffic in Arizona because it does not exist. If this was an express lane, it would be converted to an express lane and used as such. What's funny is that the speeders will continue to argue about this until they're blue in the face and still no one is going to move out of the way to accommodate your recklessness.
At least you understand the concept of the left lane: it is basically a passing lane. What's a little troubling is how certain ones feel "entitled" to hog the left lane while going slower than the flow of traffic. In my previous comment, I posted a website that defines the state law of slower traffic staying to the right. It means that if you are in the left lane moving slower than the general flow, you are breaking the law ... even if you're driving the speed limit. Why would anybody WANT to drive the speed limit in the HOV lane or left lanes when all the other traffic lanes are moving at a faster rate? The person who does that is holding up the flow, and is defined as "slow traffic". If he refuses to move over, then that person is just as much of a lawbreaker as the speed demon racing in & out of lanes driving aggressively.
The HOV lane is really the same concept as an "express lane". Think of it the same way as you would a grocery aisle with 10 items or less, or perhaps the self checkouts. If you're in that grocery aisle, I'm sure you wouldn't be too happy with somebody in front of you with 20+ items who is holding you up. Same thing with the HOV lane: a vehicle moving at a slow rate of speed in that lane is holding up traffic and defeating the whole purpose of the express lane.
You know what I find to be even more amazing? How so many people move here for the warm, sunny climate, but at the same time drive like they're waiting for a flash flood or a blizzard to hit. One of the reasons why Phoenicians drive fast is the weather & road conditions are generally good, and our 300+ days of sunshine ALLOW for faster driving. If a driver is attentive & the vehicle is in good shape, he/she can usually drive at a fairly fast rate on the freeways & still be safe. The only exceptions to this are incidents like rush hour & construction. Want slower drivers? Move to a place where there is more rain, snow, ice, and severe weather. That plays a HUGE factor in overall speed.
Again, you're wrong. HOV lanes are there to reward drivers who carpool, ride motorcycles, take transit, and drive fuel efficient vehicles or vehicles that operate on alternative fuels. It is not an express lane for self important jackholes who want everyone to get out of their way so they can shave 2 minutes off their drive time. There is no law about yielding to faster traffic in the HOV lane. You cannot produce any evidence that slower HOV traffic must move to the right for faster traffic in Arizona because it does not exist. If this was an express lane, it would be converted to an express lane and used as such. What's funny is that the speeders will continue to argue about this until they're blue in the face and still no one is going to move out of the way to accommodate your recklessness. I'm thinking that Arizona needs to either shut its HOV lanes down during non rush hours or convert them to access restricted lanes (double white lines) to solve this issue once and for all.
Again, you're wrong. HOV lanes are there to reward drivers who carpool, ride motorcycles, take transit, and drive fuel efficient vehicles or vehicles that operate on alternative fuels. It is not an express lane for self important jackholes who want everyone to get out of their way so they can shave 2 minutes off their drive time. There is no law about yielding to faster traffic in the HOV lane. You cannot produce any evidence that slower HOV traffic must move to the right for faster traffic in Arizona because it does not exist. If this was an express lane, it would be converted to an express lane and used as such. What's funny is that the speeders will continue to argue about this until they're blue in the face and still no one is going to move out of the way to accommodate your recklessness. I'm thinking that Arizona needs to either shut its HOV lanes down during non rush hours or convert them to access restricted lanes (double white lines) to solve this issue once and for all.
Actually...that applies if it is during the hours that it is actually an HOV lane. During off-peak hours, it is just the left lane, i.e. should be utilized as a passing lane. Either way, it doesn't stop rolling road blocks in either the "HOV" lane or the left lane...some people just like to get as far over as possible and do the speed limit and sit there until they need to exit. This has been talked/typed about ad nauseum and isn't going to change any time soon. Some people feel it is their right to sit in the left lane and be dis-courteous to other drivers, regardless if they are speeding or not...and people getting around them will say that they are impeding traffic. Either way, it comes down to how you were taught to drive. The left lane argument has almost become a religion in itself. Personally, I find the middle or #2 lane to be less congested cause all the drivers seem to want to be in the #1/Left lane. Works for me, I don't mind passing cars on the right.
I wish that some people knew that the HOV lane was not mandatory for vehicles having 2 or more occupants. I often see a Buick LeSabre (or substitute other habitual slow vehicles like the ubiquitous Honda Civic Hybrid with cloud plate) floating along at 60mph in the HOV lane... on a Saturday...
I don't personally flip people off; it's just not my nature. But I can understand why people would do it. You'd think being passed repeatedly on the right would be enough of a clue, but it's not.
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