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Old 09-06-2011, 11:31 AM
 
125 posts, read 238,897 times
Reputation: 140

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Quote:
Originally Posted by elnina View Post
According to:
http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/~ifeldman/hov.pdf

METRO's HOV lanes facilitate almost 118,000 person trips each weekday, serving about 36,400 vehicle trips that would otherwise continue traveling the main lanes.
• The average rush-hour speed on Houston freeways is roughly 24 miles per hour. HOV lanes maintain an operating speed of roughly 50-55 miles per hour, hence saving the average commuter 12 to 22 minutes per trip.
• Our HOV network is so efficient that it would take as many as 24 freeway lanes combined to equal the amount of rush-hour passengers traveling the HOV lane network.
Not enough. Look how empty the HOV lanes are. And average commute times would drop if the extra lanes were available. Another example of warping the numbers to get the wanted results.

And how much untold damage do they do to economic productivity because of all those unproductive, wasted, uncounted hours sitting in traffic?

 
Old 09-06-2011, 11:37 AM
 
125 posts, read 238,897 times
Reputation: 140
Quote:
Originally Posted by astrohip View Post
I drive I-45 Gulf Fwy outbound in the AM (lucky me! beats inbound ). The HOV lane is packed.
"Packed?' I drive I-45 southbound, and I've never seen them "packed". I see a lot of under-used concrete that could make a huge difference if it was available for real commuters.
 
Old 09-06-2011, 11:46 AM
 
Location: Up on the moon laughing down on you
18,495 posts, read 32,949,941 times
Reputation: 7752
THe HOV lane only seems empty to you because they are supposed to be that way. you can't expect bumper to bumper traffic on the HOV because they were designed to be the opposite of that. you only see it as empty because while you are snailing along in the regular lanes the HOV people are zooming so quickly passed you that you hardly notice them

Last edited by HtownLove; 09-06-2011 at 12:18 PM..
 
Old 09-06-2011, 11:53 AM
 
Location: #
9,598 posts, read 16,566,362 times
Reputation: 6324
As far as I'm concerned, anything that makes conservative Texans believe liberals are trying to infiltrate their thinking and actions in some perceived insidious way is worth the money.
 
Old 09-06-2011, 11:56 AM
 
Location: Pearland, TX
3,333 posts, read 9,173,790 times
Reputation: 2341
Okay, who in their right fricking mind would get into an HOV that is a traffic jam. This OP's viewpoint borders on nonsensical suppositions from the beginning. It is NOT an indication that "nobody uses" the HOV if you can't see a traffic jam in the HOV. Jeeze, that's just nonsense.

Now, flame away, I'm here all week.

Just sayin'...

Ronnie
 
Old 09-06-2011, 12:06 PM
 
18,132 posts, read 25,282,316 times
Reputation: 16835
Quote:
Originally Posted by mistergus75 View Post
If the Houston HOV lanes were designed to encourage carpooling and thereby alleviate traffic, it seems they have failed. HOV lanes carry relatively little traffic, and commuters have to deal with backups seemingly every morning.

But wait! Look at all that unused concrete making up those HOV lanes, and on either side of them! What if...what if...that wasted cement was used for an additional Northbound and Southbound lane? Wouldn't those additional lanes go a long ways towards alleviating the traffic snarls?

Unless of course, the whole point is controlling our behavior, and not easing traffic at all.
Anybody that lives in The Woodlands would tell you that you are 100% wrong.
Everyday I drive up I-45 from the beltway past The Woodlands and that HOV lane is full of cars.

Don't like government telling you what to do?
We can start by removing the speed limit signs and give drivers total freedom to go as fast as they want.
 
Old 09-06-2011, 12:09 PM
 
Location: Pearland, TX
3,333 posts, read 9,173,790 times
Reputation: 2341
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dopo View Post
Anybody that lives in The Woodlands would tell you that you are 100% wrong.
Everyday I drive up I-45 from the beltway past The Woodlands and that HOV lane is full of cars.

Don't like government telling you what to do?
We can start by removing the speed limit signs and give drivers total freedom to go as fast as they want.
Does that mean I can start pushing all those Smart cars and the like off the road? I'm in!

Ronnie
 
Old 09-06-2011, 12:18 PM
 
Location: Tricity, PL
61,710 posts, read 87,101,195 times
Reputation: 131685
Quote:
Originally Posted by mistergus75 View Post
Not enough. Look how empty the HOV lanes are. And average commute times would drop if the extra lanes were available. Another example of warping the numbers to get the wanted results.
If you have different numbers available - please share with us. We would like to know more about "warping the numbers"...
 
Old 09-06-2011, 12:38 PM
 
Location: ITL (Houston)
9,221 posts, read 15,954,148 times
Reputation: 3545
Someone needs to take a nap.
 
Old 09-06-2011, 01:03 PM
 
125 posts, read 238,897 times
Reputation: 140
Quote:
Originally Posted by elnina View Post
If you have different numbers available - please share with us. We would like to know more about "warping the numbers"...
It has to be proven to you that extra lanes would decrease commute times?

If you want to discuss the benefits of a handful zipping along an underused HOV lane, then you have to factor in the lost time, lost productivity, extra gas wasted by cars standing still with their engines running.

Or does that not matter on the road to utopia and social engineering?

My guess is your one-sided numbers come from the same people telling us how great these wonderful CFL's are, too. Funny that all of a sudden, mercury being tossed everywhere isn't so bad after all.

Last edited by mistergus75; 09-06-2011 at 01:14 PM..
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