Should car pools lanes be opened up when weather = bad traffic? (leasing, how much)

[Atalanta]

I was driving to work yesterday morning.
Very bad roads, black ice.
Saw alot of accidents.
Traffic stopped for miles.
AND THEN
There is the car pool lane nearly empty except for a few cars.
My commute and others were doubled or tripled in time. Mine was 2 hours!

Do you think in these cases the car pool lane should be opened to all motorists?

It would also help, and create more safety for responders to these accidents. People have a hard time getting over out of the lane.

Wondering what others thought

[rzzzz]

They are open to other users. You just have to pay the toll.

[Thedosius]

I would assume responders can use the toll lanes, and if they opened them to non-toll payers then they would have a harder time getting to accidents.

[Atalanta]

Originally Posted by rzzzz

They are open to other users. You just have to pay the toll.

I am aware of that rzzzz.
I am talking about upon certain conditions, just open it up to all.

Originally Posted by Thedosius

I would assume responders can use the toll lanes, and if they opened them to non-toll payers then they would have a harder time getting to accidents.

True, Thedosius
That law though, were say there is an accident on the right shoulder, legally other drivers are suppose to get out of the far right lane and move over.
It it is difficult to do, or one cant.
Thus a 3 lane freeway; 2 being regular traffic and 1 being carpool lane, would now be a 3 lane road to all.

[rzzzz]

Originally Posted by Atalanta

I am aware of that rzzzz.
I am talking about upon certain conditions, just open it up to all.

On one hand I agree, that would be a nice gesture. On the other hand, I have little sympathy for people just sitting there when they could simply pay the toll.

Minnesotans can be cheapskates to the point of absurdity. They would rather sit in a blizzard for 2 hours rather than pay 4 dollars. It reminds me of my father, who will drive around the block for 30 minutes looking street parking, then give up and go home, rather than pay for a parking lot.

[Atalanta]

Originally Posted by rzzzz

On one hand I agree, that would be a nice gesture. On the other hand, I have little sympathy for people just sitting there when they could simply pay the toll.

Minnesotans can be cheapskates to the point of absurdity. They would rather sit in a blizzard for 2 hours rather than pay 4 dollars. It reminds me of my father, who will drive around the block for 30 minutes looking street parking, then give up and go home, rather than pay for a parking lot.

You got me thinking on how much to use that cost?

I went to the Minnesota EZ pass sight, but I cannot find an exact amount.

I found this
How much will it cost to open a MnPASS account?

When you open a MnPASS account you pay a “replenishment fee” that is based on the number of transponders you initially request. The replenishment fee is $40 per transponder; one transponder is $40, two transponders is $80, three transponders is $120 and so on. Your replenishment fee is then put into an account balance and used to pay for your tolls and the monthly leasing fee. Whatever it costs for you to drive in a MnPASS Lane is the amount that will be deducted from your account balance.

Is that amount a monthly fee, yearly fee?
Then on top of that you have to pay for when you use it.
hmmmm

Your dad sounds stubborn

[Atalanta]

When and why are higher tolls charged?

The purpose of the MnPASS Express Lanes is to get people to and from their destinations faster, and a fee is charged for this service. When the MnPASS Express Lanes become too congested - meaning traffic is moving below 50 mph - the fee to enter the MnPASS Express Lanes increases. This increase is an attempt to slow the number of cars entering the lane, and thereby increase the speed of the vehicles already in the lane. If the MnPASS Express Lanes were not tolled in this fashion, the lanes would not continue to be an "express" option for motorists.

[rzzzz]

The transponder costs $40, for each car. The monthly fee is $1.50, but it is taken out of the $40, as are the tolls, until the $40 runs out.

The toll is typically $1-4 although i think it can go as high as $8.

The only thing I don't like about MNPass is that it is not interoperable with other toll systems like EZPass.

Truth be told, probably most people just don't have the pass as there are only two tollways and traffic is only truly awful once or twice a year. I wonder how many people actually own the pass. I rarely see people in the HOV lane.

[Glenfield]

If you opened the car pool lane up to everyone, then all lanes would be jammed full. It would not shorten your commute by any significant amount. If you don't want to pay the fees there is a number you can call where they will connect you with someone else who wants to car pool.

[uptown_urbanist]

You could just pay the toll OR you could carpool. Or take the bus -- they get to use that lane, too.

And no, I don't think they should open up the lanes during bad traffic. What would would be the point of that? As Glenfield points out, then ALL lanes would be full. At least this way you have multiple alternatives if you prefer not to sit in traffic.