HOV Lanes: No Dummies Allowed
Tuesday, January 30, 2007 6:30 PM
Officer John Chaney stood next to his shiny, black Harley-Davidson police cruiser as cars and trucks zipped past us in the early morning drizzle and talked about the job he loves – and the drivers who love him back.
Chaney, a METRO police officer for 13 years, has been assigned for the past two years to enforcement of the HOV lanes – high occupancy lanes that allow carpoolers to speed through gridlock on a dedicated lane.
“I usually catch 15 to 20 (violators) a day,” said Chaney, a friendly cop whose 300-pound, 6 foot-three frame would deter anyone from sneaking on the HOV lanes. “I’ve had days with three after sitting here for two hours. On the Katy, there are a lot of violators. Some of them look at it (the fine) like a toll. It’s sad.”
But drivers who obey the rules love it when Chaney – and the nine other METRO police officers assigned to the HOV lanes – crack down and catch the cheaters.
The rules are posted clearly at the entrance of each HOV lane:
No trailers
No trucks with more than two axels or a weight capcity of one ton or more
No single occupancy
The exception to single occupants includes on-duty law enforcement vehicles; METRO/TxDOT operational or maintenance vehicles; and motorcycles. For a complete list of what’s allowed, go here.
Chaney, 44, says he has a fan club of commuters on Highway 6 who applaud when they see him riding his Harley (model SLHTPI – large touring, police injected cycle), looking for violators.
“I come out, and they come by and clap,” he said. “They love the fact that I’m out.”
Once, a single driver on the Katy Freeway HOV lane near Park Row spied Chaney on his motorcycle, weaved over lane by lane until he was on the shoulder – and then sped off the exit ramp. That night, another commuter called Chaney at home after getting the officer’s phone number from a mutual friend. The commuter gave Chaney the violator’s license plate number, and Chaney was able to confront the violator and issue a ticket.
The fine ranges from $20 to $200 with the average at $125. The courts decide what the fine will be in each case – and the revenues from tickets go to either the City of Houston or Harris County. METRO does not get any of it.
I wasn’t the only one yesterday standing along busy freeways interviewing cops. METRO staged a media event, inviting print and broadcast reporters to ride-along-with-a-cop and see first-hand how officers enforce the HOV lanes.
Seven television stations, two radio stations and The Houston Chronicle came out for the demonstration. The reporters and camera crews were driven to various enforcement spots along the HOV lanes by officers in the Motorist Assistance Program. These officers troll the highways looking for accidents and stranded drivers and offer free help.
In fact, one television reporter with a MAP officer was delayed while the officer helped a commuter fix a flat.
During the 10 or 15 minutes I chatted with Officer Chaney, a five-ton food services truck barreled down the Katy Freeway HOV lane, just under North Post Oak Road. No trucks weighing more than one ton are allowed on the HOV lanes. Chaney’s partner, Officer Jim Cordell, slowing to a stop to join us – suddenly took off again, pursuing the truck.
The truck driver’s excuse? “I have an EZ-Tag,” reported Cordell. The EZ-Tag is for the toll roads. The HOV lanes are not part of the EZ-Tag toll road system. The driver got two citations: One for driving a truck over the weight limit; and another for being a single occupant.
Later at a press conference at Houston TranStar headquarters, Chief Tom Lambert said the number of citations climbed by 54.5 percent in 2006 – to 10,394 from 6,726 citations the year before.
The reason: Officers switched from patrol cars to motorcycles to enforce the HOV lanes. 
“We found that motorcycles tend to be more adaptable,” said Lambert. “We’ve also been listening to the public. When the public calls in with a violation, we listen. People get frustrated when they see others breaking the rules. You can save upwards of 25 minutes by carpooling. The maximum use of HOV helps us manage congestion.”
The most common excuses drivers give when caught are:
“I didn’t know the rules.”
“I’m late to work.”
“I thought I met the occupancy rates.”
And then there are the really clever drivers who dress up manikins with wigs to pose as passengers. Some drivers dress up large baby dolls and strap them in car seats. Some fluff up pillows and shove a knit top on it, said Lambert. Photos on a poster board dubbed “The Wall of Shame” showed examples of drivers with their dummies.
Although the public may not see a visible presence of officers on the HOV lanes, they’re out there on their Harleys, sometimes hidden by the curve of an exit ramp.
Lambert urged the media to get word out: “We’re listening. We’re doing our best. That’s exactly what we’re trying to do – to get compliance,” he said.
Drivers who notice violators can call the HERO hotline at 713/921.HERO (921.4376) to report the cheaters.