"We understand there are violators, and our enforcement is not 100 percent coverage during all hours of operations."

The problem with this is there needs to be a way for ALL of the HOV Lanes to be watched EVERY DAY.  Perhapes get other law enforcement agencies to free up some of their officers to enfore rules on the HOV Lanes?  Just a thought.

"So the next time you see a car zipping down an HOV lane with only the driver, there may be other reasons that allow him or her to be using the HOV lane without violating the law."

Problem with that is you don't know if that's actually an unmarked police vehicle because often times, officers may drive around in one but the license plate is NOT an exempt plate.  Anybody can drive a car that has LEGAL, tinted windows that are a little too dark.

A few of those single drivers may be ones who got into the HOV lane by accident. I've done that a couple of times, and once you get in, you often have to drive a fair distance before you can get out again.

@Cedric Collins, Metro &  Steve Palmer

<I mainly walk.>

"If you see a violation, you can call 713-921-HERO (713-921-4376)."

<Metro!!! I have the number!!!>

Mary:

The IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING applies not only to possible facility dangers, but to those violators of the system.

Suggestion for Chief Lambert:

The COH has citizens which help direct traffic because of signal trouble, or major traffic relocation, like the IH-10 rebuild just north of Downtown is causing.

How about asking the City to train and use them every so often along the HOV's.  If they see a single, then they can get the LP, and METRO can send them a letter about how HOV works.

Question for Chief Lambert:

Who is in charge of the following HOV's:

1.  IH-10, Addicks T-Ramp to SH-99 Slip Ramp

2.  US-59 SW, BWE-8 to the Brazos River?  (I have heard TxDOT, but don't know for sure.)

Thanks Chief, Mary

All:

It is a sorry state of affairs when one obeys laws only when somebody is looking.

Mary:

Was that pic the IH-10 concurrent lanes between Addicks and SH-99?

You might want to use cameras to enforce the lanes.  Since HOV lanes are for buses and carpools only, place the cameras just high enough for the buses to clear them and photograph every car that comes through.  

Use image analysis software to determine cars which may be suspected of having a single driver only.  Once a vehicle has been identified some number of times as having only a single vehicle, humans could inspect all the photos for that vehicle and decide whether to issue tickets.  

A passenger "lying down" might be fine for a single violation, but if the same car is seen time and again with only a driver in the front seat, that should be sufficient proof that car is violating.  

But pics would not pick up a rider made pf neopreme and air pressure...the inflatable dummy!

I have a cousin who got a $400 fine on a HOV for having one....

This is one of my pet peeves and I'll bet the single driver rate on the SW Fwy HOV is about 20% according to my unscientific survey.  I had to go to my dentist a few weeks ago and was driving outbound on the SW Fwy while the HOV was coming at me and from DT to the Westpark TR, I watched about 20% of the cars come by me with one person.

I would enlist some retired Metro people to sit by the HOV enforcement and write tickets and get 10% to 15% of the revenue collected.  There is nothing like a $$ incentive to get the enforcement done.

I drive with my wife on the Eastex HOV everyday, morning and evening and I haven't seen that HOV enforced in months. It's always clogged with single drivers and the speed is slower than the mainlanes because of it. Single drivers are not afraid to use the HOV because they know it's not enforced. And if passengers are lying down where they can't be seen, sounds like the improper use of a seatbelt. Come on Metro, let's put some practical use to our hard earned tax money.