As anyone who lives in the Washington D.C. area knows, the express lanes on I-95/395 between the Potomac River and Prince William County are designated HOV (high occupancy vehicle) lanes during the morning and afternoon rush hours. Violate the HOV restrictions and get caught and you could be fined as much as $ 1,000. Also, while I’ve seen many a person try to assert one, there is no defense to an HOV violation. While I question the practicality of HOV lanes since all it really seems to do is force traffic onto side roads, the political class in this area is convinced they are a good idea, so I doubt we’ll see them going away any time soon.
I was driving to Court in Old-Town Alexandria this morning on a route that takes me up 95 and around the Washington Beltway. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t go this way but its August in Washington and traffic is an order of magnitude lighter than it is on an ordinary workday. Shortly before the Springfield Interchange, where 3 major highways intersect, I noticed three Virginia State Troopers at the bottom of an off-ramp exiting onto 95 North. They were making every car coming off the ramp slow down to pass them.
At first, I couldn’t figure out what was going on. Then, I realized that this ramp came off of the HOV lanes and the police were stopping the cars to make sure there were enough people in them. Presumably, they would’ve ticketed any violators they found. I can only assume that this is a daily practice at this exit ramp, as well as the other exit and entrance ramps to the HOV lanes, and that is what caused me to write this post, and ask this simple question:
While those three police officers were spending their time standing on an off ramp in Northern Virginia, how many people were committing real crimes without any fear of detection ?
The police are obviously stationed at these ramps to catch violators and write tickets that generate a not insubstantial amount of cash for the Commonwealth. Beyond that, though, what useful purpose are they actually serving ?
I don’t see one either.
