Tennessee HOV lanes are useless because the state will not consistently enforce the law

Larry Stone
Updated ·2 min read
1

Take down the signs or enforce the law.

It's very simple. This is the decision that state officials including the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) need to make. Enforce the HOV (high-occupancy vehicle) lanes. Or take the signs down.

On a recent Thursday morning, I drove from Cookeville to the Nashville International Airport. I was amazed at the flagrant violation of the HOV lanes. While slowed down, I checked 20 straight cars in the lane. One car had more than one person.

It's time to make a decision. Take the signs down or enforce the law.

Riders in a van on the right enjoy cruising past heavy traffic in a lane on Interstate 65 South near Harding Place that is reserved for rush-hour commuters who ride together. The afternoon traffic gave the new HOV lane its first test drive.
Riders in a van on the right enjoy cruising past heavy traffic in a lane on Interstate 65 South near Harding Place that is reserved for rush-hour commuters who ride together. The afternoon traffic gave the new HOV lane its first test drive.

The arguments will be....if we take down the signs....we have to give the money back to the feds. Fine. The legislature spent valuable time this year discussing that very option in other areas this winter. If we can give money back in something more important like education, we can certainly do it for a road.

Argument No. 2: There's no way to enforce without slowing down traffic. Installing cameras would be very easy to hide on the backs of poles. Pop someone for $250. No challenges. No waiving the fee. Get caught again, spend a night in jail. No Tennessee Highway Patrol personnel have to be involved in … you know … enforcing the law.

Argument No. 3: What's the big deal? Our society every day moves a little further down the road of rules optional. If I don't like a rule, I will just do what I want to do. This same weekend trip exposed the increasing looniness of the "stay seated on the airplane" rule. People just don't care anymore.

Fine. Then, let's decide as a society, if we are not going to enforce certain rules, get rid of them. If the HOV rules are not going to apply, take the signs down and let everyone use all the lanes.

Larry Stone, Cookeville 38506

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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: HOV lanes in Tennessee: Enforce the law on drivers who abuse them