Would opening HOV lanes to all traffic during off-peak hours adversely impact emergency services?
Most emergency response providers did not foresee a change in HOV lane hours of operation policy affecting their service. “Most commercial vehicles know the alternate routes,” Jay Davidson, president of Tri Med Ambulance, Inc., reported. He stressed that Tri Med is a smaller business that relies on making good time when responding to incidences. “We just teach [drivers] to take alternative routes during congestion.” “Regardless of who is traveling in the carpool lanes, they would have to yield to an emergency vehicle,” Fish said. “(A change to hours of operation) would potentially limit our options for accessing the freeway if the hours of operation were decreased,” Fosse of Seattle Fire Department stated. If HOV lanes hours of operation were changed, Deputy Chief Charleston of Redmond does not predict any change to service in his city. “Usually when our officers travel to Seattle they are not facing rush hour traffic,” Commander Lee of Auburn said. However, if HOV lanes were moved to
Related Questions
- How will you ensure the emergency services/vehicle rescue companies/traffic officers know what driver location signs are?
- Lane Closure Detail page 2 of 2 shows the roadway opening up to 3 lanes of traffic. Is that only the case after the third bridge?
- Why aren HOV lanes open to all traffic outside rush hours?
