Not a bad idea - treated it as toll lane. You put a wad of cash in a drawer, to pay for that future ticket (if they even catch you). If you do the math (counting your time as money), you'll probably come out way ahead before you're caught. It's certainly a better investment than speeding.
Yep, the police in my city rarely, if ever, patrol the HOV lanes. Heck, they won't even stop people from running down the shoulder of the interstate to pass up slow traffic.