-PJ
Yeah, that's one of my pet peeves. Take an 8 lane highway, cut out two HOV lanes, and all you do is reduce highway capacity by 25%, increasing congestion, pollution, aggravation, etc.
So why do we have the silly HOV lanes? That's easy...
1. Feelings - Libs "feel" better, smug, superior, and sanctimonious because they think they're "doing" something, even though it's little more than surrendering rights for a counterproductive purpose.
2. Revenue - There's lots of money fining HOV violators.
If you doubt the revenue, the fact that many areas are considering allowing anyone to use the HOV if they purchase a Speed Pass or Toll Tag. It's all about the revenue.
Frankly, I hope they do let people willing to pay a premium have access to HOV lanes. It will reduce congestion on other lanes. It's a voluntary tax. And if I value my time enough to pay a premium to get somewhere faster, I come out ahead and so do you (i.e., someone else takes on a greater tax burden, purportedly lowering yours - in truth the government will just waste the extra bounty).