Dear Dr. Gridlock:
I'm writing in response to the mom from Fairfax who described her dismay, or amusement, at regularly being pulled over by Virginia state troopers for possible HOV-violations on Interstate 66 [Dr. Gridlock, June 12]. Apparently, the presence of her son in a child seat falls under the legal definition of HOV-2.
I'm not an automobile commuter but I'm pretty sure that if I were, I'd be annoyed at this Fairfax woman taking advantage of the loophole that allows a small child to count. I thought the point of HOV lanes was to reduce the number of cars on the road, thereby reducing pollution and congestion.
It seems pretty unlikely to me that this Fairfax mom's young son would be operating a vehicle were his mom not generously offering to carpool with him.
Perhaps it's time for the Virginia legislature to modify HOV rules so that only individuals of driving age count.
Jennifer Zydney
Alexandria
I understand the complaint. In fact, I've heard it from many readers who question whether the HOV rules match the carpooling, congestion-relief and environmental goals of the HOV program.
But our Fairfax mom is definitely playing by the rules: "Babies of any age count as a person," the Virginia Department of Transportation says. I don't favor any change that would attempt to limit carpool capacity to licensed drivers.
The lane restrictions are tough enough for police to enforce without asking officers to, let's say, guess whether a teenage passenger looks old enough to be a driver before stopping a vehicle.
Other readers had alternative suggestions for the baby's mom.
Dear Dr. Gridlock:
If the HOV officer can't see the baby in the back seat, perhaps the driver could ask the baby to wave both arms at the right time.
This would probably work until some desperate commuter built a robotic doll-arm waving device.
Chris Norloff
Falls Church
Inventive commuters do get desperate to use an unclogged lane. Post staff writer Eric M. Weiss illustrated that in his June 16 article on drivers who take advantage of the "airport business" provision to commute on the relatively empty and untolled Dulles Access Road.
Techniques include buying a coffee and saving the receipt in case police stop the driver.
The really murky part comes on Interstate 66 inside the Beltway, which links to the Dulles Access Road. The rules say airport traffic can use that portion of the interstate, despite the HOV rules during rush periods. This compounds the difficulties for police in sorting out who's breaking those rules.
The highway ramps, rather than the travel lanes, are the best places for HOV enforcement. But I question whether the rules were correctly applied here.
Dear Dr. Gridlock:
I was traveling on Interstate 66 west from the Roosevelt Bridge to Dulles International Airport. I had printed my boarding pass for my flight from Dulles.
While on I-66, I saw my fuel light come on. Knowing that I had the choice of getting off at Exit 69 (Sycamore Street) or driving to Dulles on a gallon of gas, I thought it prudent to get off and refill at the Mobil Station down the street from the off-ramp.
Big mistake! Arlington County police were out in force at the bottom of the ramp. I figured I would show the officer my boarding pass and my fuel light and that would take care of that. No dice: a $125 ticket and a day in court.
Brendan Craven
Falls Church
The letter writer says he has a court date in September, when he hopes to win agreement that it's unlikely he would have spent $290 on airfare just to drive in an HOV lane.
Virginians know these rules well enough to debate the nuances, but the restrictions on Interstate 66 can be a mystery to Marylanders.
Dear Dr. Gridlock:
I avoid driving in Northern Virginia because of the ridiculous traffic. But I had to drive to Fairfax Station. I asked my contact for directions and advised that I would be there between 4 and 6 p.m. Her directions were to take I-66 west to Route 123.
Coming from downtown Washington, I navigated my way to the Spout Run Parkway and I-66. As I merged onto the highway, I was pulled over, as were the two cars in front of me.
To my complete shock, I was issued a ticket for violating an HOV law before I had even entered the highway. Being from Maryland, I am aware of HOV lanes, but have never heard of HOV highways!
Matt Ferguson
Chevy Chase
Dear Dr. Gridlock:
I have heard about the senior SmarTrip cards [Dr. Gridlock, June 29] and have read that they are available at public libraries in Montgomery and Prince George's counties and at Metro sales outlets and commuter stores.
Please tell me where these Metro sales outlets and commuter stores are. I have never seen one.
Nancy Mattson
Fairfax
