Carpool Cheaters May Have To Fork Over Heavy Fine
HOV Proposal Increases Fine From $30 To $100
POSTED: 7:56 a.m. MST December 17, 2002
UPDATED: 1:31 p.m. MST December 17, 2002
DENVER -- Carpool cheaters may soon be paying a lot more if they're caught in Denver. On Monday night, the Denver City Council voted to preliminarily pass a proposal to triple the current fine.
Currently, if you're caught driving solo in a high occupancy vehicle lane, the fine in Denver is $30. If the plan is approved, the fine jumps to $100.
Transportation officials told 7NEWS it's the only way to convince commuters to follow the rules because too many drivers have been using the carpool lane even with only one person in the car.
The trouble is, it's tough for patrol officers to identify, pull over and ticket offenders because there is not much space to pull a car over without blocking traffic, 7NEWS reported.
The HOV lane became a reality on a stretch of Interstate 25 on Nov. 1. It was meant to relieve some traffic through the heavy T-REX construction area.
Some drivers think the proposal will discourage potential violators.
"I think it's a wonderful idea because it'll keep people who don't belong in the HOV lanes out of it, and it'll help reduce traffic overall. It'll encourage people to carpool," driver Cherly Crane said.
Other drivers think this is taking it to the extreme.
"I think $100 is a lot of money, yeah. I think it's too much money for sure. I think maybe they're just trying to get more money," commuter Jared Faris said.
A final vote on the HOV fine increase will take place at next Monday's council meeting.
Additional Resource
Currently, if you're caught driving solo in a high occupancy vehicle lane, the fine in Denver is $30. If the plan is approved, the fine jumps to $100.
Transportation officials told 7NEWS it's the only way to convince commuters to follow the rules because too many drivers have been using the carpool lane even with only one person in the car.
The trouble is, it's tough for patrol officers to identify, pull over and ticket offenders because there is not much space to pull a car over without blocking traffic, 7NEWS reported.
The HOV lane became a reality on a stretch of Interstate 25 on Nov. 1. It was meant to relieve some traffic through the heavy T-REX construction area.
Some drivers think the proposal will discourage potential violators.
"I think it's a wonderful idea because it'll keep people who don't belong in the HOV lanes out of it, and it'll help reduce traffic overall. It'll encourage people to carpool," driver Cherly Crane said.
Other drivers think this is taking it to the extreme.
"I think $100 is a lot of money, yeah. I think it's too much money for sure. I think maybe they're just trying to get more money," commuter Jared Faris said.
A final vote on the HOV fine increase will take place at next Monday's council meeting.
Additional Resource
Previous Stories:
- December 9, 2002: Hybrid Cars Not Eligible For HOV Lanes
- December 5, 2002: CDOT May Get Rid Of Santa Fe HOV Lanes
- October 31, 2002: Additional Lanes Open In T-REX Construction
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