One City of Las Vegas leader is calling the carpool lanes on valley freeways a complete waste of time, energy and taxpayer money and says he has spoken to state lawmakers to get rid of the lanes.
You either love them or hate them and a lot of people have been getting tickets for driving solo in the high occupancy vehicle lanes, in traffic parlance, or HOV lanes, for short.
FOR NOW...BUT TONIGHT..THERE ARE NEW DEVELOPMENTS..INCLUDING A MOVE THAT COULDOPEN THE LANES TO ALLDRIVERS..."13 INVESTIGATES" REPORTER JOEBARTELS SHOWS YOU WHY..EVEN NOW..HUNDREDS OF H-O-V LANEVIOLATORS ARE BREAKING THE LAWAND GETTING AWAY WITH IT!ON CAM: YOU EITHER LOVE 'EMOR YOU HATE 'EM...THOSE H-O-V, HIGH OCCUPANCYVEHICLE LANES ON THE 15.LOTS OF PEOPLE HAVE BEENGETTING TICKETS FOR DRIVINGSOLO IN THE H-O-V LANES.BUT 13 INVESTIGATES HASDISCOVERED...IN MANY CASES, THOSE TICKETSEND UP BEING REDUCED TO PARKINGINFRACTIONS.PKG: THEY GET US TO WHEREWE NEED TO GO..MILES AND MILES OF VALLEYFREEWAYS.BUT NOT ALL LANES ARE CREATEDEQUAL...SHOW GRAPHIC..THERE ARE..CURRENTLY..ABOUT 23 MILES OF CARPOOLLANES..THAT INCLUDES ON I-15 FROMSILVERADO RANCH BOULEVARD TOTHE SPAGHETTI BOWL..AND ON THE 95..FROM THE SPAGHETTI BOWL TO ANNROAD.SHOW VIDEO OF THE LANES/TRAFFICAND THE REACTION HAS BEEN MIXEDSINCE THEIR INTRODUCTION ABOUT9 MONTHS AGO!
:12 "WHAT DO YOUTHINK OF THE HOV LANES OUTTHERE?
DRIVER: I LOVE IT.DRIVER: IT'S NOT FAIR FOR THEPEOPLE THAT'S GOING TO WORKEVERY DAY 9 TO 5 DRIVER: ITHINK THEY'RE PRETTY COOL." SHOW VIDEO: THE LANES..ARE RESERVED FOR VEHICLES..CARRYING TWO OR MORE..
PEOPLE..THE RESTRICTIONS ARE ENFORCED24 HOURS A DAY..7 DAYS A WEEK.VIOLATORS..FACE FINES..BUT WHETHER THEY STICK DEPENDSON WHERE YOU'RE CAUGHT!
SOT:9:27:21 STAVROS ANTHONY/LASVEGAS CITY COUNCIL, WARD 4"THIS IS A COMPLETE WASTE OFTIME AND ENERGY AND TAXPAYERDOLLARS." LAS VEGAS CITYCOUNCILMAN STAVROS ANTHONY..HATES THE LANES...FOR MONTHS..THE CITY ATTORNEY HAS BEENDISMISSING OR REDUCING...H-O-V LANE VIOLATIONS..WITHIN THE CITY'SJURISDICTION..GRAPHICS THAT IS..TICKETS WRITTEN ON THE 95....AND I-15 BETWEEN THESPAGHETTI BOWL..TO ROUGHLY SAHARA...GRAPHICS FOR A SIX MONTH PERIODBETWEEN MAY 2018 AND DECEMBER2018 13 INVESTIGATES HASLEARNED..BETWEEN MAY AND DECEMBER 2018THE CITY HAD 496 GUILTYCARPOOL..LANE VIOLATOR CASES..THAT WAS 94 PERCENT OF ALLTICKETS!
GRAPHICS FOR SIX MONTHPERIOD BETWEEN MAY 2019 ANDDECEMBER 2019 BUT THEN..A U-TURN!
BETWEEN MAY OFLAST YEAR..AND DECEMBER..THE RATE OF GUILTY DRIVERS..DROPPED TO 54 PERCENT OF TOTALCASES..AND AS MANY AS 100 MORE..PLED THEIR VIOLATIONS DOWN..TO PARKING TICKETS SOT: STAVROSANTHONY/LAS VEGAS CITY COUNCIL,WARD 4 9:25:14 "IT'S BASICALLYNO POINTS, THERE'SADMINISTRATIVE COSTS OF ABOUT$70 AND THEN IT'S DISMISSEDIT'S NOT A MOVING VIOLATION.WE'VE DECIDED THAT HOV LANEENFORCEMENT IS NOT THATIMPORTANT TO THE CITY OF LASVEGAS AND WE DON'T WANT TOHAMMER PEOPLE FOR WANTING TODRIVE IN THE HOV LANES TRYINGTO GET TO WORK, TRYING TO GETTO SCHOOL ON TIME, WHILETRAFFIC IS BACKED UP." ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THESPEED.TONY ILLIA NDOT 13:51:30 "WECONTINUE AS PEOPLE REALIZE THEBENEFITS OF USING THEM." NDOT..AUTHORITIES HAVE BEEN WATCHINGTRAFFIC FLOWS AND THE HOV LANESUSAGE..TRAFFIC HAS BEEN TRACKEDTHROUGH A NETWORK OF FREEWAYCAMERAS AND SENSORS...AUTHORITIES SAY TRAVEL TIMESTHROUGH THE I-15 CORRIDOR HAVEGONE DOWN..
AND H-O-V USAGEHAS GONE UP SINCE THE DEBUT..ABOUT 9 MONTHS AGO 13:54:41TONY ILLIA NDOT "WE HEAR FROMMOTORISTS WHO LIKE THEM AND WEALSO HEAR FROM THOSE WHO DON'T.WHAT WE WOULD SAY IS GIVE THEMA TRY.WE UNDERSTAND IT'S SOMETHINGNEW AND IT'S SOMETHINGDIFFERENT BUT IT'S GOOD FOR THEENVIRONMENT IT'S SORT OF LIKEGETTING USED TO RECYCLING IFYOU WILL." IN DESK TO EDITORS AND THEREARE CHANGES COMING IN THEFUTURE...THE PROPOSED PLAN..CALLS FOR H- O-V LANES TO BEADDED..ALONG THE 2- 15 SOUTHERNBELTWAY WAY FROM THE SUMMERLINPARKWAY TO I-15...ALL THE WAYTO HENDERSON AND ON THE 95FROM THE SPAGHETTI BOWL..TO THE 215!
SOT: 13:56:41TONY ILLIA NDOT "WE ARE TRYINGTO THINK OUT-OF-THE-BOX ANDAVAIL OURSELVES OF EVERY TOOLPOSSIBLE.SOUTHERN NEVADA IS EXPECTED TOSEE ANOTHER 800,000 RESIDENTSOVER THE NEXT DECADE.LAST YEAR WE HAD 43 MILLIONVISITORS OF WHICH 23 DRIVE SOTHAT'S A HEAVY STRAIN ON OURTRAFFIC INFRASTRUCTURE SYSTEM." GRAPHICS AND MORE CHANGESTHIS SUMMER..NDOT PLANS TO ADD 7 MORE BREAKSIN THOSE SOLID..DOUBLE WHITE LINES..WHICH ARE ILLEGAL TO CROSS..IN ORDER TO MAKE THE LANES MOREUSER FRIENDLY..AND N-DOT...IS OPEN TO RELAXINGRESTRICTIONS..FOR ELECTRIC AND HYBRIDVEHICLES..BUT SO FAR..NOT BUDGING ON THE HOURS OFENFORCEMENT.9:27:02 STAVROS ANTHONY/LASVEGAS CITY COUNCIL, WARD 4"THE WHOLE REASON THE HOV LANESWERE PUT IN WERE FOR SOCIALENGINEERING.THEY ARE TRYING TO FORCE PEOPLETO CARPOOL AND THAT IS NOTGOING TO HAPPEN TODAY AND THATIS NOT GONNA HAPPEN 10 YEARSFROM NOW." COUNCILMAN ANTHONY..SAYS..LANES SHOULD BE PARTIALLYENFORCED DURING SUPER PEAKTRAFFIC TIMES..AND AVAILABLE FOR ALL DRIVERS..AFTER THAT..ONLY THE NEVADA DEPARTMENT OFTRANSPORATION BOARD..CHARIED BY GOVERNOR STEVESISOLAK..CAN CHANGE THE REGULATIONS.ON CAM: COUNCILMAN ANTHONY..SAYS HE'S TALKED TO SOME STATELAWMAKERS..WHO ARE THINKING ABOUT CHANGINGSTATE REGULATIONS..TO OUTLAW THE LANES ALLJOE BARTELS 13 INVESTIGATES.A LAWSUIT HAS BEEN FILEDAGAINST MGM RESORTS AFTEROF PEOPLE WERE EXPOSED TO ADATA BREACH..