Adjustments to the operation of the lane will be made as necessary. Models of the Washington south HOV lane indicate that the average person will initially save 4 minutes on their commute time by using the HOV lane when it opens in the fall of 2001. An HOV lane commute will have a more consistent travel time as it will be less impacted by variable congestion delays. The HOV lane provides an incentive for people to carpool or take transit whenever possible during peak congestion hours and makes more efficient use of our freeway capacity. The incident response vehicles along with law enforcement and other service providers will work to keep the HOV lane operational.
Violators are subject to fines.
A strong enforcement program is critical to providing equity and fairness for all drivers in the corridor. The Washington State Patrol is committed to this and will be the primary enforcer the new HOV Lane. A motorcycle unit has been assigned to southwest Washington. One of their duties is to monitor use of the lane and issue citations to violators. City of Vancouver and Clark County law enforcement officers also have the authority to issue citations.