Using shoulder for rush hour draws sneers of area drivers
Q
I’m from the Boston area, the South Shore where the Pilgrims landed. On Route
3 or the Southeast Expressway during rush hour, you can use the breakdown lane (aka shoulder) as another lane. However, it’s only during certain hours and it’s well sign-posted. You can only use it northbound in the morning and southbound in the evening and between certain exits.
I grew up with it, so I never thought much of it. When a college friend from Denver was visiting my parents during my sophomore year, I remember him exclaiming, “What is your mother doing driving in the breakdown lane?” He had a mixture of fear and awe in his voice. I casually told him, “Oh yeah, we do that out here in Boston.” Just one more thing to frighten the bejeezus out of visitors.
Allowing buses and carpoolers to drive on the shoulder during heavy traffic times as it is being considered on some Bay Area freeways works fine in other parts of the country. — Amy Montgomery
Livermore
A
Some agree, but many do not. Q
Part-time shoulder lanes work well in rush hours in many places across the USA, assuming very clear signage.
— James Walker National Motorists Association
A
Now to the skeptics.
Q
Buses? Maybe. Carpools? Absolutely not. Heck, the CHP already can’t catch cheaters in real carpool lanes. And what are buses going to do at exits? Plow right across the exit ramp?
— Norm Vance
Berkeley
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Most buses would be on express runs, meaning they would not need to make many exits.
Q
What will happen when buses and other vehicles come upon a vehicle that had broken down and is in that lane because all those vehicles now have to try to merge into the next lane and now you really have a mess? — Richard Rathe Union City A
Fair worries. Overhead signs warning of problems ahead would be essential.
Q
Using highway shoulders for buses during commute hours sounds reasonable. But how are emergency vehicles, such as tow trucks, fire engines and ambulances, going to get to where they’re needed? This is foolish, potentially life-threatening and just not worth serious consideration.
— Marcia Fariss
A
And …
Q
What a ridiculous idea. Now we’ll just have five lanes of gridlock instead of four. Things like this sound good in principle but just don’t work.
— Carlos Correa
A
OK.
Q
I laughed when I read your article about using the road shoulder. Obviously, you haven’t been on eastbound Interstate 580 in Richmond near westbound 80 during the morning commute. Shoulder use is already here.
— Susan O’Sullivan
Richmond