Breakdown Lane Use!!!

[BigFish]

So who was the friggin' idiot that thought it would be a good idea to let folks drive the breakdown lane during the rush hours of the commute?!?! When this went into effect, I felt it was a bad idea and that it would not alleviate traffic much at all.....that it would simply sacrifice safety for a couple of saved minutes!!! People getting on the highway have to deal with the jokers using it as a high speed lane....you virtually have to be doing 50 miles an hour to get on the highway in these areas that allow it......and it is not supposed to be used as a passing lane and no State Cops seem to enforce this??? Not to mention when you want to get off the highway often times you can't easily get off without having to cut someone off!!!

So I am curious how others feel in regards to the use of breakdown lanes for travel during the peak commuter hours?

[fishsmith]

Beats the hell out of not having an extra lane, rt3 north is gridlock at rt18 by 6:30am daily, what would it be like without that lane.

["uffah!!"]

Don't know who started it, but , I know quite a few drivers got pi$$ed at me for making the get off the highway where they didn't want too. It is especially dangerous for us guy's in tractor-trailers, your in the first travel lane, and have a turn signal on to get off the highway, and the autos won't let you in the lane to get off!! I've told more than one driver, when your behind me and see that light flashing, I'm not ASKING to turn off, I'm TELLING you thats where I'm going!! Trucks are not allowed to travel in the breakdown lanes.

[gone fishin]

I agree Larry - maybe with the loot that the gasoline tax brings in an additional lane or two would be in order. OR perhaps that money ended up in the general fund - same as the license fees that were supposed to support sporting issues?

[beamie]

Totally agree Larry.

Many times I almost sideswiped a car coming up from behind on the right not thinking a car would be there when I was approaching an exit.

[BigFish]

"Uffah"...never thought about you truckers....man thats gotta suck! Fishsmith...I am talking "Safety" as opposed to saving you or anyone else for that matter a minute or two....because whether you believe it or not....thats all it is saving you! You ever have a guy fly by you in a big GD hurry......he gets in front of you and a couple others and then he hits a snafu of stopped cars and then you wind up getting in front of him again after all his trouble??? That is what I am talking about...we are all going to get there.....people just need to think smart and obey the laws...but unfortunately...they don't!

[spence]

Being from Iowa the notion of opening the breakdown lane is completely alien.

I'm not sure what's worse. The danger caused by breakdown lane drivers...or the danger caused by me trying to "catch" them at the 93/24 merge

-spence

[Swimmer]

To my way of thinking driving adjacent to or in the breakdown lane is like passing into oncoming traffic on one of those old three lane highways.

[Diamond Tackle]

Ive told guys here in NJ that you Mass guys drive on the "shoulder" as we call it here, and they dont even believe me. Maybe you save a few minutes, but if youre going to use it as a passing lane,doing 50 its pretty dangerous.And the cops DO look the other way.
I even observed people getting the HIGH beams while driving on the shoulder. Whats that guy supposed to do drive off into the ditch? Thats just insane. Your cops up there are nuts(sorry but its my opinion). My buddy got a ticket for a headlight out(thats what he was stopped for, NOTHING else. He showed PROOF that the car was just inspected the day before,therefore...logical conclusion, it just happened. Sorry NY Lic plate driver, you lose. Real nice guys.
I simply would never use the shoulder to drive on, legal or not.

[Clogston29]

The roads are over capacity (especially south of boston) and something needs to be done to alleviate potential gridlock so allowing breakdown lane travel during peak hours is done to increase capacity. On a two lane highway, allowing breakdown lane traffic increases the roadway capacity by 50% (not considering losses due to weaves and people just being afraid to drive with someone close to them) which is gonna save you a hell of a lot more than a few minutes per commute. The only other solutions are widening the roadway which everyone would bitch about paying for (well over $1 million dollars per mile not including bridge reconstruction which will run another couple of million dollars each) and siting in traffic during a few years during construction or simply doing nothing in which case everyone would bitch that the state is doing nothing to address the aging and outdated infrastructure. The state does not have the money to fix everything (and the feds aren't exactly throwing money our way after the big dig).

[Raven]

not everything is enforcible.....i guess

i remember living outside of Atlanta Georgia and each day on the commute home there was a huge line for the off ramp and these speed demons would come flying along at 70 - 75 mph in the middle lane then at the last second cut in line so to not have to wait like everyone else to finally get off the freeway. So thinking it had to be illegal i stopped and politely asked a police officer about this practice and he said it wasnt illegal but it wasnt the safest thing to be doing either......

so the next day, i was now a speed demon and you had to time it just right looking for that sweet spot of an opening or you had to blow on by and turn around at the next exit which was almost as fast. i feel bad for the truckers though because they outweigh the little passenger cars and crunch them like soda cans.

[BigFish]

Clogston...I think we all understand the reasoning behind opening the breakdown lanes....but thanks for drawing us the picture anyways! (Not snapping at you, just having a laugh at the 3rd grade description ) I am talking trading safety, which should be the higher priority, for saving a few minutes....thats all you are saving is minutes....and only a few at that.

You guys think that abomination called the HOV lane saves time???? El-Wrongo my friends! You ever see how that works??? You get in the HOV lane and you fly for a bit while the other lanes plod along.....then when the HOV lane ends, it spits you into the high speed lane of the traffic that is just plodding along......which only slows down the other traffic and only saves the HOV drivers a couple of minutes and costs the others more time!!!! If you think that HOV lane works and was worth the money to build it and maintain and operate it...you need to have your head examined!

[Diamond Tackle]

HOV lanes su**.
Larry,
Its obvious that the Beaurocrats that come up with this chit, have no clue and obviously never had any time and motion studies training. In theory you can make almost anything work on paper.
In theory when a light turns green and everyone hits the gas at the same time, there is no traffic. Unfortunately in the real world every persons reaction time is stacked up, and the last person in line is the one that bears the full brunt of it. Silly example, not really.
As you said Larry, if that HOV lane has an "end" somethere, then there is a bottleneck,and most if not all of the benefits are lost right there, it makes it even worse since the Flow has now been interrupted .Someone has to pay the cost in time that you just gained for those few minutes, UNLESS the hov lane ends AFTER the traffic jam,or there is a left lane exit, which is rare. Overall, no time has been saved,in fact your small gain cost several other people an even longer delay. In short, its a way to punish all those who are not carpooling, nothing more. And this is GOOD part of HOV lanes.
The really bad part is when its completely EMPTY(because people are complying with the carpool requirements) and the other lanes are JAMMED. Whoever came up whith HOV lanes should be whipped.

[BigFish]

Ahhh....Tinman....there is another out there who thinks as I........not sure if thats a good thing but it is just common sense isn't it? Man I would love to be pulling down the paycheck of some of these foolish engineers! (Is that the proper title for folks who design these ingenious portions of roadway?)

[luds]

Coming from the North Shore the car pool lane on 93 used to cut about 20-30 minutes off my commute daily? That's a big payoff in my opinion. I don't have the experience commuting from the south shore but If more folks used the shoulder I would think that it would free up the traffic a little. Instead we have a few people with the guts to drive in shoulder flying by endless cars standing in one place.

I live and work in hell now so I don't have to worry about it. You guys enjoy the traffic.

[labrax]

Route 128 where the breakdown lane use is permitted is a nightmare. I don't drive it anymore, but used to on a regular basis and think that it should not be used. Too many people use it as the high-speed lane (as has been mentioned before). It seems like it is the agressive drivers that use it the most. Trying to exit from the original slow lane to the off ramp is like Russian roulette. I always got a special kick when a Trooper would bag a couple of cars outside of the time when you could use the lane.

[Clogston29]

If people knew how to drive there wouldn't be any issues. I'll take a shorter trip with someone driving next to me in the breakdown lane over sitting in traffic any day. I have a hell of a lot more than a third grade education by the way and most of it is in this particular field. I guess I assumed that if you did understand the logic behind it (3rd grade level as it may be) that you would see the need for it. Is it a perfect situation? No but it alleviates traffic with minimum cost and safety impacts. Its a no win situtation and at least something is being done. I'm done with this.

[BigFish]

Clogston....I could not agree with you more....if people knew how to drive....they think they do....but they don't!

Hope you did not take offense to my 3rd grade comment....I just thought it was so appropriate given that people do not know how to drive.....some need it explained to them just like that!

[Mike P]

Go live in NY for 25 years and then come back and tell me what a hell-hole Rte 3 is

[Swimmer]

What do the poor people do who get flat tires or become the victim of some other type of vehicle malfunction? Oh I know they just stop in the lane they were driving in because there isn't any breakdown lane anymore. Anyone who thinks that a vehicle being allowed to do 50 m.p.h. or more in the breakdown lane next to vehicle stopped in traffic or only traveling 10 or 20 m.p.h. is being reasonable. Further I think traveling in the breakdown lane was thought up and approved by the local reps. in the legislature as a way of appeasing thier constituents on the south shore. Can't sue a state rep. for his poor judgement. How many people have been run over standing next to thier cars in the "breakdown" lane. Thier have been a few. No civil engineer I know would have designed or approved breakdown lane use.

[likwid]

NJ:

All staties in every state go after cars with out of state plates.
They don't expect you to come back and fight it.

[seabass]

I love the breakdown lane driving, it makes my morning commute much more fun. I love the drivers who do the 4 lane criss cross to the breakdown lane swerve all the way bacvk twenty times and still end up right next to me!If your that important, leave earlier! I prefer to just show up late.

[TheSpecialist]

Aside from the fact that people use it as a passing lane, the other thing that ticks me off is the idiots who know it is being used as a travel lane, that refuse to get into it early enough so that they dont run people off the highway trying to get off at their exit with 200 yards left till the exit.

GET OVER A HALF MILE BEFORE YOUR EXIT BREAKDOWN LANE OR NO BREAKDOWN LANE.

It's like approaching an intersection, and the guy slightly ahead of you in the right lane decides to make a left turn from that right lane, right in front of you in the left lane at the last second.

[Redsoxticket]

I was using the break down lane in the early 80s' before it was made legal from beantown. It made for a faster commute.
One day the baseball coach asked me "why are you late"
I said, "I was speeding 60 mph all the way here"
coach said, in a sarcastic tone "well I drive faster then 60 mph". I said, "Yeah in the break down lane". He didn't know what to say afterwards.

[Raider Ronnie]

It just comes down to the fact that there are WAY too many cars/trucks on the roads !!!
The price of gas could go up to $10.00 or more a gal and every one would be bitching about the cost and still driving 1 person is a gas guzzling car or truck,
because we are Americans and we are spoiled !!!

[Slingah]

Originally Posted by Raider Ronnie

It just comes down to the fact that there are WAY too many cars/trucks on the roads !!!
The price of gas could go up to $10.00 or more a gal and every one would be bitching out the cost and still driving 1 person is a gas guzzling car or truck,
because we are Americans and we are spoiled !!!

you hit the nail on the head Ronnie

[Saltheart]

I hate it. Its the most agressive drivers who use it too so its doubly dangerous.

[BigFish]

You got that right Saltheart.