Car Pool Lanes

Quite often, I think we must have idiots working in our governmental ranks.  Take for example the car-pool lanes on the Southern California freeways.

The intention of designating one lane for cars with 2 or more occupants is to encourage people to car pool.  But what is the realistic possibility that two people living in reasonably-close proximity just happen to work at places that are also reasonably close together?  Add to this the fact that each car-pooler would have to have the same work hours, and the odds are highly against any two or more people actually forming a car pool.

Therefore, we have one lane, paid for by ALL taxpayers being restricted to the few who happen to be riding in a bus or a limo; workers in their pick-up trucks or moms hauling their infants around with them.

At least in Northern California and in other states, the restriction for car-pool lanes is reserved for typical rush hour times. 

Not so here.  We frequently see four or five lanes with traffic moving at a snail’s pace, while a few lucky folks zoom by in the HOV lane.

Oh, and don’t forget, the government, in their quest to persuade consumers to by higher-mileage vehicles, offered those who bought Toyota and Honda hybrid models a free ride in the car-pool lane as a single driver.

Of course, those people had to paste butt-ugly yellow stickers on the sides of their cars.  (Who came up with this design?  Somebody’s grade-school kid?)  And now, that deal has expired.  So, it was a good idea a few years ago, but now it’s not?

Yes, we have idiots on the state payroll.  But maybe they aren’t so stupid after all, because they are the ones who can retire at 55 years old with 90% pensions!