So I get a motorcycle.
Which means I can drive on the HOV lanes on the highway.
Which means during this last rush hour I was whizzing by practically a parking lot of cars.
But I found this odd in that, if you are to be a believer in global warming and so forth, then in all intellectual honesty the HOV lanes or "share lanes" should be open only to SUV's, trucks and other gas guzzlers. Reason being is the amount of carbon dioxide they emit just sitting there inching along at 1 mile per hour is more than if they were allowed to zip along in the HOV lanes, certainly more than what I would expend sitting there in my motorcycle or all the sensitive 90's men driving their hybrids.
So if we really do care about global warming and can admit that HOV's are pretty much a failed attempt at moving traffic along faster, then we should open them up only to SUV's, trucks and other vehicles consuming the most gas. This would lessen the amount of carbon emissions emanating from the interstate and we would do our part in fighting global warming.
I know it may sound outlandish, but it's true.
But only if you limit it to vehicles bought before you open the HOV lanes to SUVs etc. Otherwise you encourage the purchase of more gas guzzlers.
ReplyDeleteBut you seem to be failing to take into account the incentive your proposal would create for people to buy inefficient vehicles in order to use the HOV lane. If the value of using the HOV lane is high enough for an appreciable number of people to buy SUVs despite the increase in gasoline expense they would expect, then your policy could easily cause an increase CO2 emissions.
ReplyDeleteOTOH, perhaps this post was meant to be tongue-in-cheek, in which case, never mind.
--JB
Since when has "global warming" been about rationality?
ReplyDeleteCome on, your smarter than that! Allowing only the gas guzzlers in the HOV lanes would only encourage more people to purchase the gas guzzlers, so they could ride in the HOV lane.
ReplyDeleteYeah, meant it as more of a tongue and cheek commentary, but I don't know how much I believe people will "jump" to buy SUV's and trucks just because they can use the HOV.
ReplyDeleteIf that were the case then people would have "jumped" to carpool and use masstransit which the HOV lanes did not trigger.
I also think with $4/gal gas is more of a deterrent to buy an SUV than any benefits one might realize in driving in the HOV's.
That being said, I haven't calculated the figures, but I wouldn't be surprised if it would result in less carbon emissions, though as Radian pointed out, I believe the global warming thing is a bunch of hooka.
Haven't you heard? The new crisis is Global Cooling.
ReplyDelete"Allowing only the gas guzzlers in the HOV lanes would only encourage more people to purchase the gas guzzlers, so they could ride in the HOV lane."
ReplyDeleteWell...the same can be said for Prius' - and that hasn't done much for our gas consumption.