This Shouldn't Keep Happening

When I used to work in radio doing traffic reports, there were certain spots I could just type in the delay without having to check if it was there. Much like I knew the sun would rise in the East, I knew Rt 24 North was going to be backed up into Avon by 9 o'clock. (Trust me, International readers, that joke killed with the Massachusetts, South Shore-driver demographic.) Now, I left that job before the infamous Big Dig was officially completed, but was under the impression that once it was done that would end most of the delays heading into the city. If you have driven around here in the last five years you are very aware that it has not. I can not tell you how much this annoys me. These planners had a decade of patience and billions of dollars at their disposal, yet somehow everything is the same as it ever was, only underground. So it might look better from the sky, but now every commute through the city also features long stretches with only static coming from the radio and a lung full of exhaust fumes.

The reason as to why these traffic delays keep happening finally dawned on me as I was driving out of Boston on Saturday afternoon. There were a couple of events going on in South Boston, but not enough to cause any major traffic issues and I figured I should have been fine leaving the city. For the most part I was, hitting only one spot of traffic. It was right after I merged onto the South-bound expressway. You see, coming out of the tunnel that brings you from South Boston you can go into the HOV (standing for high-occupancy vehicle, where high-occupancy = 2) lane. The idea behind the HOV lane is that you can are locked in for a length of time, skipping most exits and can avoid all the other people who might be in the third lane and suddenly feel the need to exit the highway immediately. It's like an express-train, but you need a friend to go along. The problem with this specific HOV lane is that you only get about 200 yards of 'express' driving, at which point you are not only flung back onto the highway, but directly into the high-speed, left lane on the road. As I had to slam on my breaks to avoid a car full of silver-haired drivers who have no business being associated with anything high-speed, I realised that these HOV lanes are the problem around here.

I appreciate what the HOV lane is meant to accomplish, but the ones around here come with a real design flaw. The entire point of the high-speed lane is that you can drive without dealing with cars who might need to slow down as they turn. After all, most drivers aren't skilled enough to successfully merge at 65 mph. But, by emptying the HOV lane into the high-speed lane, you're asking both sides to pull that off. What you've actually done is (rather effectively) rob the entire roadway of its ability to maintain a cruising speed, rather than just the two right lanes. What needs to happen around here is an HOV lane much like they have down in Washington, D.C., where you are literally taken to another road and then merge back on like a normal on-ramp. Honestly, all I'm asking to happen is that you keep the annoyance to one side of the road, rather than try and spread it evenly. So, get on it, Mass Highway. After the Big Dig I'm sure you would appreciate a second chance to prove you know what you are doing.