[Jeff Higgins]

Our Hwy 99 through Lynnwood has this, but it is bus and right turning traffic only - no carpools. Problem is, traffic backs up in the inside lanes to virtual gridlock. There is a "suicide turn lane" running down the center. Some good samaritans stop short of a business entrance, driveway, parking lot, or whatever, and flag an oncoming car to turn in front of them from that center lane to access whatever it is accross the street. The buses and other cars in the bus only lane are still rippin' along at 50 mph, and have no chance of seeing the car turning in fron of them. I have personally witnessed this twice in the three or four years we have had this lane. It never ends well for either...

We used to have a right hand carpool lane along Hwy 520, going from Redmond, through Bellevue, and over to Seattle. In rush hour traffic, merging traffic would have to cross carpoolers and buses going at the speed limit into traffic in the other two lanes that was essentialy stopped. Traffic exiting the freeway would have to try to time it to where they could shoot accross this high speed lane from the next lane over, which was virtually stopped. Lots and lots of accidents. Just amazing what risks seem acceptable in the name of saving a bit of gas, or enforcing certain behaviors (car pooling and bus riding).