Is automated enforcement the answer to HOV lane violators in BC?
HOV lane violators are a major sore spot for BC drivers, and a recent, albeit short-lived, crackdown has led to some pondering the solution to the problem.
After all, who wouldn’t be irked by seeing someone speeding solo through the HOV lane in their Corvette?
The Richmond RCMP recently participated in a two-hour enforcement blitz that suggested many people violated the rules. In response to our story about that operation, many have suggested that automated enforcement is the answer. Is it?
- You might also like:
- Deleted Richmond RCMP HOV lane post sparks road enforcement outcry
- BC NDP promise to build UBC SkyTrain, rail service to Fraser Valley and Whistler
- Winter tires mandatory on BC highways starting next week
The initial reaction to the RCMP’s operation was pretty divisive. Some celebrated that the RCMP was taking action, while others wondered why that type of road enforcement wasn’t more common elsewhere.
F Yeah !! @RichmondRCMP get em’. @BurnabyRCMP & @SurreyRCMP need to do the same. Highway 1 is the wild wild west.
— corinn (@corinn) October 6, 2024
Automated enforcement?
olly theoutlier/Shutterstock
Many people suggested automated enforcement, which wouldn’t rely on active patrolling, could help catch the violators. We asked criminal lawyer Kyla Lee, who has expertise in DUI and IRP cases, about how practical that would be and if it would be beneficial.
“There should absolutely be more HOV enforcement,” Lee claimed.
“I see it all the time in the bus lane on Kingsway as I drive into work, and it is maddening that people blatantly disregard it. Part of the problem is that it’s only a low fine and no penalty points, so people weigh the unlikely risk of being caught against the minimal consequences and figure it is worth the cost if they are apprehended,” she added.
Lee says that the consequences are so low for being hit with one of these violations that there’s no reason to fight the ticket. She also doesn’t think automated enforcement is the answer.
“It would be too hard to see whether there were other people in the vehicle, such as children or babies who may not be visible through windows. Additionally, some vehicles have tinted rear windows that again would make it hard for a camera to tell whether the vehicle has the required number of people or not.”
Lee did offer a solution she thought would help.
“What the government should do is increase the penalties so that people do not think it is worth the risk of driving in the HOV lane. More enforcement blitzes like this would also be a good idea, as would public messaging on the issue.”
Some agreed that automated enforcement wasn’t the best solution.
“The problem with automated enforcement is the vehicle gets the ticket, not the driver. So if it’s a red light camera or speed camera, the offending driver would not receive any penalty points,” one Daily Hive reader said.
We have contacted the RCMP for comment.