HOV lanes open on stretch of QEW
Posted November 29, 2010 10:54 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
After years in the making, new HOV lanes opened, Monday, for the thousands of commuters who drive on the Queen Elizabeth Way between Guelph Line and Trafalgar Road.
Drivers along this stretch of the QEW have had to deal with three years of construction leading up to this day.
The new HOV lanes, which officially opened at 5 a.m., run 16 kilometres in both directions, and are open to vehicles carrying two or more people.
The lanes are already being seen as welcome relief by most commuters who travel this stretch of the QEW.
“That’s great because I think HOV lanes would definitely help reduce traffic here and encourage people to carpool,” said Jay, who commutes from Oakville to his office in North York.
However, another driver said he doesn’t think traffic will improve.
“I just don’t believe I see enough people with more than one person in their car. People want to be alone in their car in the morning. It’s the only time of day when they get some peace,” Dionne said.
It didn’t take long for the Ontario Provincial Police to catch drivers already using the HOV lanes illegally.
One driver who was caught rolling solo in an HOV lane told the officer he was running late for a court appearance on another ticket. He was given a brand new ticket, this time for $110 and three demerit points.
