Over 2,000 HOV lane-related charges laid during Pan Am Games

The Pan Am Games high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes may be gone, but some drivers have lasting reminders.

Police said officers laid 2,115 charges against drivers who used the HOV lanes without the proper number of passengers or a games permit over the six week period between July 27 and Aug. 18.

Another 2,506 charges were laid for other Highway Traffic Act violations along the games route.

One surprising case involved a driver using mannequins trying to fool police.

Staff Sgt. Devin Kealey said the numbers may seem shocking at first, but they’re not as hefty as they appear.

“When you consider that the HOV lanes were covering 235 kilometres in total over a 51-day period, you’re actually only looking at about 90 charges a day,” he said.

Tickets were handed out by the Ontario Provincial Police, Toronto Police Service and York Regional Police during the Games.

Kealey says the vast majority of motorists obeyed the HOV rules.

“We were pretty thankful. We couldn’t have done it without the public’s assistance and we definitely noticed a lot of help along the way,” he said. “The lanes definitely flowed well and that helped ensure that the athletes made it to their events on time.”

Premier Kathleen Wynne has said the lanes could return in the form of toll lanes, but it’s not an idea winning any votes with drivers.

A poll by Mainstreet Technologies for Postmedia found 51 per cent of Torontonians surveyed are opposed to turning HOV lanes into toll lanes, with just 43 per cent supporting the idea.

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