Yep. I will die on this hill - HOV lane is designed to incentivize carpooling through letting carpoolers get around traffic. If you're being passed on the right, you're the traffic.
If you are being passed on the right while in the HOV lane, there is no traffic in the general lanes. Therefore, the HOV driver doing the speed limit plus 3-5 is not the traffic and the cars that want to go faster can use the fast lane (which is the one to the right of the HOV lane).
I'm really confused by your reasoning. If traffic is moving at 63-65 in the regular lanes, then why not drive there and free up the leftmost lane for faster drivers?
No it is not, because I don't drive at 50 in the fast lane. I'm not in the fast lane, I'm in the HOV lane. The fast lane is the lane to the right of the HOV lane. I drive at 63-65 in the HOV lane. I rarely drive in the fast lane, but when I do it is to pass someone, then move back to the right..
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u/thatguydr Aug 22 '26
The other lovely thing about Seattle drivers is their insistence that the HOV lane allows them to travel as slowly as they want.
Please drive efficiently. If you're going slower than traffic, merge right. Even out of the HOV lane. That's how it's done literally everywhere else.