The Treasure Valley’s Biggest Traffic Violation
The word needs to be spread far and wide that if we all did THIS correctly, Treasure Valley commuters would live happily ever after.
Universally, there seems to be a lack of either knowledge or care for this very important road rule but I've been around a bit and though the Treasure Valley is wonderful, as the area grows, this rule has become the most violated of all. I hate to say it, but the Boise metro area isn't the quaint little stop it used to be. As time goes on, our community is becoming more and more of a metropolis and while the traffic isn't as bad as L.A., New York, D.C., or Chicago, it has certainly become more and more congested as time goes on. So I think it's time we did a review of the passing lane on the freeway.
It seems that our natural instinct as human beings as we merge onto roads or freeways with several lanes is to spread out and give each other space, but certain lanes have certain purposes and the one I want to focus on is the passing lane. Both I-84 and the connector are at least three lanes wide through most of Boise, Meridian and Nampa. The far left lane is not a spot to cruise indefinitely. The left lane is for passing. Even if you think to yourself, "well the speed limit is 65 and I'm going 65", it's not meant for cruising. This lane is for passing, this lane is for people with somewhere to be, this lane is for getting by everyone else who is slow pokin' it into Downtown.
I'm not encouraging you to SPEED, but I am encouraging you to recognize that this lane is a passing lane, it's not for camping out until you're ready to start getting over for your exit. As a concerned Treasure Valley citizen who is frequently running late, this is a very important detail to me and I feel like it's a rule that should be followed more than many others.
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