$100 fine proposed for left lane campers

[cytech]

http://thegazette.com/subject/news/...loiterers-move-over-or-pay-the-price-20150204

I for one am in favor of this. Far to often I encounter left lane campers slowing the flow of traffic for the entire interstate.

 

[Farnsworth]

I would love this.

Except sometimes I am a left lane camper (make the trip between Omaha and Des Moines almost weekly). However if it's a long stretch of open area I'll merge over and I very rarely ever get passed, maybe once a month.

 

[Clonefan94]

Awesome idea. Anyway they can push this nationally?

 

[CY88CE11]

He pointed out that drivers should move over to the left lane to allow vehicles to merge from the right and move over when they pass law enforcement or service vehicles on the shoulder.

Yeah, there's already a law for this. Obviously it wouldn't punish someone for moving over for emergency vehicles. That's just a horrible argument in opposition of this.

I agree with this, although it's really only applicable to semis. But it is extremely frustrating to be cut off by a semi who wants to pass another semi going 55, yet he only goes 56 to get the job done.

 

[chuckd4735]

YES PLEASE! I get so sick of people who think they are entitled to the left lane because the speed they are driving is fast enough for everyone else.

I-35 between Ankeny and Ames is the worst for this. In any one mile stretch you have 20 cars is the left lane and 3 in the right lane. I started taking back every day from Ankeny to Nevada, and my days start off so much better when I do not have to deal with Interstate 35.

As far as semis, I believe its Colorado that has a law that says if it takes you longer then 60 seconds to pass, you can be cited.

 

[CY88CE11]

I would love this.

Except sometimes I am a left lane camper (make the trip between Omaha and Des Moines almost weekly). However if it's a long stretch of open area I'll merge over and I very rarely ever get passed, maybe once a month.

The law would only apply to you if you're going under 60 (in a 70 MPH zone), if it remains as the article states.

 

[wxman1]

KS has a law like this. Other than in cities you have to get back over after passing.

 

[Wesley]

I would love this.

Except sometimes I am a left lane camper (make the trip between Omaha and Des Moines almost weekly). However if it's a long stretch of open area I'll merge over and I very rarely ever get passed, maybe once a month.

That was probably my Google bot car.

 

[GoCubsGo]

YES PLEASE! I get so sick of people who think they are entitled to the left lane because the speed they are driving is fast enough for everyone else.

I-35 between Ankeny and Ames is the worst for this. In any one mile stretch you have 20 cars is the left lane and 3 in the right lane. I started taking back every day from Ankeny to Nevada, and my days start off so much better when I do not have to deal with Interstate 35.

As far as semis, I believe its Colorado that has a law that says if it takes you longer then 60 seconds to pass, you can be cited.

I'll see your stretch of I-35, and raise you Hwy. 65/69 between Des Moines and Indianola.

 

[VeloClone]

It really shouldn't be speed based. A four lane road has a driving lane and a passing lane. Simply ticket if a car camps out in the left lane for a period of time without passing anyone (with the obvious safety exceptions). You will see a glut of cars still camping out in the left lane going 9 mph under the speed limit so there will be very little gained if this bill becomes law.

 

[cytech]

The law would only apply to you if you're going under 60 (in a 70 MPH zone), if it remains as the article states.

Yeah I saw that too so it wouldn't really be a complete solution. But I see it as a good start.

Far to often I encounter the right lane being the fast lane on 380 in Cedar Rapids

 

[keepngoal]

The law would only apply to you if you're going under 60 (in a 70 MPH zone), if it remains as the article states.

nope this is from the article:

Enforcement of the section of the code is not tied to a vehicle’s speed, but left to law enforcement officers’ discretion to stop a driver for “impeding traffic,” Steier said.

and because of the bolded part, I am not in favor of the law.

 

[InAWord]

It's proposed laws like this that make me shake my head. Every other problem facing the state solved I assume?

 

[VeloClone]

KS has a law like this. Other than in cities you have to get back over after passing.

Yet in Minnesota they couldn't even pass a bill that would have erected signs that would say "Slower traffic keep right" or something to that effect. It wouldn't have even punished offenders, just reminded drivers how it is supposed to work.

SMH

 

[keepngoal]

It's proposed laws like this that make me shake my head. Every other problem facing the state solved I assume?

This.

My guess is those that quickly jumped all over this are upset when a car is traveling 68-73 in the left lane, passing or not, doesn't move over.

 

[Clonefan94]

Why is there always one ******* like this in every group?

Former Johnson County sheriff’s deputy Sen. Kevin Kinney, D-Oxford, isn’t likely to back Byrnes’ bill if it comes over to the Senate. He pointed out that drivers should move over to the left lane to allow vehicles to merge from the right and move over when they pass law enforcement or service vehicles on the shoulder.

It worries me this guy was a deputy law enforcement officer. He's obviously not capable of following what the new law is talking about. And it worries me that he can interpreate any laws like they should be. They aren't talking about just anyone moving into the left lane, especially those allowing mergers, emergency vehicles, etc. They are talking about idiots that sit in the left lane, forever and aren't going the speed limit.

Seriously, why does there have to be one of these people in every discussion, who always has to make their point pulling out an example of the rare exception, that is slightly off topic and not the norm?

 

[cytech]

It's proposed laws like this that make me shake my head. Every other problem facing the state solved I assume?

There are hundreds of bills that enter one of the many committee's in congress for consideration each year. A small percent actually make it out of committee to goto the full body. It is not like they only work on one issue at a time.

 

[SwirlingFloater]

I was in Spain on a business trip around 15 years ago and rented a car for a round trip from Barcelona to Valencia down the coast.

I was warned by the locals that speed limits were not enforced and that you have to stay out of the left lane unless passing another car quickly.

The round trip was one of the best longer drives I have experienced. Traffic moved swiftly and nobody loitered in the left lane. If you can get everyone to abide by this system, it is a wonderful thing!!!

 

[VeloClone]

Originally Posted by CY88CE11 The law would only apply to you if you're going under 60 (in a 70 MPH zone), if it remains as the article states.
nope this is from the article:


Enforcement of the section of the code is not tied to a vehicle’s speed, but left to law enforcement officers’ discretion to stop a driver for “impeding traffic,” Steier said.


and because of the bolded part, I am not in favor of the law.

Actually, if it still has the 10 mph language in it the discretion would be with law enforcement to not enforce when someone was going less than 10 mph under the limit not to enforce even though someone was going only 5 under and impeding traffic, for example. Every ticket would be thrown out if someone was going 5 under and the law still had the 10 under language.

 

[CY88CE11]

nope this is from the article:



and because of the bolded part, I am not in favor of the law.

I read that as the current law, willful obstruction, is up to the discretion of the officer, not the proposed law. The proposed law as described is 100% speed based.