Dear Utah County

Just recently, the HOV lanes in Orem disappeared, part of a massive reconstruction effort in the county to widen the freeway and rebuild the bridges. These lanes will be gone for at least the next two years, while the freeway is worked on. Personally, I hope they were taken away as punishment to the majority of Utah County drivers who misuse and abuse the lanes constantly, especially during traffic hours. More times than I can count have I seen drivers who normally weave back and forth in traffic dodge into that lane and use it to pass the cars they were too impatient to wait for (which brings up the problem of the fast-lane campers that refuse to move out of the way for faster traffic) and pull in and out of it, over the double lines, usually without signaling. This is a bad and potentially deadly habit, one which I have to put up with when I ride my motorcycle and dare use the carpool lane. I can be traveling faster than the posted speed and still have someone come up behind me and weave around, putting my life on the line so they can get wherever they are going 30 seconds faster. Or perhaps imagine traveling down the HOV lane while the rest of the lanes are backed up and have someone shoot in front of you doing 20-30 mph slower than you, and you get to put your braking system to the ultimate test. Thanks alot, you inconsiderate, life-endangering assholes. I hope the carpool lanes don't come back, and you're stuck in traffic forever, in hell.