Florida's Department of Transportation plans to double the hours that high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane restrictions are in place on the highways between Boynton Beach and Miami. State Senator Ron Klein (D-Delray Beach) has received so many complaints about this move that he wrote to the state's transportation secretary seeking to stop the new schedule before it goes into effect July 1. Klein, vice-chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, wants hearings before any action is taken.

Florida DOT officials have announced their intention to restrict travel in the carpool lanes from 6 to 10 a.m. and 3 to 7 p.m. instead of the current 7 to 9 a.m. and 4 to 6 p.m. schedule.

A study by the Texas Transportation Institute found that HOV lanes cause a 50 percent increase in the number of injury accidents.

Since the state began promoting the new hours, Klein said he's received numerous calls from people who feel the high-occupancy vehicle lanes add to problems. Drivers say they're tired of getting trapped in daily backups while the car-pool lanes are relatively unused, he said. "This proposal could actually make things worse for the majority of drivers," Klein said. "The fact of the matter is these restrictions will remove one lane of traffic from motorists' use."