The recent conversion of vehicular lanes on heavily trafficked arterials such as Highway 99, 15th Avenue, and others from standard lanes to bus-only restricted lanes has exacerbated traffic problems, increased congestion along alternative routes, and surely increased idle pollution as a direct result.  Changing our city's bus-only lanes into more flexible bus/carpool/HOV lanes will incentivize drivers to reduce energy consumption and will lighten congestion in high-traffic areas - especially where bus-only lanes receive light use and where Seattle has provided no other incentive for individuals for whom riding a bus is not an option. A strategy whereby our city prioritizes bus ridership may sound appealing when spun as a catalyst for sustainable behavior, but our recent changes ignore the reality of Seattle traffic at the expense of our citizens' sanity and our local economy. Join us in making your voice heard!