Open up those carpool lanes?

Some contributors to the Bottleneck Blog have praised carpool lanes for offering an incentive for commuters to rideshare (fewer cars on the road, less pollution). But the Orange County Register's editorial page suggests the government open up carpool lanes to all drivers. A sample:

We're no fans of car-pool lanes in general. We think the extra lanes ought to be open to all comers rather than used to try to coerce people into behaving in the "proper" ways – i.e., by getting to work in a car pool rather than driving alone. Those government officials responsible for designing and maintaining the public roads seem more interested in changing behavior than in meeting the demand for roads. Fortunately, the Orange County Transportation Authority is pushing the California Department of Transportation to allow some reasonable changes in car-pool lane restrictions that could enhance traffic flow and improve safety. OCTA Chairman Carolyn Cavecche "has requested that Caltrans consider allowing general traffic, including solo riders, to use car-pool lanes during nonpeak hours," according to an OCTA statement last week. "Additionally, she asks that Caltrans implement a policy to allow continuous access to car-pool lanes on all Orange County freeways."

The L.A. Times editorial pages has also offered its ideas for improving carpool lanes:

A better solution would be to require that at least two occupants of vehicles using carpool lanes be licensed drivers. Though in some ways this would be harder to enforce — police wouldn't know by looking at a car that both occupants had driver's licenses — in other ways it would be simpler because it's easier for police to see two adults in a car than one adult and a small child. Best of all, it would free up carpool lanes for, well, actual carpoolers.

Comments

[Mike Hornbuckle]

Here are a few tips for freeway driving.
1. If cars are passing you on the right, move over
2. If a car is on your bumper, move over.
3. If you insist on using mobile phone, move over - you will daydream and slow down - most likely in the wrong lane.
4.Do not read while driving.
5. Do not eat while driving.
Thnx

[Mike Hornbuckle]

The Amber Alert signs on the 101 eastbound in the valley create more congestion because everyone slows down and tries to read them, then speed up as they pass.Alot of people in the valley do not speak English and have a hard time with reading it making the braking more obvious. The signs usually state an approx. commute time to specific points further ahead on the freeway and dont really mean anything anyway. TURN THEM OFF!

[Yengle]

The next generation will appreciate us self-appointed traffic doctors promoting rail lines, but I was hoping for some more immediate relief. Tunnels to Temecula and the Subway to the Sea are like being told to take two aspirin daily and call in twenty years. As for the arguments to allow solo drivers in the carpool lanes, this will improve the drive for some at the expense of degrading it for others, with no net gain in performance as a whole.

With that being said, here is some armchair advice on how to improve the traffic situation into and out of carpool lanes "in about a year". Many of the traffic bottlenecks in and around L.A. occur where the carpool lanes begin/end and their occupants are compelled to merge with traffic. A case in point is the 405 North approaching LAX. Here we have vehicles in the leftmost (carpool) lane wanting to transition across the entire freeway to take the right lane exits to the 105 West or Century Blvd. Likewise, we have vehicles leaving the airport who want to transition across all lanes to occupy the carpool lane on the 405 South. You can see this as acting like lids on gigantic traffic pressure cookers. With all of the taxicabs, shuttles and buses coming into and out of the airport, is the notion of dedicated carpool entry and exit lanes for LAX rocket science?

A second example: The 10 at Santa Anita near the beginning/end of that carpool lane. There is a bus lane exit to the park and ride already constructed, but are carpools allowed to take it? No! We have to cross all lanes of the jammed 10 freeway for entry and exit and negotiate left turns on the gridlocked local streets when a dedicated exit to the park and ride already exists! Someone needs to talk to the MTA about that one. I already have, but it is going to take more than John Q. Public to get them to give up their turf.

Finally, a word about Downtown L.A. which is going to become increasingly busy with all of the new construction. The dysfunctional 110 carpool exit lane at Adams was a nice try, but it doesn't really cut it. Someone is going to have to take a stab at fixing that left turn, right turn punch onto Northbound Figueroa, even if it takes eminent domain. Once on the streets of Downtown, commuters are confronted the results of lax enforcement of the rush hour "no stopping" provisions. There are parked cars in these lanes and delivery trucks loitering alongside red curbs. From my lesions in traffic school, I thought that a red curb meant no stopping. Ever! In Downtown, the offenders are fearless. There is definitely a chance for the city to pick up some revenue here while hopefully improving traffic.

In closing, these are some simple ideas to improve traffic, both into and out of the carpool lanes. it's going to take cooperation from a host of public agencies to make this work. I would like to see the LAPD, the MTA, and CALTRANS post on your blog to show that they are at least tuning in.

[Susan Wilcox]

This pertains to anyone commuting on the 110 Harbor Freeway:

Suggestion for increasing carpools and bus usage on the 110 freeway south of downtown Los Angeles -- The Artesia Transit Center should be more broadly promoted to all commuters on the 110 north, including via use of the amber-alert signs. There are five express buses that go from Artesia Transit Center past USC (our largest private employer in the city!!) and into downtown Los Angeles. If MTA coordinated the schedules better, there would be a bus every 5 minutes (instead, they all come seconds apart from one another and then nothing for 20 minutes). The bus lines are: 444, 445, 446, 550 - and I believe 442 and 448 also do the route, though I've not used them. In addition the 450X is a super-express - cars driving north should be advised that a 15min bus trip would get them downtown for $2 -- while they sit and fume in their cars. Why not use the amber signs to get people into MTA buses??

[tim]

Car pool lanes must stay. The purpose of a freeway is to carry the most people from point A to point B. Car pool lanes accomplish this by getting more people to where they need to go.

[Sheryl]

The best thing to do with carpool lanes is ELIMINATE THEM and replace them with TRAINS!

I realize that the Green Line had the advantage of being built into the 105 freeway from the start, but its example seems excessively obvious.

Our freeways go where MOST people are trying to get to. We need a way to get people to those places with greater efficiency in both mass and in energy consumption.

It'sobviously time to STOP with the carpool lanes that have NEVER worked to promote carpooling as intended, and which accomodate an extremely limited number of cars per hour, and start engineering trains/stations down the middle of our freeways. Trains can run anywhere from 2 cars to 10 cars at a time, depending on commuter demand, and could run as often as every 3-4 minutes in rush hour. Heck, the Red Line DOES run every five between Union Station and Wilshire Vermont, and does it without a hiccup 5 days a week, morning and night.

TO HELL WITH CARPOOL LANES! Let's get busy engineering us some train lines!

[erika ortega]

I agree that carpools lane should only be used for two or more licensed drivers, although, I had a baby four months ago and I currently use the carpool lane. I feel that it is not really fair but at the same time, I am being selfish because it cuts my trafiic time in half. I think for right now carpool lane rules should stay the same!

[dennis marconi]

Instead of worrying about car pool lanes, I propose that the City start a massive campaign to educate the woefully poor drivers who create bottlenecks! A few illustrations:.

1) A massive campaign to tell drivers who are driving slow in the fast lanes to move to the right (slow) lanes.

2) Another issue would be to remind drivers that right turns are to be made from the curb lanes-anot the middle or left lanes.

3) Then after this campaign,have traffic police enforce the traffic laws and give citations to slow drivers in the left lanes,etc.

BTW where are traffic police these days?

Make driving school mandatory for all new drivers!