Will express and carpool lanes lead to driver revolution?
QI’m compelled to write after reading about the new express lane hours in Contra Costa County that limit access from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. I have a question: When did the motorists of California become such sheep? — Dan Martin, Hollister
ASheep? You need to explain.
QI am so sick of having toll lanes, express lanes and carpool lanes shoved down my throat. I can’t afford an electric vehicle or one with ugly stickers. Too bad for me. So I stay out of the privileged lanes.
Unfortunately, I drive for my job. I can’t carpool and I don’t feel I should have to pay extra to use lanes I already pay taxes for.
I thought a democracy was about the good of the majority. Well, the majority of drivers aren’t getting the benefit. I’m calling on the motorists of California to rise up and let your voices be heard. We need better and more mass transit.
Carpool, toll and express lanes do nothing to solve the congestion on freeways. They just shift it around for the benefit of the minority while the majority still suffer. Yet, the state will happily take our taxes. Has anyone heard of taxation without representation?
It’s time for a road revolution. Contact your political leaders today.
Stop being sheep! — Dan Martin
AWhoa, Dan. Brace yourself. The express lanes on Interstate 880 and Highway 237 have shaved several minutes off the commute for both express lane users and solo drivers in regular lanes. These lanes won’t solve traffic delays, but they are an option to the gridlock on the rest of the freeway.
And more trains will be coming — Caltrain, BART, light rail and ACE all are expanding, along with rapid bus lines.
QAs more cars clog the freeways, I wonder if removing a lane for special use at peak hours is good judgment. Is there any real data that prove carpool lanes really work? — Dick Yaeger, Sunnyvale
AThere’s tons of data, both pro and con. A few years ago two professors at UC Berkeley looked at Interstate 880. One said those carpool lanes helped ease traffic, but the other said they created more delays. Go figure.
But diamond lanes haven’t been the hit many have hoped and they haven’t boosted the creation of more carpools. In Santa Clara County, more than 70 percent of commuters drove solo to work 25 years ago. Today, it’s about the same percentage.
Yet carpool lanes are filling up. Allowing drivers of electric cars to use them is one reason. But the chief reason is the number of cheaters — as many as 30 percent.