CARPOOLING: THE WAVE OF THE FUTURE?

More than 20 years after the first carpool lane opened in California on the Santa Monica Freeway, a new wave of protest is forming over reserving lanes for High Occupancy Vehicles (HOVs). Anti-HOV forces believe removing carpool lane signs will ease the flow of traffic, giving everyone a faster commute. However, these outcries ignore the realities of commuting: whenever a new lane opens, within 2-3 years, traffic grows to swamp the road. Carpool lanes may carry fewer vehicles, but studies have shown that they carry more people than non-carpool lanes. The Silicon Valley has added more than 155 mi (249 km) of carpool lanes since 1990, and carpooling has risen from 12% to nearly 17% over the last 5 years. The Valley would need to add 84 mi (135 km) of freeway every year to keep pace with the congestion curve. It is argued that carpooling is the only answer for those who want to drive.