Carpool for One

If an Orange County supervisor has his way, we'll all soon be able to drive solo in the carpool lanes outside of rush hour.

Orange County Transporation Authority chairman Bill Campbell notes that Northern California drivers are already given this option, and he's hoping to convince Caltrans to allow the same here:

"The purpose of this idea is to help congestion," says Bill Campbell, who is also an Orange County supervisor. "Northern California is already doing it, and this should help spread traffic over all lanes and make it safer and free-flowing too."

Today, Campbell will ask the authority's board to request that state Caltrans Director Will Kempton examine regional carpool-lane policies and open the lanes to more motorists.

A former assemblyman, Campbell got the idea while commuting in Sacramento County. There, Caltrans restricts carpool lane access only during morning and evening rush hours.

But between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. and again after 7 p.m., they are open to all vehicles — even those with only a driver.

In addition, motorists can go in and out of the carpool lane without regard to lane striping.

At least five Northern California counties — Sacramento, Alameda, Santa Clara, Contra Costa and Marin — allow this flexibility.

In Southern California, a few areas, including the Antelope Valley Freeway, allow off-peak use by all motorists.

"They've solved how to do it in Northern California, and if any study or review gets done, it needs to be done regionally, and that includes L.A. County and the other counties in Southern California," Campbell said.