‘Car Pool Lanes Drive These Guys Crazy’
The Street Smart column (Nov. 20) exposed a profound truth. The explanation by Caltrans spokesman Joe El-Harake of why an added lane would not help the bottleneck transition from the Garden Grove Freeway onto the (San Diego) Freeway is most enlightening. El-Harake claims that cars would be required to cross three lanes of traffic in little more than a mile, resulting in traffic being slowed on the (San Diego Freeway) to accommodate the crossing over (weaving). We at Drivers for Highway Safety have for the past four years been attempting to educate Caltrans to this same occurrence on the (Costa Mesa) Freeway (and now the 405) because of the car-pool lane.
Use of the lane requires the same crossover movement in a restricted distance, not only to get into the lane but also to get out. It is this weaving across congested lanes that further increases congestion and accidents, as most users of these freeways know.
LES BERRIMAN
Irvine
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