Improving Efficiency of Freeway Travel by Staying in Proper Lane

Any motorist using the California freeways has to be impressed by the volume of cars on our multi-laned roads. Build more freeways, limit the growth of our cities, let’s have rapid transit systems, etc., etc.

We are all familiar with these suggestions to reduce congestion, but seldom does one hear or read about improving the efficiency of travel on our present freeways. About the only requirements to use our freeways are that the motorist must be licensed, not be under the influence of drugs that affect his reflexes and not drive over the speed limit or recklessly.

What happened to the concept of the “fast lane-slow lane”? In Germany isn’t that what the Autobahn is all about? Now one experiences the fast lane often being as slow as the slow lane and one seldom sees the police do anything about it.

With the vast numbers of Mexican, Vietnamese, Korean and others who use our roads, I would suggest that signs be posted every few miles along our freeways in English, Spanish, Vietnamese and Korean stating, in effect, “Slow Drivers Use the Right Lanes.” There should also be a minimum speed posted, and anyone wishing to travel slower than the minimum should use side streets.

During rush-hour traffic, the speed maximum and minimum rules would obviously have to be invalidated as the volume of cars during those periods would not permit these posted speed limits to be followed. Police should monitor the fast lane-slow lane and maximum-minimum speed rules and issue citations to those who do not observe these regulations. A slow driver in a fast lane is as dangerous as a speeder or an intoxicated motorist.

If phone books, driver regulations for obtaining a driver’s license and voting instructions can be printed in Spanish as well as English, then why not do the same for signs on the freeways--and in other languages as well?

PAUL B. BECK

Anaheim