Carpool Lane’s Double Line Gets a Break

Dear Traffic Talk:

Every morning I travel the Antelope Valley Freeway south to the Golden State and San Diego freeways through the San Fernando Valley.

On the Golden State/San Diego freeways transition, if I am not in the left lane coming over the hill before Rinaldi Street, I cannot get in the carpool lane.

People entering the freeway on the Rinaldi Street, San Fernando Mission Boulevard, Devonshire Street and the Ronald Reagan Freeway onramps are locked out by the double line until Nordhoff Street.

There are seven lanes after the Reagan Freeway squeezing down to four on the curve just north of Nordhoff.

These cars can’t escape to the carpool lane unless they jump the double line.

This causes a dangerous clogging situation while the carpool lane is empty.

Why not eliminate the double lines and let people enter and exit as necessary and put to use the wasted lane.

R.H. Peterson

Canyon Country

Dear R.H.:

The double lines are there for a couple of reasons:

First, they prevent traffic from readily merging back and forth between the carpool lane and normal traffic, allowing car-poolers to increase their speeds without interruptions, said Pat Reid, a Caltrans spokeswoman.

Second, the infrequent merging also allows California Highway Patrol officers to spot carpool violators, according to that agency.

The carpool lane beginning at the southbound San Diego Freeway has enough distance preceding it to allow car-poolers to merge left, according to Caltrans engineers.

However, engineers are proposing to add another break on the double lines on the southbound freeway somewhere before the Nordhoff Street onramp for more access, said Reid.

She said the agency is also considering additional access breaks and green directional signs in the northbound direction in the same general area.

Dear Traffic Talk:

The westbound Ventura Freeway’s Woodlake offramp has two lanes.

Previously, the right lane was marked for going straight or turning right and the left lane was marked for left turns only.

This is the way it should be since most of the traffic turns left or goes straight to a one-lane road on Woodlake.

Recently, the lanes were repainted with a right-turn-only lane and the left lane going straight or turning left.

Because many drivers have been using this offramp for a long time, they automatically assume that you can go straight from the right lane.

Cars going straight into a one-lane road from both lanes can result in accidents.

Why did they repaint and change the arrows?

Eugene Wong

Woodland Hills

Dear Eugene:

Two years ago Caltrans changed the markings at the start of an interchange reconstruction project, according to authorities.

Recently, the agency simply put the arrows back the way they were before the project, said Reid.

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