Just the Ticket for Scofflaws

Honest Orange County commuters--those who grit their teeth when they see solo drivers cross illegally into carpool lanes--can finally feel vindicated: The CHP is cracking down.

In a yearlong program that began this month, officers are peering into vehicles in the county’s carpool lanes to look for single drivers.

Drivers have cheated since the first lanes opened in 1985--some with elaborate schemes involving mannequins posing as riders or blankets hiding empty car seats. The overwhelming majority of nervy violators simply enter the carpool lane, clearly alone for all the world to see, and take their chances.

CHP officials admit many of these motorists have escaped punishment. The agency hasn’t had the resources to aggressively back up the threats posted on freeway signs promising $271 fines for violators.

“I wouldn’t say it’s something that runs rampant, but it is a problem,” CHP Officer Denise Medina said. “Unfortunately, our regular officers have been so busy that we have been unable to concentrate solely on the carpool lanes.”

But the free ride, Medina warns, is over.

Since Oct. 1, the CHP has dedicated an officer to patrolling the county’s 200 or so miles of carpool lanes, which are open only to drivers carrying at least one passenger, during rush hours. While no numbers are available, the increased effort is expected to dramatically boost the number of carpool tickets.

“It’s going to peak immediately,” Medina predicted. “You’re going to see a dramatic increase because you have people concentrating on it. [Officers] can just watch the carpool lane and look for violators. They won’t be pulled from that duty to respond to other calls like a stalled vehicle or a crash.”

Other than riding alone, the most common carpool lane violation is entering or exiting the lane over a double yellow line. A driver without a passenger who does this can be subject to more than $500 in fines for the double violation. Even motorists with passengers are required to wait until a broken white line appears before they make their move or they can be slapped with a $271 fine.

“The people in the carpool area normally travel at a faster speed than everyone else,” Medina said. “If you have someone crossing the double yellows, it is extremely dangerous. That’s the whole reason behind the double yellow lines.”

For law-abiding carpool lane users, the CHP effort comes as welcome news.

“I’m happy to see a crackdown,” said Andy Abeles, a photographer who lives in Mission Viejo. “Being on a motorcycle, I’m very vulnerable to people entering the lane by crossing the yellow lines. . . . If they don’t see you when they cross, it can be very dangerous.”

The only time Abeles was ever stopped in the lane, he said, was several years ago by an Irvine police officer who he said wasn’t aware that it is legal for motorcyclists to ride in the lanes without a passenger.

Tustin resident Alan Dubin said he rarely has seen tickets given out for carpool lane violations, even flagrant ones.

Just last week, Dubin said, he and others in his carpool van had a bad scare when a car suddenly entered the lane over the double yellow lines at a much slower speed than their vehicle, nearly causing a collision.

“The freeway was real crowded, and they just decided to cross over,” said Dubin, an engineer who commutes to El Segundo each weekday. “They were going about 5 mph, and we were traveling about 50 mph.”

Mission Viejo resident Lester Goodman, who said he has witnessed numerous violations over the years, said a crackdown is long overdue.

“I have rarely seen anyone writing a ticket for a driver misusing the carpool lane,” he said.

Last year, 5,093 tickets were handed out for carpool lane violations in Orange County. So far this year, 4,270 tickets have been issued, according to the CHP.

The one-year program is being financed with $98,000 from the Orange County Transportation Authority. The agency will consider extending the program next year if it proves successful.

The funds come from the OCTA’s share of carpool fines--about $140,000 a year. The agency approved spending the money last month in response to increased freeway traffic and numerous complaints from irate drivers who witnessed people breaking the rules, said Sabrina Gates Schaffer, a transportation analyst with the agency.

Eight years ago, a similar program proved successful, Schaffer said. The authority gave the CHP $46,000 to beef up enforcement for six months.

“It was a very successful demonstration program that occurred at the same time that very visible signs went up announcing fines,” Schaffer said. “We saw the violation rates go down, so it wasn’t necessary to continue at that time.”

But since then, the number of carpool lane miles has grown. In Orange County, which has more miles of carpool lanes than any California county, enforcement has not kept pace, officials agree--until now.

“I know the general commuting public will really appreciate more enforcement, especially those people who are abiding by the rules and doing the bumper-to-bumper thing,” officer Medina said.

The patrol will focus on the San Diego Freeway within Fountain Valley, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Seal Beach and Westminster; the Costa Mesa Freeway within Anaheim, Orange, Santa Ana, Tustin and Costa Mesa; and Interstate 5 within San Clemente, Dana Point, San Juan Capistrano, Mission Viejo, Laguna Hills and Lake Forest.

“We want people to know that we will be out there looking for you,” Medina said. “And you will be caught.”