Carpool Lanes: A Waste of Paint

It's 2:55 p.m. on a Tuesday afternoon. You are driving alone in the fast lane which, in five minutes, will be turning into the Carpool Lane. The signs all say "2 or More Persons Per Vehicle" and you have left your inflatable plastic dolls underneath your bed so your idea of an instant family is out the window. In a few moments it will be time for you to merge out of the fast lane and get in line behind other vehicles who seem to have forgotten how to use their accelerator to maintain the speed limit. Other cars merge over as well and instantly, brake lights and tempers flare up as the "rush" hour begins.

Meanwhile, there is a lane to the left of you that is reserved for "2 or more people" and/or motorcycles. You as a single driver can't use it due to your inability to be able to live next door to someone who happens to work in the same place as you during the same hours as you. Therefore, you are forced to slowly putt along, accelerating and stepping on the brake while you watch a meager amount of "the lucky ones" cruising in the Carpool Lane. There are "the lucky ones" who I call people that are able to find someone to rideshare with them and then there are "the really lucky ones" who are the people that drive hybrid vehicles, because in California, driving a hybrid vehicle gives you the privelege of using the Carpool Lane with only one occupant in the vehicle.

Now...is it just me or is there something wrong with this picture??? Apparently two of todays biggest concerns among society is waste of petroleum products and increased pollution. So during the time of the day when the majority of people are commuting on our roadways, in our infinite wisdom, we decide to reduce our freeways by one lane. A three lane freeway is now cut down to two unless you are one of "the lucky ones".

I haven't had a drivers education class since 1989, but I do remember the instructor stating that vehicles use more fuel idling that when they are cruising along at 2500 rpm. I also remember them saying that fluctuation of speed is a major cause in wasting fuel. Rev up, slow down, rev up, slow down.

People spend more time on the freeways at a slow speed or at an idle during the "rush" hour therefore it seems only logical that this practice increases emissions and wastes fuel, while there is a Carpool Lane that gets moderate use.

Is there some sort of unwritten law that two or more people to one car means their time is more valuable than a single driver?

Carpool lanes are a waste of paint. Our transportation departments should eliminate them and use the paint more wisely. How about painting the speed limit on the blacktop instead of posting speed limit signs? It is evident that people lack peripheral vision and can't notice that the speed limit is 65 mph, so they should paint that on the blacktop for the tunnel vision drivers. Also...for the tunnel vision drivers as well...how about if they paint on the blacktop the following statement: "SLOWER TRAFFIC KEEP RIGHT". ..or..."HAVE YOU CHECKED YOUR REARVIEW MIRROR LATELY?"...and..."PLEASE MAINTAIN A CONSISTENT SPEED."

Keep the freeways opened up during high traffic events instead of handicapping them. You'll be amazed at how much emission and fuel consumption gets reduced.