Central County : New Car-Pool Lanes Will Open on Monday
Newly constructed commuter lanes on the Costa Mesa Freeway will open Monday morning, providing an extra lane of free-flowing traffic for drivers with at least one passenger in their car.
The new lanes--one in each direction designated by cross-hatched yellow stripes--are restricted to buses and cars with at least two people in them. By encouraging commuters to double up, they are expected to provide a quicker avenue of travel for car poolers and ease congestion on regular traffic lanes.
The fine for unauthorized use of the commuter lanes is $52. But the California Highway Patrol said it will issue only verbal warnings through Saturday to provide motorists with time to become accustomed to the new lanes.
Vehicles that are normally not permitted on the inside lane of the freeway, including three-axle trucks, cars or trucks towing other vehicles, school buses and trucks carrying explosives, will not be permitted to use the commuter lanes.
The lanes run 12 miles from the Riverside Freeway south to the San Diego Freeway, but can only be entered and exited at certain points.
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