LOS ANGELES, July 27 (UPI) -- The California counties of Los Angeles and Orange are trying to reach an agreement on the use of carpool lanes on the state's freeways.
The government of Orange County is looking to partially deregulate carpool lanes by removing the double-yellow lines that force lane users to enter and exit only at specified entry and exit points, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday. The county also wants to open the lanes to solo drivers during off-peak hours, when the lanes are less crowded.
However, some Los Angeles County officials fear the moves would result in a higher number of lane changes, which slow traffic.
"Every time a car needs to weave across a regular lane in order to get into a carpool lane, it creates a certain amount of congestion," Doug Failing, district director of the California Department of Transportation for Los Angeles and Ventura counties, told the Times. "If a person weaves across into that carpool lane and they cross... four or five lanes, you want them to be there for a long time and travel a long distance."
Officials from both counties agreed at a Thursday meeting to discuss the matter further.
