Diamond Lanes The Great Waste Land
By: Mike Lipshultz
Mike@biznetonline.com

Imagine a government gone mad. A government so blinded by their goals that they can't see the forest through the trees.

Now look at the Diamond Lanes on California freeways. You know, the traffic lanes that only allow you to drive in them with two or more persons in the vehicle.

There are thousands of vehicles that will never carry more than one person when being used for their intended purpose. Delivery vehicles, sales persons, and service vehicles are among the most prominent. These vehicles do not carry one person by choice, they carry one person by their intended purpose. It is not practical to force two persons into these vehicles when only one person is needed to do the job that is being done. If the job required two persons, two persons would be in the vehicle. If the job could be done without using the subject vehicle in the first place, then it would be done that way. Instead, these vehicles are forced to sit in traffic, pouring out more air pollution then they would be creating if they were running in the Diamond Lane.

Now, the economics of forcing these vehicles to sit in traffic is starting to add up. The added fuel costs -- the lost work hours. It is plain to see that if it were practical for these vehicles to have two passengers they would.

Let's not lose the trees in this forest. Why can't the state create a plain to allow certain vehicles to use the Diamond Lane?

Perhaps special license plates? Different ones for different deferments? One for service vehicles like UPS trucks that are reviewed annually? Then, one for sales persons, reviewed every six months. The person requesting the exemption would have to prove and document their special need. An added fee could be charged for this program to offset the cost. The increase in productivity to business would justify the expense of the plates. As for enforcement, get caught using a stolen, revoked, or invalid plate the driver loses driver's license and the vehicle is impounded. Not many business persons would be willing to risk the loss of their vehicles and drivers license. As for persons using stolen plates, they would probably drive in the lanes anyway.

So, we can continue to pretend that Diamond Lanes are a socially responsible answer to not spending money on additional roads capacity or we can make some changes. Remember growth cost money. We can spend it building roadways or just lose the money sitting in traffic.

Let's start by making some changes on who can use the Diamond Lane.


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Last modified: November 08, 2002