THE PROBLEM: Dee Klein carpools from Carmel Valley to Carlsbad, so she was thrilled when Caltrans recently extended the length of its Interstate 5 high-occupancy vehicle lane for a few miles.
But there's a problem: Klein can't use it.
The lane begins south of Carmel Valley and ends south of Manchester Avenue in Encinitas. But there's a double yellow line that prevents Klein from using it after she gets on the freeway in Carmel Valley. Drivers crossing the line risk getting a ticket. Klein knows this; she has already paid a $420 fine.
“They want us to carpool, but I have to sit there and watch other cars fly by (in the HOV lane),” she said.
The lane has plenty of capacity for more cars, Klein said. And she has seen HOV lanes on other California freeways with occasional broken white lines that allow drivers to enter and exit. Klein said she talked to Arturo Jacobo, the Interstate 5 Corridor project manager, who told her the lane would be re-evaluated but not until this fall.
STATUS: Allan Kosup, the director in charge of the Interstate 5 Corridor, said the agency had considered an entrance point near Via de la Valle. That would have helped Klein. But Kosup said an additional entrance would encourage drivers to weave in and out of traffic. He also said the HOV lane is already close to capacity. The situation will be re-evaluated in the fall.
WHO'S RESPONSIBLE: Allan Kosup, who can be reached at (619) 688-6670, or allan_kosup@dot.ca.gov.
NEED A PROBLEM SOLVED: Is there a problem government hasn't fixed despite your complaints? Whether it's a missing bus bench or an unkempt park anywhere in San Diego County, Just Fix It might be able to help.
Complaint forms are at just fixit.uniontrib.com, or call (800) 820-8714.
