Road construction has recently extended the carpool lane from Point of the Mountain to Provo.
An extra lane of traffic is definitely needed, but to restrict this new lane to cars with only two or more passengers is pointless, wasteful and unsafe.
Only vehicles with more than one person are allowed to drive in a carpool lane.
The purpose of such a lane is to reward those who carpool and to encourage those who don't carpool to start.
The theory is that as more people carpool, we will have fewer cars on the road and less air-pollution.
Unfortunately, reality falls short of the grand plans of social engineers.
The fact is that people do not often call up their buddies and ask to carpool just so they can drive in the carpool lane.
Most people in the carpool lane incidentally qualify to be there-they happen upon a carpool lane, realize they have more than one person in the car, and then scoot on over.
The existence of the lane itself has nothing to do with the fact that drivers in it choose to carpool.
In fact, most of the vehicles in the carpool lane are usually just cars full of families on road trips.
The design of the carpool lane itself is also problematic.
The carpool lane is generally located to the far left of the road-the area typically considered the fast lane.
Buses, which move slowly, often enter this lane, severely disrupting the flow of traffic. These buses also tend to endanger other drivers as they change from the lane farthest to the right, in which they normally drive, to the lane farthest to the left: the privileged carpool lane.
The "Carpool Only" on- and off-ramp at 400 South is even more ridiculous.
The simple fact that you happen to have a friend in the car with you grants you a desirable exit ramp, whereas single drivers must drive unduly longer distances to get to their desired location.
Adding insult to injury, police often sit at this location to ticket solo drivers dishonest enough to sneak on or off the freeway at a location society deems they do not deserve.
Most of the time, traffic on I-15 is not that bad and there is no real difference between the carpool lane and other lanes of traffic.
When traffic is bad, however, the carpool lane is as much a liability for solo drivers as it is a convenience for carpoolers.
If the carpool lane is open while there is congestion in other lanes, then allowing anyone to drive in the carpool lane should alleviate congestion.
Congestion causes more air pollution. It also increases the risk of accidents.
Why do we have carpool lanes if this is going to be the result?
The state is spending money and resources to create lanes that endanger lives and increase pollution-all for the noble goal of making the act of driving more social.
letters@chronicle.utah.edu
