Citation

Jaskevich M. Am. City Cty. 2001; 116(15): 5 p..

Copyright

(Copyright © 2001, Penton Media)

DOI

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PMID

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Abstract

Traffic on California roads has more than doubled in the past 2 decades. The effect of congestion on productivity, fuel costs, air quality, and the state's highway maintenance budgets is incalculable. Yet California has added little highway capacity since its system was largely completed in the 1970s, with the number of freeway lane miles increasing just 1% in the past 10 years, despite a significant jump in the number of drivers in the state. California was one of the first states to jump onto the high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane bandwagon, and now has more HOV lanes than any state in the country. That makes California an excellent test case for the efficacy of HOV lanes. This article looks at the development, progress, and successes of and public opinion relating to HOV lanes in the state of California.