Carpool Lane 101
You can call them Carpool lanes or HOV lanes. (HOV stands for High Occupancy Vehicle)
Regardless of what they are called… you might be using one on the new U.S. 95. For the first time, a Nevada highway will have carpool lanes. They will open next week. They are part of the U.S. 95 widening project from Rainbow to the Spaghetti Bowl.
So… how do they work? Many of you have never driven in one… or you may be used to how to they work in Southern California.
Here’s what you need to know:
Carpool lanes have diamonds painted inside the lanes.
They are also marked with a solid white line. BUT you can cross that solid line to enter and exit the lane. There is no entrance and exit like in some parts of California.
You can use them if you have two or more people inside the vehicle. That includes babies and children!
Motorcycles can use the carpool lanes…. AND they don’t need to have two people on board…. just one.
Tractor Trailers cannot use the carpool lanes.
Busses CAN use the carpool lanes.
Carpool lanes are in effect 24 hours a day.
If you get pulled over and ticketed for using the lane when you are not supposed to…. the fine is $300 ( ouch!)
—————
That’s it in a nutshell! If you have questions, feel free to comment and I will comment back.
Enjoy the lanes! I really think they will help. If you get in the carpool lane, you will probably avoid the congestion completley.
For more information, check out my story!
Categories: traffic
November 13th, 2007 at 10:16 am
That is good news! Too bad I don’t drive in that area much but I’m sure it will help reduce the number of accidents and the congestion in that area.
I’m glad the white line will not act as a barrier to entry and exit.
Are there any plans of a carpool lane on the I-215 in the near future?
November 13th, 2007 at 10:36 am
There are no plans for Carpool lanes on the 215 in the NEAR future… the 215 doesn’t have the volume yet. But they are widening the 215 in some areas which will help ease congestion around the 215 & I-15 interchange.
November 14th, 2007 at 12:22 pm
I’m glad you wrote this and I hope people entering northbound I-15 at Spring Mountain will read this. There is a carpool lane on the on-ramp when the meter is on but people seem to ignore it. It’s a weird carpool lane – it’s only in effect when the metering light is on but you don’t know that until you are already in the lane. And then the sign says that you don’t have to stop for the meter if you’re in the carpool lane but there is another sign that reads only one car per green light. I had to travel through it several times to understand it and even now I’m not so sure. There needs to be more clear signs posted earlier on the ramp.
November 15th, 2007 at 9:31 pm
So are they allowing hybrids and alternative fuel vehicles like electric or propane in the carpool lanes like in CA?
November 15th, 2007 at 9:33 pm
Are they going to to allow hybrids and low emmisions vehicles like electric or propane powered vehicles like in CA in the carpool lanes?
November 16th, 2007 at 9:36 am
What about trucks towing fifth wheels, travel trailers, boats, trailers, etc.? Can they use the HOV lane as well if they have two or more occupants in the tow vehicle? What about motorhomes whether they are towing or not?
November 22nd, 2007 at 12:15 pm
It will be nice when all the freeways have car pool lanes. 215 could use it but not as much as the 15. Amazing the traffic levels during the daylight hours. Going from N Las Vegas to S Las Vegas is faster on the surface streets (and thats is sad).
Coming from living in California carpool lanes are great.
November 25th, 2007 at 8:39 pm
people drive to fast and dont stop
at stop lights and always on us 95
they neeed to slow down
Love Gregory
December 5th, 2007 at 10:47 am
Hybrid vehicles CANNOT use the Carpool/HOV lanes unless they have two or more people inside.
Busses and SUVs can use the Carpool/HOV lanes… but Tractor Trailers & Campers cannot. No, cars towing boats, etc. cannot use the lane either… that would slow down the speed in that lane.
December 12th, 2007 at 1:34 pm
Come on everybody! Is it really “car pooling” if your passengers aren’t licensed drivers? I mean, how does a parent with a child or baby in the vehicle constitute a car pool? Seriously!
Isn’t the idea behind a car pool to reduce the number of cars on the road? If that’s the case then how is a parent keeping additional vehicles off the road by driving their children or baby somewhere?
Further, I’m outraged that we aren’t rewarding those who are conscientious enough to drive a hybrid vehicle by granting them carpool lane access. Instead, we seem to be rewarding those with families.
One of the more obvious solutions to lessening traffic on US95 is to turn Rancho Blvd. into a thoroughfare with timed lights. Not only with that draw traffic off the Rancho-to-Craig US95 segment, but it would encourage and develop business along Rancho. And timed lights- which must be an alien concept in the Las Vegas planning department- would encourage driving at the speed limit thereby creating a safer and saner environment.
I’m not anti-car pool because they are useful and efficient for an area like California. There, they have a huge work force migrating from urban residential areas to centralized commercial areas at- and here’s the key- the same time.
In Las Vegas, this migration is small by comparison and- because of the 24-hour nature of our primary industry- occurs in shifts. What we have here is a transportation infrastructure that has never been ahead of the demands placed upon it.
We’d all be better served if we stopped doing things just because California does and focused more on what would benefit our unique industry, environment, topology, etc., etc..
December 21st, 2007 at 8:21 am
A carpool is having 2 or more passengers in the car, not 2 licensed drivers or 2 people who are gainfully employed. 2 PASSENGERS. If you were to limit a carpool to have only 2 employees or 2 lic. drivers, the NHP would have to spend too much time having to watch these carpool lanes and have no time for other traffic issues. Besdides that issue, how do you know whether the kids in the cars are not in the work force as actors or some other form of employment? We are in Las Vegas, ya know.
January 31st, 2008 at 12:41 pm
I just completed a safe driving course given by AARP. When the subject of HOV lanes came up, there was confusion among the class as to where a car can enter or exit the lane. When I said that unlike California, a car in Nevada can cross the solid HOV line anywhere as long as it is safe to do so, I was chastised by the instructor for giving out “wrong” information. He was adamant that no solid white line can ever be crossed. So, you can see there is still confusion about the HOV lanes even by the people who are supposed be experts.
February 1st, 2008 at 7:36 am
Hi Jim, unfortunatley – your instructor is wrong. The carpool lanes here have different rules than in California. NDOT wanted to make sure and get out.. that you CAN cross the white line to get in and out of the lane. They wanted it to be a solid white line so it was clear. But YES you can cross it. This applies to this Nevada Car Pool lane only! Hope this helps. Email me if you have more questions: droselli@klastv.com
April 5th, 2009 at 8:07 am
Hi everyone. I’ve been carpooling for two years now and never had problems. It’s fun to carpool.