HOV/Car Pool Lanes on Interstate 405 – LA, CA

HOV – High Occupancy Vehicle – in California, 2 counts as high occupancy.

We had to go back to San Diego for a doctor’s appointment that we weren’t able to get scheduled before we came here. We left Oceano early and headed south. Anchorage really doesn’t have a rush hour traffic issue unless you live out in the valley and the 4-lane Glenn Highway is your path to and from work/home. We have been learning the ways of the city dwellers across America. With respect to LA, all of the various paths don’t really help the crowded roads much. So by the time we hit the northern edge, we were in the midst of everyone’s trip to work.

We have learned that the HOV/Car Pool lane is great for us in the truck. Unfortunately, it isn’t an option when we are pulling the rig (AND we are restricted to 55 mph when towing in CA). So, we slipped into the far far left lane and pretty much kept the needle at 70mph and seemed to just zip through LA. Various delays in the right hand lanes didn’t interfere with our progress. One of the other benefits besides speed is that you only have to worry about idiots cutting you off from the right and (usually if they understand the HOV/Car Pool lane rules) cars can only come into/go out of the lane at certain intervals (i.e., double yellow lines edge the right side of the lane).

Going south, it was get on at the start of I-405 and stay there until it ends by merging into I-5 south to San Diego. Coming back north, we were only on I-405 for about 20 miles before we had our stop for the night so the HOV/Car Pool lane wasn’t as much help as on the second day when we again 'car pooled' through LA in our quest for “home.”