HOV lanes and motorcycles..

[motorman4life]

I have reveived and answered a few PMs on this topic, so I thought I'd add the thread.

..wrote on 06-03-2005 06:06 PM:
if it does not show a "Motorcycle OK" sign under the carpool lane sign in the medium like on highway 237, can i still ride my motorcycle on the carpool lane?

Same thing for on and off ramps, carpool lane, no "motorcycle OK" sign is posted, just checking for future reference.

Motorcycles are allowed with a single rider in ALL carpool and HOV lanes in CA. They are also exempt from tolls in the HOV lane on all bridges during the posted commute hours, M-F.

The "Motorcycles OK" signs were added in a few areas after some nasty road-rage incidents in the East Bay about 14 years ago. So, please rest assured they are okay, even if the sign is not present.

I hope this helps.

[Cheetah]

Thanks for the info.
Are there any specific codes on these just for future reference?

[motorman4life]

21655.5 CVC
(a) The Department of Transportation and local authorities, with respect to highways under their respective jurisdictions, may authorize or permit exclusive or preferential use of highway lanes for high-occupancy vehicles...
(b) ... A motorcycle, a mass transit vehicle, or a paratransit vehicle that is clearly and identifiably marked on all sides of the vehicle with the name of the paratransit provider may be operated upon those exclusive or preferential use lanes unless specifically prohibited by a traffic control device.

BTW, here is a map of Bay Area HOV lanes.
http://www.solanolinks.com/images/SNCI/HOVmap2.jpg

Lastly, here is a fantastic page on CA laws as they pertain to m/c riders.. http://www.calhsta.org/library/cacode.html It includes info on lane splitting, HOV lanes, modulating headlamps, earplugs and more. Check it out!

[Trogdor]

As an aside, I really don't like 'motorcycle ok' signs on HOV lanes because it leads to exactly this kind of confusion.

"Hmmm, if they had to post it there, that makes it seem like an exception. So if it isn't posted here, it must not be ok."

My favorite is 'left turn must yield to oncoming traffic' that you see at some intersections. Well duh! Left turns must always yield, unless they have a green arrow. No dumping is another. So if there is no sign, I can dump? Or how about 'safety corridor' -- oh, ok. I'll stop driving like an ass now.

[b.rock]

:laughing
The other two have meanings - left turn must yield means you doan get no arrow and safety corridor has daytime headlights, etc., but no dumping is classic. And yeah, they're dumb anyhow. But just think about how many dumb people you see driving every day.

[StuntrHuntr]

Originally posted by Trogdor
As an aside, I really don't like 'motorcycle ok' signs on HOV lanes because it leads to exactly this kind of confusion.

"Hmmm, if they had to post it there, that makes it seem like an exception. So if it isn't posted here, it must not be ok."


I agree. I had a No U-Turn ticket dumped by the judge because there was only one sign posted. He seemed to feel there should be 2 signs.

As if there aren't enough friggin' signs cluttering up the roads. Apparently in his court, you need 2 of each for them to be enforceable.

What a dipshit.

He ended up getting popped for DUI a few years later. I'd imagine his defense was that there was ONLY ONE "don't drink and drive" message on his whiskey bottle!

[K-dog]

Originally posted by StuntrHuntr
He ended up getting popped for DUI a few years later. I'd imagine his defense was that there was ONLY ONE "don't drink and drive" message on his whiskey bottle!

'well sir, we have conclusive evidence that you were seeing two of them.'

:barf :laughing

[XXshawnXX]

if traffic is really bad as it usually is on fridays. and theres the hov lane backed up on the ramp to get on the other side of 80 in emeryville can i go on the side of the lane even though its one lane and an hov lane?

kind of a confusing question but thought id throw it out there

[motorman4life]

Originally posted by XXshawnXX
if traffic is really bad as it usually is on fridays. and theres the hov lane backed up on the ramp to get on the other side of 80 in emeryville can i go on the side of the lane even though its one lane and an hov lane?
Maybe you could clarify. Is there a solid white or yellow line that you are crossing there?

[XXshawnXX]

yellow on the left , white on the right next to a wall and about a 3 foot gap between the white line and the wall. its a left hov lane where 80 joins like 580 right by ikea in emeryville

[b.rock]

The HOV direct connector from 80/580 to 80/SFOBB? That's one lane, no splitting - you're talking about riding on the shoulder of a one lane ramp.
I think you'd get cited eventually, when a LEO catches you doing it.

[mud]

Originally posted by motorman4life
Motorcycles are allowed with a single rider in ALL carpool and HOV lanes in CA.

Can I quote you on that one when I ride in a "BUSES ONLY" HOV lane?

I understand that a MC can travel in the HOV lane, but a sign or painted segment of the roadway (technically a "traffic control device," no?) specifically states "BUSES ONLY." I'd be concerned about getting a ticket for riding in that particular lane.

FWIW, section 21655.5 (b) of the CA Vehicle Code states:

"The Department of Transportation and local authorities, with respect to highways under their respective jurisdictions, shall place
and maintain, or cause to be placed and maintained, signs and other official traffic control devices to designate the exclusive or
preferential lanes, to advise motorists of the applicable vehicle occupancy levels, and, except where ramp metering and bypass lanes
are regulated with the activation of traffic signals, to advise motorists of the hours of high-occupancy vehicle usage. No person
shall drive a vehicle upon those lanes except in conformity with the instructions imparted by the official traffic control devices. A motorcycle, a mass transit vehicle, or a paratransit vehicle that is clearly and identifiably marked on all sides of the vehicle with the name of the paratransit provider may be operated upon those exclusive or preferential use lanes unless specifically prohibited by a traffic control device."

[b.rock]

Bus-only lanes are different. They are not HOV lanes. They are Bus-only lanes.

[mud]

Actually, a bus lane is an HOV lane. HOV being "High Occupancy Vehicle." The only distinction made is the sign, "BUSES ONLY."

So, that's what I'm trying to clear up for the benefit of this board.

I keep reading about people who think it's OK to take the buses-only lane, no matter what the sign says. You and I may know that it's a bus-only lane, but there are obviously more than a few confused riders out there.



Originally posted by b.rock
Bus-only lanes are different. They are not HOV lanes. They are Bus-only lanes.

[b.rock]

Originally posted by mud
Actually, a bus lane is an HOV lane. HOV being "High Occupancy Vehicle." The only distinction made is the sign, "BUSES ONLY."

So, that's what I'm trying to clear up for the benefit of this board.

I keep reading about people who think it's OK to take the buses-only lane, no matter what the sign says. You and I may know that it's a bus-only lane, but there are obviously more than a few confused riders out there.
I know what HOV means. :)
We can rest secure in our superiority then. What I was saying was that it's not a normal HOV lane.
If you actually don't get this sign, you should a) not drive and b) not breed. :p
http://westcoastroads.com/california/images075/i-080_wb_exit_008a_02.jpg

[Razel]

Originally posted by b.rock
I know what HOV means. :)
We can rest secure in our superiority then. What I was saying was that it's not a normal HOV lane.
If you actually don't get this sign, you should a) not drive and b) not breed. :p
http://westcoastroads.com/california/images075/i-080_wb_exit_008a_02.jpg It is a normal HOV lane. See, there's a diamond symbol on that sign (there's also another sign over to the right so cars with three people and motorcycles can use it during the "commute" hours posted on that sign). As mentioned, "unless specifically prohibited" applies here. "Buses only" specifically excludes everyone else outside the commute hours.

No wonder it takes the traffic engineering folks so long to get things done. Takes forever to get the wording just right... :teeth

[b.rock]

I do believe that sign on the right says Buses Only, does it not?
A normal HOV Lane in district 4 here is not 24/7 so that wouldn't be normal anyhow! :teeth

[motorman4life]

Originally posted by b.rock
I do believe that sign on the right says Buses Only, does it not?
A normal HOV Lane in district 4 here is not 24/7 so that wouldn't be normal anyhow! :teeth

It is a commute lane (available to all m/c's and 3 pax cars, or 2-seaters w/2 riders) during the posted commute hours, M-F, and a "bus only" lane the remainder of the time.

[b.rock]

I think the moral of the story here is that bus only lanes are never open to single occupant vehicles, unlike normal HOV lanes here, and that 24/7 HOV lanes are superior (wait, this is teh interweb, check the grammar!) PwNZ commute HOV lanes.
District 4 Sux0rz! :teeth