Caltrans Says Merging Lanes Meet Standards

Dear Traffic Talk:

There is a part of the Ventura Freeway (134) in Studio City that is very confusing.

At the point where the 134 ends and merges into the 101 westbound Ventura Freeway, it appears that three lanes converge into one at the same time.

The No. 1 lane is for car-pooling. It ends and merges into the No. 2 lane just as the No. 2 and 3 lanes also merge.

I think perhaps the carpool lane should end sooner. Or, at least there should be a greater number and clearer warning signs.

On several occasions, I have seen cars swerve to avoid vehicles crunching into the same lane. A big pileup is waiting to happen.

Kenneth Chane, Chatsworth

*

Dear Kenneth:

High-occupancy vehicle lanes are designed according to Federal Highway Administration standards, according to Caltrans. The end of the carpool lane at that location meets those standards, according to officials.

At the junction of the two freeways, the two slower lanes on the westbound Ventura 134 merge into one another, not with the carpool lane, said Pat Reid, a Caltrans spokeswoman.

Those two right-most lanes are clearly marked with “merge left” signs, Reid said.

However, because the carpool lane runs into its own No. 1 lane, signs are not required there.

Also, the carpool lane cannot be shortened for safety reasons, according to Caltrans.

Among those reasons is concern over the congestion on the Ventura 101 that backs up onto the connector road.

If the end of the carpool lane were closer to the connector road, drivers would try to go into the last part of it to avoid congestion on the right side of the freeway, officials say.

Some drivers might also try to move abruptly left into the regular fast lane at slower speeds. This could cause rear-end accidents as the faster-traffic from the carpool lane moved right into regular traffic.

****

Dear Traffic Talk:

I’m confused when I travel up the hill on Wilbur Avenue in the Porter Ranch area and make a right turn onto Rinaldi Street.

When turning right, one is supposed to turn into the closest, or slowest, lane.

In this situation, the closest lane to the curb on Rinaldi is a bicycle lane.

If I were to take a driver’s test, would I treat the bicycle lane as if it’s a parking lane?

Betty Liptz, Burbank

*

Dear Betty:

Rinaldi Street in that area has bicycle lanes in both directions. The lanes are wide enough that they almost resemble motor-vehicle lanes.

Turning right on Rinaldi from northbound Wilbur, the right-most part of the street is a bicycle lane. That lane is separated from the rest of the street by a solid white line and road signs indicating its purpose.

To the left of the bicycle lane are two regular eastbound motor vehicle lanes marked by broken white lines.

Driving a motor vehicle in bicycle lanes is illegal. Parking is ordinarily not allowed to the right of the lanes unless an additional zone is marked between the curb and the actual bike lane, according to authorities.

A person taking a driver’s test should avoid the bicycle lane altogether.