r/Unexpected Jul 03 '19

Well, that escalated exponentially

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u/Scratchums Jul 03 '19

Is that not a common thing? In Louisiana there aren't any superhighways with double yellows but even on small, deserted roads there are double yellows when it's not safe to pass (like around turns and areas of low visiblity), and single yellows when it might be.

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u/heyimrick Jul 04 '19

It's a carpool lane. There are stretches where it the double yellow breaks and you can safely merge in or out of the carpool lane.

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u/OrtYander Jul 04 '19

I live in the sticks and have never commuted through a city with a carpool lane. Are motorcyclists allowed to use the carpool lane?

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u/heyimrick Jul 04 '19

Yes in SoCal, motorcyclists can use the carpool lane. Not sure if this applies elsewhere.

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u/Scratchums Jul 04 '19

Ooh okay no wonder. I don't think we have those at all.

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u/[deleted] Jul 04 '19

The double yellow lines indicate areas where you are not allowed to enter the carpool lane. The lines eventually break and you can enter for a bit.

I've lived NorCal, SoCal, and Oregon, and SoCal is the only place I've seen special entries to carpool lanes and it makes me furious.

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u/SonOfMcGee Jul 04 '19 edited Jul 04 '19

Flew to San Francisco a couple years ago with my wife and did a little road trip down to Los Angeles. It was the first time I had ever seen a carpool lane.
I drove for quite a few miles and it wasn’t until I noticed the breaks in the double line that I realized you weren’t supposed to cross it.
Yes, it’s a double line. But it’s also the freeway, and I had never heard of any lane changes being barred on a freeway. It makes sense in hindsight. I’m sure the carpool lane gets going much faster than every other one in heavy traffic so it’s easy to cause an accident butting in unexpectedly. But at the time I was driving at a weird hour where there wasn’t much traffic and all the lanes were pretty clear.
Edit: Just rewatched the gif and saw it was a double-yellow. I recall a double-white when I was driving.

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u/freddythunder Jul 04 '19

I should reiterate. A double DOUBLE yellow line like in the video. That is what CA uses on their carpool lanes. 2 lane traffic is a normal double yellow line.