California Highway Patrol is set to begin an enforcement blitz this month to crack down on carpool lane cheaters approaching the Bay Bridge.
Officers will focus largely on a westbound lane that connects to the toll plaza from Interstate 80, 880 or West Grand Avenue, meant to serve as a shortcut for Transbay buses or cars with at least three people inside. Crafty or impatient motorists often slip in during rush hour to dodge the worst traffic coming from the MacArthur Maze, infuriating everyone else forced to crawl among the masses.
But drivers who break the rules risk citations that carry fines of $490 or more, CHP officials warned on Wednesday morning. That includes solo drivers of electric or hybrid vehicles who once enjoyed free access to carpool lanes, a perk they could claim by sticking "clean-air" decals on their bumpers. The privilege expired last year after Congress declined to pass legislation to extend it.
Now, law enforcement agencies say they won't abide anyone breaking the rules.
"The signs at access points to the lane are clear and unambiguous. They read 'Buses Only,'" said Lt. Ed Clarke of the CHP's Oakland Area, referring to road signage over a diamond lane that snakes up to the busy span.
Despite its wording, Caltrans and CHP allow motorcyclists and carpools to use the lane as well from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., peak commute periods when other drivers are prohibited.
Acting Caltrans District 4 Director Doanh Nguyen, who is also a Bay Area Toll Authority commissioner, noted that transformation is underway at the Bay Bridge, where a row of toll booths that has long functioned as the border between Oakland and San Francisco will soon be demolished. Drivers will instead cruise under a gantry with cameras and sensors to read the FasTrak tags in their windshields.
In this frictionless future, people will pay their bridge toll ideally without too much stop-and-go, resting their feet on the accelerator pedals as they gaze out at the frothy breakers and the vast blue sky.
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This article originally published at A CHP crackdown targets this form of cheating at the Bay Bridge. Here's how much violators will pay.