Here in the wonderful Bay Area, many car pool lanes like the Bay Bridge are 3 person carpools. Using the car pool lane can save a lot of time, and a little money.

Most of the Carreras have a couple of little back seats, that are pretty much worthless for anything but a child less than 10YO. This makes a Carrera really a 2 adult car. If you fold the rear seats down, they look like parcel shelves which might fake a CHP out.

Has anyone had any experience sucessfull/unsucessfull with using the HOV/Carpool lanes at the Bay Bridge? It's a pretty hefty ticket and I would like to know what my odds are before I give it a try.

 

interesting thought - what about GT3/2's with only 2 seats (or other 2 seater cars) Are they allowed with only 2 occupants? (Corvette?) I would ask a patrol while I bought his donut/coffee for a quick answer



(then get him to sign an affidavit and post the whole thing on youtube)

 

You legally can't drive a 2-seater car even with the passenger seat occupied in a 3 person car pool lane.

See here:

http://www.chp.ca.gov/html/answers.html

CHP keeps a pretty sharp eye out for carpool lane "cheats" so you will get nailed eventually if you try to sneak by with just a 2 seater in a 3 person lane.

Even those times I have a passenger in my Boxster or Turbo (with the rear seats folded down) I stay out of the 3 person car pool lanes during their operational hours.

Sincerely,

Macster.

 

I've only seen one police chase of a 911 on youtube. Could you take video please

 

I just sold my Alfa Spider which had two seats and I went through the toll plaza many times and never had a problem. Two seater cars are fine. The problem is cars that can hold more than two people but only have two people in them.

 

What if you remove the rear seats?

 

You won't be able to drive the carrera through with just two people as it is classified as a coupe with four seats. You will definetly get a ticket even if you have the seats down as they know the cars classification. The boxster or any other two seat cars can go through carpool or hov lanes without problem.

 

Gads the days we are in. Maybe installing a roll bar that would make it a two seater

 

It's not worth getting a ticket for.

 

What about an older 911 with a rear Speedster interior deck installed in place of the rear seats? I have that in my 1974. I'm a bit "chicken" to try it though since it IS a hefty ticket. I agree with springgeyser.........it's not worth getting a ticket for!

 

I've driven my C4S in the carpool lanes and across the Benicia bridge many times with only 2 people. Have been observed by CHP and not had a problem.

Edit - not sure if 680 and/or the Benicia bridge have a 2 or 3 person HOV lane.

 

My info is I-80 is the only freeway to have 3 person HOV lanes. All the rest require just 2 people.

Sincerely,

Macster.

 

Well, here is an interesting link, Benicia bridge is 3 people, or 2 people in a 2 seater car is OK:

http://rideshare.511.org/511maps/bTollText.asp

I just crossed the benicia Bridge on the way back from Tahoe and thought I saw 3 people were required.

But, good to see that we have some 911's that have made it through without any you tube quality car chases.

 

Thanks for this informative post. HOV lanes, or carpool lanes, allow automobiles with more than one occupant to skirt busy traffic. It is a benefit for saving fuel and polluting less. A new program in California permits motorists of so-called green cars the same opportunity, even if they are driving alone. I can say that there's a big possibility that this program will be passed into law.

 

If your car only has 2 seats, you can operate it in the HOV lanes calling for 3 ppl w/o problems. But it has to be a true two-seater, not a 911 with vestigal rear seats.

However, if you did get a ticket for this in your 911, put the bailiff and the judge in the rear seats and let them sit through a trans-bridge commute and see if they still view the car as a four-seater at the end of the process.