Carpools

The city's first park-and-ride station has been established for car and van-pool participants. About 50 spaces are now being set aside for commuters by the Ramada Inn at 35 Calle de Industrias, near Interstate 5's Avenida Pico interchange. "We felt the area needed a park-and-ride," said Maria Lopez, spokeswoman for the South Orange County Transportation Management Assn.

A SigAlert was issued Tuesday morning for the southbound 405 Freeway north of Sunset Boulevard. A three-car crash about 6:30 a.m. blocked all southbound lanes temporarily, creating a traffic jam through the Sepulveda Pass and back to the 101 freeway, a California Highway Patrol official said. Crews eventually cleared all but the carpool lane, which remained blocked as of 7 a.m. A SigAlert would be in effect through at least 7:15 a.m., officials said. ALSO: 5-year-old girl critically injured in possible street-racing crash Arson investigators probe cause of apartment blaze that killed 1 LAX flight status boards hacked, telling passengers to exit terminal joseph.serna@latimes.com @josephserna

Only Southern California would mark the opening of congestion-clearing carpool lanes with a traffic-stopping parade of classic cars. That is precisely what transportation officials did Thursday to celebrate the long-awaited closure of a six-mile gap in the San Diego Freeway carpool lanes between the Harbor and Long Beach freeways, creating the longest stretch of continuous carpool lanes in Southern California--59.5 miles, from Los Angeles International Airport to San Juan Capistrano.

A bill by Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Sliver Lake) that would allow solo drivers to use carpool lanes during non-peak hours on the 134 Freeway in Glendale and Burbank has been amended to possibly include other local freeways. Gatto's bill, AB 405, passed its first hurdle Monday after it was approved by the Assembly Transportation Committee on a 15-1 vote. It was originally drafted to only apply to the section of the 134 Freeway, but was amended to include other roads in Los Angeles County that are deemed appropriate by the California Department of Transportation , including the 210 Freeway.

John Streltzoff says they helped him put his children through college. Bernard Hernandez believes they saved his career as an engineer. But Kimberly Arguelles has a story to top them all. Without carpools, she says, she might never have been reunited with the sister she hadn't seen since they were young girls. "I still can't believe it," says Arguelles, 32. To the compendium of war stories and quirky tales that make up the urban lore of our lives, we add Tales From the Fast Lane.

Congress has approved more than $3 million in funding for an elevated carpool lane between the Costa Mesa and San Diego freeways. "This is so drivers don't have to leave a high occupancy vehicle lane when changing freeways," said John Standiford, spokesman for the Orange County Transportation Authority. The funding is contained in the $12.6-billion 1997 transportation spending bill approved Wednesday by both the House and Senate.

Nearly two dozen Southland businesses and individuals have been honored during the second annual Rideshare Diamond Awards, a recognition for their efforts to promote carpooling. "Businesses and employers play an important role in the promotion of ridesharing and alternative commuting, and it is important to acknowledge their efforts to limit the number of cars on our roads and enhance our overall air quality," said Jim Sims, director of Southern California Rideshare.

If a faster drive in the diamond lane or companionship isn't enough to get you to carpool, consider this new incentive: discounts at restaurants, bowling alleys, video stores and other businesses. On Wednesday, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority put in gear its Club Metro, a program that provides discount cards to certain commuters who at least some days over six months do not drive alone.

In an effort to ease the commute home for San Fernando Valley motorists, a one-mile stretch of southbound Sepulveda Boulevard near Mulholland Drive will be restricted to northbound car-pools and buses on weekday afternoons beginning next Thursday, Mayor Tom Bradley announced Wednesday. The pilot program, the first of its kind in Los Angeles County, is aimed at inducing motorists to join car-pools or ride buses.

Carpools of three or more people can drive the 91 Express Lanes on the Riverside Freeway free of charge starting next month, except when traveling east during the evening rush hour. The Orange County Transportation Authority's board approved the toll relief Monday after weeks of study to determine whether the change would congest the lanes and affect OCTA's ability to pay the road's debts.

Ford Motor Co. had some good news for California drivers Thursday: Its Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid had been approved for use in the state's carpool lanes. The Fusion plug-in is the third Ford vehicle currently sold that is eligible for the much-coveted HOV sticker, which allows owners to use their cars in the carpool lanes with only a single passenger. Ford's all-electric Focus EV and it C-Max Energi plug-in hybrid are also eligible for the stickers. The Dearborn, Mich., automaker said it's one of only two companies offering three vehicles that are HOV eligible.

A Los Angeles-area lawmaker wants to extend free access to some carpool lanes for Californians driving clean-energy cars. The legislation, written by Assemblyman Bob Blumenfield (D-Woodland Hills), applies to vehicles running on electricity, hydrogen or natural gas. Under legislation sponsored by Blumenfield last year, a driver behind the wheel of one of these cars doesn't need to meet an occupancy requirement to drive in a carpool lane or pay a toll. However, that benefit is set to expire in 2015.

California Assemblyman Bob Blumenfield says that green car buyers deserve a bigger reward than they are getting for helping to reduce emissions. That's why the San Fernando Valley lawmaker wants to extend an existing perk for 10 more years. Drivers of electric, natural gas- and hydrogen-powered cars can already ignore occupancy requirements and drive in a carpool lane or pay a toll. But that benefit will expire in 2015. The Blumenfield bill--AB 266--was introduced this week with the goal of extending the clean car perk until 2025.

SACRAMENTO - Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation Friday outlawing the open carrying of rifles and shotguns in cities across California. The measure was among dozens of bills the governor approved that take effect Jan. 1, including proposals intended to help curb student fee hikes at the state's public universities and exempt hybrid drivers from toll charges in carpool lanes. Brown also signed a measure banning state agencies from regulating Internet phone service - a priority for the tech industry - and took steps to establish a state-run retirement plan for low-wage, private-sector workers.

SACRAMENTO - State lawmakers sent two road-related proposals to the governor Tuesday, one that would hike fines for Californians who use a cellphone while driving and another that would exempt hybrid drivers from toll charges in car-pool lanes. The cellphone bill, SB 1310 by state Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto), would increase the current fine for driving while using a hands-on phone or text messaging from $20 to $30 for a first offense, and from $50 to $60 for a subsequent offense.

A bill that would prevent local transit agencies from tossing solo drivers in zero- and low-emission vehicles out of some car-pool lanes cleared the California Assembly on Thursday. The legislation, authored by  Assemblyman Bob Blumenfield (D-Woodland Hills), would  allow cars with a Clean Air Vehicle Sticker free access to carpool lanes that are converted to High Occupancy Toll lanes. There are a number of such projects around the state and agencies such as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority plan to make any solo drivers pay for access, regardless of what they are driving.  Car-poolers and buses will still be able to use the lanes without charge.

The California Transportation Commission on Wednesday authorized construction of inbound and outbound car-pool lanes on the Ventura Freeway between the Golden State and Hollywood freeways. The new high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes will be built in the median area of the 5.08-mile section of freeway, allowing the existing four lanes in each direction to remain, said Joe Shaw, spokesman for the California Department of Transportation. Shaw said the $14.

Carpool-driving parents are "inconsistent" about using booster seats -- child safety restraints designed for kids who are too big for forward-facing car seats but too small for a regular seat belt to fit them properly -- researchers said Monday. A team of physicians and public health experts from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and the University of Colorado in Denver reviewed data collected from 681 parents of children ages 4 to 8 who had participated in a January 2010 nationwide Web-based survey that included 12 questions on booster seat use.  They found that 76% of those surveyed did use a safety seat when driving their children in the family car.  But of the 64% of respondents who said they drove a carpool, 20% said that they did not always ask other drivers to use booster seats when driving their kids in a carpool.  And only 55% said that they always make their child use a booster seat when they were driving a carpool in which other children did not have a booster.