Car pool lanes can be found in hundreds of freeways across the United States, from coast to coast, and greatly help the drivers in their cities. In car pool lanes, only vehicles with multiple occupants can drive, which greatly assists traffic during rush hour commutes. Car pool lanes allow people to get to work faster (even in the heart of rush hour, car pool lanes normally operate at standard freeway speeds), and encourage people to ride together, instead of separately. By doing this, there are less drivers on the road, which makes traffic better for everyone, even those who aren’t in the car pool lane. Less cars also means less gas money, fewer carbon emissions, and less damaged roads (and therefore less taxpayer money towards freeway repair).
Motorcycles are also allowed in car pool lanes, and in some states, vehicles running on alternative fuel can drive in the car pool lane even with only one occupant. All of this serves to create a freeway with a quick and easy option for commuters (or people who are just trying to drive through rush hour). Car pool lanes save drivers time and money, as well as the peace of mind of not having to sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic.
Like many traffic laws, car pool lane rules vary from state to state, so Arkansas drivers should always pay attention to road signs when they leave Arkansas and prepare to use another state’s car pool rules.
Are there car pool lanes in Arkansas?
Despite the fact that Arkansas has more than 16,000 miles of roads, there are currently no car pool lanes in the state. When car pool lanes first became popular, Arkansas decided that it would not be beneficial to give up a lane to carpoolers, and instead opted to keep all their freeways full of all-access lanes. They also elected to not build additional lanes for those freeways to facilitate designated car pool areas.
Will there be car pool lanes in Arkansas anytime soon?
Despite the popularity of car pool lanes throughout the country, and despite their efficacy, it does not appear that Arkansas will be building any car pool lanes anytime soon.
The state is about to embark on a 10-year tax funded road project called the Connecting Arkansas Program, which will both add and maintain roads and freeways throughout the state. Yet despite the fact that Arkansas is preparing to begin this $1.8 billion project, there are currently no plans for any of the projects to include the addition of a car pool lane.
Planning is still finalizing, so there’s a chance that could change, but for now it appears that Arkansas is content to stay free of car pool lanes. Drivers who find this antiquated or cumbersome are urged to contact the Connecting Arkansas Program, or the Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department to voice their desires and concerns.
Car pool lanes make commute times faster for many workers without harming others, and save time, money, roads, and the environment. They’re a beneficial aspect of many freeways across the country, and hopefully they’ll have a future in the great state of Arkansas.
