Going To Extremes To Use The Carpool Lane

A commuter resorts to creative, but illegal means to use the carpool lane.

1 minute read

November 4, 2005, 2:00 PM PST

By Irvin Dawid


“Morgan, 28, of Petaluma was slapped with a $351 citation in Marinwood yesterday for driving in a carpool lane with a kickboxing dummy propped up in the passenger seat, the California Highway Patrol said.”

"Carpool lanes are making criminals out of people who are simply trying to make it to work on time," California Assemblyman Ray Haynes, a Riverside Republican, wrote in a 2000 editorial against carpool lanes. "Some motorists have used imaginative deceptions to appear eligible for carpool lanes. Some have been caught with dummies in the passenger seat".

Links below descibe alternatives to resorting to cheating to use the carpool lane - such as a $2 to $8 toll that helps fund mass transit.

Thanks to Metropolitan Transportation Commission library, Oakland, CA

Thursday, November 3, 2005 in Marin Independent Journal

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 9, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Map of Haussmann's redesign of Paris in the 1850s through 1870s under Napoleon III.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking

Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

June 30, 2025 - Tom Sanchez

View of dense apartment buildings on Seattle waterfront with high-rise buildings in background.

King County Supportive Housing Program Offers Hope for Unhoused Residents

The county is taking a ‘Housing First’ approach that prioritizes getting people into housing, then offering wraparound supportive services.

July 11 - Real Change

Aerial view of suburban housing near Las Vegas, Nevada.

Researchers Use AI to Get Clearer Picture of US Housing

Analysts are using artificial intelligence to supercharge their research by allowing them to comb through data faster. Though these AI tools can be error prone, they save time and housing researchers are optimistic about the future.

July 11 - Shelterforce Magazine

Green bike share bikes parked in a row on a commercial street with outdoor dining and greenery.

Making Shared Micromobility More Inclusive

Cities and shared mobility system operators can do more to include people with disabilities in planning and operations, per a new report.

July 11 - Cities Today