What are the auto pool rules in Arkansas?
Auto pool lanes can be found on hundreds of freeways throughout the United States, coast to coast, and are a great help to drivers in their cities. Car lanes can only be used by cars with a few passengers, which greatly facilitates traffic during rush hour. Parking lanes allow people to get to work faster (even during the peak of rush hour, group car lanes usually operate at standard highway speeds) and encourage people to drive together rather than individually. Thus, there are fewer drivers on the road, which improves traffic for everyone, even for those who are not in the lane of the car pool. Fewer cars also means less money for gasoline, less carbon emissions, and fewer damaged roads (and therefore less taxpayer money to fix freeways).
Motorcycles are also allowed in car lanes, and in some states, alternative fuel vehicles can drive in car lanes with even one passenger. All this serves to create a freeway with a quick and easy option for passengers (or people who are just trying to get through during rush hour). Car pool lanes save drivers time and money, and provide peace of mind as they don't have to congest in crowded traffic.
As with many traffic laws, fleet rules vary from state to state, so Arkansas drivers should always pay attention to road signs when they leave Arkansas and be prepared to use another state's fleet rules.
Does Arkansas have parking lanes?
Despite having over 16,000 miles of roads in Arkansas, there are currently no parking lanes in the state. When car pool lanes first became popular, the state of Arkansas decided that it would not be profitable to cede the lane to car pools and instead decided to leave all of its freeways filled with full access lanes. They also decided not to build additional lanes for these highways in order to facilitate designated car parking areas.
Will there be parking lanes in Arkansas anytime soon?
Despite the popularity of car park lanes across the country, and despite their effectiveness, it looks like Arkansas won't be building any car park lanes anytime soon.
The state is about to embark on a 10-year tax-funded road project called the Arkansas Connectivity Program that will add and maintain roads and freeways across the state. However, while Arkansas is gearing up to start this $1.8 billion project, there are currently no plans for any of the projects to add a car pool lane.
Planning is still finalizing, so there's a chance this could change, but for now, Arkansas appears to be content with no car pool lanes. Drivers who find this outdated or cumbersome are strongly encouraged to contact the Connecting Arkansas Program or the Arkansas Department of Highways and Transportation to voice their wishes and concerns.
Car pool lanes reduce commute times for many workers without harming others, and save time, money, roads and the environment. They are a useful aspect of many freeways across the country and hopefully have a future in the great state of Arkansas.
