Opposition To Marin Sonoma Narrows Carpool Hours On US-101 Is Heating Up

PETALUMA, CA — North Bay commuters are campaigning to roll back new, longer carpool hours on US-101.

Carpool lanes now take up nine hours of the day on the Marin Sonoma Narrows, a roadway shared by compact cars, SUVs, utility trucks, and big-wheel trailer trucks hauling cargo.

One woman is gathering signatures on a petition, and others are organizing letter-writing campaigns. Their message is the same: Restore the original carpooling schedule.

The change began in July, but some commuters only noticed after Labor Day , when they saw electronic message boards installed by Caltrans to alert drivers to the new schedule.

CalTrans changed the signs that display the new hours.

However, lighted billboards on US-101 still display the old schedule.

Signs on the middle dividers show the correct hours: 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. mornings, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. afternoons.

The signs are more symptom than problem, according to angry residents pushing back against longer hours.

More than 400 people have signed a petition on Change.org, calling on CalTrans to reverse the new schedule.

The author of the petition, Katie Clayton, called the change abrupt and unwelcome, adding that the schedule is having a disturbing impact on local communities, especially for families, small businesses, and workers.

She cited a lack of community input that left commuters feeling disregarded and frustrated.

She focused on Marin County. But drivers from Sonoma County also signed on, too.

A Rohnert Park resident commented, "I’ve been commuting between Sonoma and Marin counties since 1994. Traffic has gotten steadily worse and adding a carpool lane (while expanding hours, reversing EV accessibility and cutting bus lines) is spectacularly stupid."

Several letter-writing campaigns began on Reddit during the summer, one with the question, "Shall we lobby to revise the final expanded Highway 101 carpool hours?"

"Yes. This is madness. 5am to 10 am, 3pm to 7pm?" came the answer.

However, the move was not without support. One comment in favor called aligning carpool hours between Marin and Sonoma counties "long overdue."

The complaints grew Sept. 2 when many commuters returned to regular commute hours.

CalTrans spokesman Jeff Weiss said the agency has received comments.

He wasn't aware of the petition but said that pushback over the Marin Sonoma Narrows is consistent with similar schedule changes in the past.

A common complaint among the petition and letter writers focused on being surprised by the new hours.

Community outreach happened during a much earlier phase of planning, about a decade ago among multiple agencies from both counties, Weiss said.

Their goal is to have consistent carpool lanes across the Bay Area, which encourages more carpooling and bus-riding.

Parents whose commute involves taking their children to school are unlikely to do either.

The project is nearly complete, Weiss said, adding that it is better to have the change in effect before then.