IIRC, the carpool lanes in the Bay Area require three people per car, whereas the carpool lanes in LA only require two people per car. Thus, the carpool lanes in the Bay are largely empty, while the carpool lanes in LA usually have a steady stream of traffic moving at a decent clip, depending on the time of day.
Seems to me that the three person per car rule in the Bay largely defeats the purpose of the carpool lane. It might be possible to find one person to share rides to work within a particular area, but two?
I'm glad I can still ride my bicycle to work.
