On the morning of March 15 commuters fumed when the Santa Monica Freeway’s general-purpose lanes were suddenly turned into a parking lot, with the new diamond lanes largely empty. Watching the nightly 6 p.m. news with my parents, the diamond lane debacle was ready-made television. By taking away one of four lanes, Caltrans removed 25% of usable real estate for motorists without offering much in the way of viable alternatives for solo drivers. Saboteurs dumped tacks on the diamond lane and blotted out the diamond insignias with paint. Even “Tonight Show” host Johnny Carson made it the punchline of a joke as the mystic Carnac the Magnificent:Answer: The diamond lane.

Source: Los Angeles Times September 20, 2021 10:18 UTC