‘Lost Opportunity’ Bemoaned : State Still Pushing for Diamond Lanes

Despite the criticism that forced abandonment last month of plans for a “diamond lane” on the Ventura Freeway, the California Transportation Commission decided Thursday to continue promoting construction of the lanes, which are restricted to car pools and buses.

Several members of the commission, which controls highway spending in the state, bemoaned what one called a lost opportunity to increase the carrying capacity of the Ventura Freeway through the San Fernando Valley.

The proposed diamond lane for the freeway, the nation’s busiest with 270,000 vehicles daily, was dropped by the state Department of Transportation on Feb. 20 in response to opposition from homeowner organizations and local elected officials.

Instead of the proposed eastbound diamond lane and a westbound lane open to all vehicles, Caltrans will add a general-use lane in each direction between the Hollywood Freeway and Topanga Canyon Boulevard in Woodland Hills, a 13-mile stretch.

Construction is to begin late this year and to be completed in 1990.

Commissioners conducted a post-mortem examination on the Ventura Freeway situation Thursday at their regular monthly meeting at Napa Valley College.

They took no vote, leaving in effect a 1980 policy to require consideration of the feasibility of diamond lanes--so-called because they are identified by diamonds painted in them--whenever a freeway is widened.

Three weeks ago, to fulfill a requirement of that policy, Caltrans announced it was beginning a study of installing such a lane on Interstate 405 between the Ventura Freeway and the Orange County line.

The study will focus on five upcoming widening projects on heavily congested I-405.

There are three diamond lanes in operation in Southern California --on the Costa Mesa and Artesia freeways, and the El Monte busway.