High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane, also known as the carpool or diamond lane, is a traffic management strategy to promote and encourage ridesharing; thereby alleviating congestion and maximizing the people-carrying capacity of California highways.HOV lane is usually located on the inside (left) lane and is identified by signs along the freeway and white diamond symbols painted on the pavement. In Northern California, HOV lanes are only operational on Monday thru Friday during posted peak congestion hours, for example: between 6 a.m. - 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. - 7 p.m. All other vehicles may use the lanes during off-peak hours. This is referred to as "part-time" operation. In Southern California, HOV lanes are generally separated from other lanes by a buffer zone. The HOV lanes are in effect 24-hours a day, 7-days a week, referred to as "full-time" operation.The locations of the HOV system are based on postmiles derived from an excel spreadsheet maintained by Caltrans, Division of Traffic Operations, Office of System Management Operations.
