Cal trans recently expanded Highway 101 carpool lane (HOV) hours in Marin and Sonoma to 5–10 a.m. and 3–7 p.m., Monday–Friday. On paper, this looks like progress. In practice, it makes traffic worse for the majority of North Bay commuters. The Reality of North Bay Commuters • Carpooling isn’t realistic here. People live in scattered towns (Novato, Petaluma, Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa, Windsor) and work all over the Bay Area. Coordinating carpool schedules across distances, childcare, and variable work hours just isn’t feasible for most. • Transit is limited. SMART and Golden Gate Transit cover only certain routes and times. Most jobs can’t be reached without long transfers or added driving. • Work patterns have changed. Many office workers now commute only 2–3 days a week. The “rush hour” is shorter, sharper, and different than before COVID — but HOV restrictions were broadened instead of tailored. Who Decided This? Policy groups like TAM and MTC, often based in the East Bay, don’t experience the day-to-day 101 grind in Marin and Sonoma. Many of them also work remotely several days a week. Meanwhile, full-time commuters in the North Bay lose a usable lane during times when traffic flow is already smooth (for example, 5 p.m. south of Petaluma now has no congestion at all). The Result • A brand-new third lane in the Narrows finally gave us relief — but converting it to HOV will choke two lanes for the majority of drivers while one sits underused. • The extended hours don’t reflect actual congestion patterns in this corridor. Drivers now face longer commutes not because of volume, but because of rules. Our Ask 1. Re-evaluate the new HOV hours using up-to-date traffic counts from fall 2025. 2. Delay HOV restrictions in newly widened segments until data shows they’re needed. 3. Tailor hours to real congestion in Marin–Sonoma, instead of applying a one-size-fits-all East Bay schedule. The North Bay deserves traffic policy that matches reality, not paperwork goals.