The Benicia-Martinez Bridge (I-680) offers beautiful views of the Carquinez straight, and the only free carpool lane in the Bay Area.
Drivers with FasTrak are charged the regular $5 bridge toll, but carpoolers are given a $2.50 discount to the 14 mile bridge.
Do people always follow the rules? Of course not. Which is why the California Highway Patrol is spending $100,000 to upgrade from verifying carpool occupancy with human eyes to cameras.
If you haven’t been following the rules up until now, this might be a good time to start.
