Q: Hello Honk: When I am driving north on Sepulveda Boulevard right before Victory Boulevard in the Van Nuys area, the far-right lane says it is for buses and bikes only. At what point am I allowed to enter that lane to make a right turn onto Victory?
– Bob Linden, Sherman Oaks
A: Expect this scenario, Bob — coming across shared bike and bus lanes at Los Angeles intersections — to occur more and more as such lanes are added leading up to the Olympics.
And cyclists, bus drivers, walkers and the motoring public need to have a head on a swivel paired with the calmness of a snail around such intersections — a lot could be going on.
To get the goods for you, Honk went to the Los Angeles Department of Transportation and showed officials your question.
“Vehicles can enter the bus lane to make right turns where the solid line marking the edge of the bus lane becomes dashed at the approach of an intersection,” he was told in an email.
“Drivers can also enter the bus lane to turn into a driveway, or while maneuvering in or out of parking spaces when and where parking is permitted adjacent to the bus lane.”
The City of Angeles has various types of lanes to accommodate buses and bikes. There are bus lanes only in play during rush hours, and there are spots where buses and bikes have their own lanes next to one another.
Q: Hey Honk: Has the Department of Motor Vehicles started handing out the new sequence of standard-issue license plates? I know you have covered this topic before.
– Ann Morgan, Gardena
A: Oh, he has — many readers are fascinated with the topic.
The last pair of standard plates for cars in the old configuration, with “9ZZZ999” on them, is expected to leave a DMV warehouse in July.
We knew that here in Honkland, and we knew that the series all started with 1AAA000 back in 1980 (No wonder why that sequence has lasted so long — it has offered more than 100 million license plate combinations).
The new series simply flips the number-letter sequence and started with 000AAA1. We knew that, too.
What Honk didn’t know, Ann, until you broached the subject and he dug into it, is that the old and new series are overlapping for a bit.
“The DMV started issuing the plates with the new sequence in February of this year,” said Ronald Ongtoaboc, a DMV spokesperson. “Currently, a small number of offices are issuing plates with the new sequence to ensure a seamless transition.”
HONKIN’ FACT: In 2024, 22,713 people in passenger vehicles were killed nationwide, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Nearly half of those were not wearing a seat belt, officials determined.
In 2017, the agency says, a study determined that 14,955 lives were saved by those wearing a seat belt.
To ask Honk questions, reach him at honk@ocregister.com. He only answers those that are published. To see Honk online: ocregister.com/tag/honk. Twitter: @OCRegisterHonk