The tollway board a week ago approved a proposal that would spend $400 million on a new “Green Lane” traffic project. Left lanes would turn into designated “carpool lanes”. Only drivers with other passengers accompanying them would be able to use this lane as well as the regular I-PASS lane.

Solo drivers, though, would have to pay a higher price. Wait. What? Drivers in express lanes who own hybrid cars would pay a toll that’s higher than these carpoolers and less than solo drivers. There are also more factors up for debate.

The goal is to have a decrease of drivers on the road and encourage people to carpool to reduce gas and air pollution. For many, the drive (no pun intended) for ways to make the roads more environmentally safe is prosperous and much appreciated during times when change is needed.

But whenever you add new changes to the equation, this also opens other cans of worms. While predictions for the new green system are not clear, many drawbacks are present now. The traffic in non-green lanes could just mean slower and heavier traffic while the specific assignments for lanes leave plenty of room for rule bending and breaking.

For instance, cutting and switching lanes leave drivers wondering who’s going to be able to tell which driver is where they should be at a given time. People know perfectly well that other drivers will be cutting lanes as they normally do. Adding a new lane (and particularly one that’s specific) could mean taking away a lane and just giving way to more traffic.

Also, if the new carpool system leaves less cars on the road, will authorities face a budget decrease and regret the idea? This is a project that’s still in the works and has room for more organization. The year 2010 is when the tollway authority is shooting to have the first pilot carpool lane activated.

They have a set amount of $1.4 billion to spend on more interchanges. One plan involves connecting 1-294 and 1-57 for the southern suburbs. These changes will be supported by a toll increase of 60 percent for commercial vehicles that will begin between 2015 and 2017.