California Rewrites HOV Laws To Exclude Hybrid Vehicles

If the whole point of the laws was to save greenhouse gases, then the hybrids should be stuck in traffic where they pollute the least and the multi-occupant vehicles be allowed in the HOV lanes.

Hybrids in general pollute the most at highway speeds.

makes far too much sense, I've thought this all along, these special lanes should be kept for buses and big rigs.

yes lets give incentives to drive gas guzzlers! You get to drive in the HOV lane! People who chose to use less gas should stay in the heavy traffic!

Morons.(in case sarcasm is lost on you BSBB)

lol 800over this isn't a very hard concept to grasp. Yet you fail triumphantly at grasping it.

Please explain it to me Joe...

800over

It is this simple. Hybrids are at their best in gridlock / Heavy Stop & Go Situations.

On Highways and free flowing roads Hybrids are actually at a disadvantage and pollute more than their Regular Petrol / Diesel Counterparts as the Hybrid Vehicles have to haul around the extra Weight of the Batteries and Electric Motors.

So on Highways giving Hybrids access to the HOV Lanes is one of the MOST STUPID THING a State can do as they are actually encouraging Inefficiency.

Please give me an example of the below...I'd love to see one:

"On Highways and free flowing roads Hybrids are actually at a disadvantage and pollute more than their Regular Petrol / Diesel Counterparts as the Hybrid Vehicles have to haul around the extra Weight of the Batteries and Electric Motors."

I guess that means that at highways speeds the Prius gets worse fuel economy than......what?

I love how nobody in this thread understands supply and demand. HOV lanes don't reduce greenhouse emmissions by HAVING hybrids in them. HOV lanes give an incentive to people to drive hybrid/carpool by limiting access to people who don't carpool or have a hybrid. If gas guzzlers are allowed in the HOV lanes that gives people a REASON to buy a gas guzzler and therefore get into the HOV lanes. HOV lanes are trying to push people to make decisions that they are not normally comfortable with (hybrids/carpooling) to save resources. HOV lanes aren't just to get hybrid drivers to their destination faster....that's just the incentive to get people to carpool/buy a hybrid.

I love how nobody in this thread understands supply and demand. HOV lanes don't reduce greenhouse emmissions by HAVING hybrids in them. HOV lanes give an incentive to people to drive hybrid/carpool by limiting access to people who don't carpool or have a hybrid. If gas guzzlers are allowed in the HOV lanes that gives people a REASON to buy a gas guzzler and therefore get into the HOV lanes. HOV lanes are trying to push people to make decisions that they are not normally comfortable with (hybrids/carpooling) to save resources. HOV lanes aren't just to get hybrid drivers to their destination faster....that's just the incentive to get people to carpool/buy a hybrid.

Those who drive Gas Guzzlers and cant bother to to have 2 or more passengers ( 2 or 3 depending on HOV rule) are not be rewarded. Thats the whole point! So you can choose what to drive (as long as it is legal but must bear the ramifications of it.
As for Hybrids, every manufacturer is ensuring that they are on the bandwagon. Why ? CAFE, EU rules, China, Japan and Asia enforce the fact that frugal vehicles are given tax benefits to their end consumers.
Their will still be US specific vehicles (aka Pickups, SUV derivatives and big crossovers) but increasingly the future is in Hybrids.

Only in California would a High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane that is meant to keep a lesser total number of vehicles on the road and encourage carpooling be misinterpreted to be a Low Emissions Vehicle lane. No offense to those of you who live there, but whats with the law makers.

Larry B.
Key West

Yes I know Arnold fixed the problem.

Larry B.
Key West

They have the same thing in Ontario.

our HOV lanes are usually empty and it it's not, it's usually very slow because the cars that are in HOV lanes want to exit... good luck because the normal lane is packed.

If they get rid of HOV lane and let everyone use it, it'll be much cleaner for the environment. HOV is a good idea but not in practive. Everything is a good idea in dream land.

Sorry, but using the HOV lanes in LA for regular traffic would only increase rush hour speeds by 2-3 mph.

The problem is that there are SO many cars at rush hour in LA that we'd need another 2-3 lanes to increase speeds by 20-30 mph. In essence, the only solution is fewer cars or to litterally double the capacity of existing freeways.

Thus, there really is no practical solution.

Another way of stating my point is that LA freeways are oversubscribed by 50-60%. Adding one add'l lane only adds an additional 20% of capacity and thus, won't help increase speeds because the freeways will still be oversubscribed (and speeds won't increase appreciably until the the freeways are less than 10% oversubscribed).

Thus, we need 3 add'l lanes to address the 60% problem and get the freeways moving faster.

I am seriously starting to think that in LA/Orange County it is time for a congestion tax...everybody gets a transponder when they register their car..if you are on a peak travel times you pay...if you are on at off peak times you don't...something has to be done.

Occarnut, with all due respect us in California are being taxed enough and I have seen nothing getting better. But I do agree that something needs to be done.

Al Gore fans should not be rewarded..LOL