LOS ANGELES (AP) President Bush's signature on the $286 billion federal transportation bill will allow hybrid car owners to begin driving solo in California car pool lanes within weeks, officials announced Wednesday.

The policy change was designed to encourage drivers to buy the high-mileage, low-emission vehicles. But the announcement that hybrid drivers will be allowed to start applying Thursday for decals allowing them in the lanes came as a surprise to backers of the change, who had predicted that it might not be implemented for months.

Only three hybrid models Toyota's Prius and Honda's hybrid Civic and Insight will be allowed in the lanes. They are the only models that meet the eligibility standards of at least 45 miles per gallon and almost no smog-causing emissions, according to the office of the bill's author, Assemblywoman Fran Pavley, D-Agoura Hills.

Hybrid owners will have to send in applications and $8 fees to the Department of Motor Vehicles to receive their decals.

http://kcal9.com/california/CA--Hybr...rces_news_html

Thank goodness the SUVs are excluded! Single occupant commuting is one of those things that's best to avoid if possible, but using an SUV to do it is just silly, glad they stuck to their initial proposal of only letting high mileage, low emission hybrid vehicles have this privilege, and BOOOO to Ford for trying to make them change it.

2001 Prius Photos       2005 Prius Photos
'97 Prius Simulation Prius inner workings

stupid idea with or without SUVs. Carpool lanes were not created with emissions in mind, although that was a side effect, they were created for traffic control. Letting single occupant hybrids in the lanes totally defeats the purpose of them.

We dont have them here in Nebraska, but I do plenty of travel and use them frequently in some larger cities. I know that in the North East, they allowed hybrids in the carpool lanes and now they are getting ready to pull them back out because they have created worse traffic problems than before they even had the carpool lanes.

...most likely a donkey, but if he had to drive a car, i bet it would be a hybrid.

You know, after thinking about this a bit, I (as the proud owner/driver of an '05 FEH), have to say that I agree with you. I need my SUV, living in the rural snowbelt, but in those places that *have* and need carpool lanes (i.e., big cities with freeways and traffic [yuck! wouldn't catch me living there...]), it makes NO sense to encourage individuals to drive SUVs when they are commuting alone. And if they carpool, they can still use the HOV lane, regardless of their vehicle. The law enacted seems like a good and reasonable one (now *that's* a rarity!).

Now, how can we encourage the Prius, Civic and Insight owners to carpool?

[quote=wwjdrv]stupid idea with or without SUVs. Carpool lanes were not created with emissions in mind, although that was a side effect, they were created for traffic control. Letting single occupant hybrids in the lanes totally defeats the purpose of them.
QUOTE]

Very true!!Kevin

2004 silverblue 5 sp.

I'd just like the troopers to nail the single-occupant violators harder and more often....

60.3mpg lifetime - 71mpg in winter months

Best Run >
www.cleanmpg.com

"fanatic" is what the lazy call the dedicated

As much as this policy will make my life in Southern California incredibly easier (you know what I mean if you've driven through the Los Angeles metropolitan area traffic), I agree that this does nothing to encourage carpooling. Ultimately, taking vehicles off the road altogether by encouraging carpooling is not only great for traffic reasons, but its even better for the environment and air quality than any hybrid could ever hope to be.

There appears to be a hidden gotcha in the application for the Clean Air Vehicle sticker that allows HOV lane use. If you live in the SF bay area, you must also have a FasTrak account before you may apply for the sticker. The account costs $40 to activate. And you must maintain a balance of at least $15 via a credit card.

However they may also be a hidden benefit. Carpoolers can use the FasTrak lanes at toll booths and in some places and are not charged the toll.

In my communte, I do not cross any bridges, nor travel on any toll roads, so I have no need for a FasTrak transponder. But in order to get the Clean Air Vehicle Sticker, you must have a FasTrak account. None of this has been mentioned in any of the news articles or forums, it is hidden in the fine print on the application for the sticker.

Will post more after I call the numbers..

More Info on using HOV lanes in SF Bay Area. I just talked to a rep from the FasTrak system. In order to get the 'Clean Air Vehicle Sticker' you must have a FasTrak account, which costs a minimum of $40, plus $8 for the sticker. If you never use the FasTrak system (I never use the toll bridges); after 90 days of inactivity, your FasTrak account is automatically closed, and you loose the $40. Then if you should get pulled over, and the officer checks your FasTrak account - finds it closed, you will be sited for an HOV lane violation ($350).

My guess for all this bureaocratic mess it to limit the use of HOV lanes to only those of us who use the toll bridges.

So I will continue to use the far right hand (which is usually empty) and drive at a comfortable 55 miles per hour, and get my 55 MPG, arrive relaxed and ready for work

I just sent in my application for the Clean Air Sticker to the DMV. I don't believe that this will have much of an impact at all on traffic congestion in California. There are 56,000 registered hybrid vehicles (and not all even qualify) in California and the law only allows 75,000 stickers to be issued. 75,000 additional cars in the carool lanes in a state the size of California is not even a blip on the radar, even if they were all in the carpool lanes at once.

I think Southern California drivers will benefit the most since carpool hours are 24/7, and you don't have to have a FasTrak account (I have one anyway) to get a sticker. I have a 30 minute commute that should be cut to 20 minutes with the carpool lane access, so I am happy. I just bought my used HCH on Monday - great timing!