As many know, the DC Metro area is the #2 market for hybrids, largely because of HOV lane access available in traffic-clogged Northern Virginia.

This hybrid car access to HOV lanes is under attack from the Kaine Administration. I'm starting this thread because all of us who benefit from this access need to do something about it before its too late.

VDOT is set to change the rules on hybrid access on July 1, 2007. The VA State Legislature has intervened in the past to pass their own rules, and the same thing can happen this time.

It seems to be that a couple points need to be stressed.

First and foremost:

Putting thousands of hybrid cars back into "regular" lanes means that traffic will be far worse for non-hybrid VA drivers. I drive the Dulles Toll Road/66 every day in my Camry Hybrid. If you took all the hybrids out of the left HOV lane and into the already-snarled regular lanes, it would make things worse. Closing 66 access to hybrids puts them on local roads and the GW Parkway. How does that help anything?

Second, basic fairness. People bought hybrids with the expectation that they could use the HOV lane. The state shouldn't re-neg on the deal for those of us who already have cars. At the least, existing hybrids should be grandfathered in the current system.

Third, enforcement. As it is right now, tens of thousands of VA drivers violated HOV restrictions every day. In fact, on 66, I see more single driver violators than I do hybrids. Before worrying about kicking out hybrids, which are helping overall traffic flow, VA State Police should actually enforce existing laws.

Fourth--and this argue won't fly with the public but might with certain legislators--our cars don't contribute to pollution the way that normal vehicles do. We should be given an incentive for paying more to get them.

Now, what we really need is some kind of organization here, and a coordinated campaign. I would think that Toyota, Honda and Ford would want to be involved in lobbying the legislature on this issue--if hybrids get kicked out of the HOV lanes, their market share would drop.

So, if anybody has ideas, or knows how to get involved, please share. This is a huge issue to those of us in VA, and we can't sit by and let it happen without at least putting up a fight!

Can you provide some links? It's my understanding the HOV exemption expires in July 07, but only for the 95/395 corridor.

On July 1, 2006 the VA DMV changed the design of the clean special fuel plate. Starting on July 1, 2006 only cars with the original design clean special fuel plate can use the HOV lanes in the 95/395 corridor. Cars with the new design plate cannot use the HOV lanes on those roads. Currently the exemptions are set to expire for all cars on July 1, 2007.

Here's a link to the DMV web page.

Personally, I don't use the HOV lanes in my area (Hampton Roads) very often. Just blessed with a nice, low traffic ride to work. But I have them for those rare occassions. If they don't extend the exemption I'll send them back the plates. No sense spending the extra $$$ on registration each year for a plate with no benefit.

That's the page I'm familiar with. It's ambiguous. It could be read to mean the 95/395 exemptions are expiring or ALL exemptions in the state of VA are expiring.

I'm spoken to a number of state officials on this, and they have told me that it will expire for all vehicles on all roads.


In fact, a prominent US Congressman from VA told me he was going to buy a hybrid to use the HOV lane, but since it will likely expire he's held off.

Personally, I'm not a fan of letting Hybrids use the HOV lanes. The purpose of the lanes is to encourage car pooling....allowing single occupant vehicles to use them defeats the purpose even if they are more fuel efficient. I don't think the purpose of the HOV lanes is just to reduce emissions, but also reduce the sheer number of vehicles on the road for traffic reduction as well as to add longevity to the roads themselves.

Think about this....would you rather have two Priuses on the road or one Ford Taurus? Two Priuses driving 25 miles basically use 1 gallon of fuel. One Taurus driving 25 miles basically uses 1 gallon of fuel. With today's engines, one gallon of fuel burned produces the same amount of emissions regardless of the engine. So that is even....but then consider that you have an extra vehicle added to the traffic volume and the added wear and tear of another vehicle on the road. In the grand scheme of things, two people in one car is better than 1 person each in two cars. And if you put three people in one car.....well it gets even better.

There are other, better ways of supporting Hybrids. Increase the number/amount of tax credits and rebates. Stores/Malls could offer better parking for Hybrid drivers. Reduced vehicle registration fees for Hybrids, reduced sales tax on Hybrids, extended inspection periods for Hybrids (every other year instead of annual), etc.

-Tim

2006 Mercury Mariner Hybrid AWD
Black with Pebble interior
Premium Package with Nav & Moonroof



Current ODO: 26,152
Typical Drive: 20 min crosstown in heavy traffic (3.5mi there and back twice a day)


532 Gallons of gas saved
That's 10,642 lbs less CO2 emitted

Well I anticipated this line of discussion, but I think you have to understand that in most places, there are a lot of people that simply can't carpool. I actually carpool now, but when my wife has our baby in a few months, I won't be able to. My job is such that there's not another person that works my schedule--because I don't have always have one. There are lots of days I'm here very late.

But I bought a hybrid for HOV access. So the question is, would you rather have me driving my 2002 Oldsmobile Intrigue, or do you want me driving a hybrid? That's the choice for me--I traded my Intrigue for the Camry Hybrid. If there's no HOV access, would I be driving the hybrid? No.

Now, don't get me wrong, I like the other aspects of it, I like the gas mileage, etc. But I wouldn't have paid extra for it without HOV access.

Thanks, Tim!

That was put much more.... err, gently than the draft I had in progress.

I drive the same roads as Matt does, I drive them in my Hybrid vehicle, and if I don't have passengers, I drive in the regular lanes. I personally can't understand why anyone would decide to buy a hybrid solely for the purpose of cheating the HOV lanes (or solely for *ANY* one reason, for that matter).

As you said, there are a number of better ways to promote hybrids. The presence or absence of any one of these, though, wouldn't have changed my buying decision.

Curt

First of all, there are alot of people who cannot carpool....but that is not a valid reason to get in the HOV lanes anyway. The purpose of the HOV lanes is to reduce the number of vehicles on the road by encouraging the people who CAN carpool to do so. Hybrid HOV incentives DO NOT result in fewer cars on the road.

I realize that in the bigger picture it would seem better that you drive a Hybrid....but in the alternative situations that I proposed there would be other incentives....so while YOU may not have bought your Hybrid and would continue to drive a regular car in the regular lanes....other people would get rid of their regular cars in favor of a Hybrid to take advantage of free parking or tax breaks, etc. So in the end, it would probably net the same number of hybrids...or more likely we would have more Hybrids. I think in reality, a bigger tax cut or an extended tax break on Toyotas would result in more Hybrid buyers than HOV access ever did. I just don't think that people should be able to BUY access to the HOV lanes regardless of the side benefit to society as that is not the purpose of HOV lanes.

-Tim

2006 Mercury Mariner Hybrid AWD
Black with Pebble interior
Premium Package with Nav & Moonroof



Current ODO: 26,152
Typical Drive: 20 min crosstown in heavy traffic (3.5mi there and back twice a day)


532 Gallons of gas saved
That's 10,642 lbs less CO2 emitted

I carpool in my Prius. Sometimes up to four people. I win.