MSNBC Story

Note that the crowding of the high occupancy lanes in Virginia are not only more hybrids, but people that ignore the law. California is considering a variation that allows hybrids in the HOV lane if they get at least 45mpg.

61.5mpg lifetime - 82mpg in recent months

Best Run >
www.cleanmpg.com

"fanatic" is what the lazy call the dedicated

Anybody know what fraction of cars using the HOV lanes during congestion are hybrid ?

When it gets *really* high, the soluton seems simple enough. Change the HOV into a LOV lane.

R2-E2, 2G Prius.
Highway/City/Husband/Wife MPG: 56.5, as of 12/2005, 26K miles

Jac Nasser, Ford President: "We are planning to launch a hybrid version of
this car [P2000] within this year [1998]. We will also make FCEV available in
2004."

I personally dont think there should be an exception for Hybrid drivers, as the main point of the carpool lane incentive is to reduce the amount of traffic/congestion on the road during commutes. Less pollution is a secondary goal, a natural consequence of less cars. The proposed bill in CA attempts to limit the HOV from overfilling by limiting the hybrid HOV users to a set number of decal holders far below the number of 45+mpg cars sold, but if there is no guarantee that buying a hybrid will enable access to the carpool lane, it won't motivate more people to buy hybrid cars anyway.

When is there less pollution: two hybrids on the road, or one 15 mpg SUV at home and one travelling, carrying 2 people ? Pick any pollutants you want

I'm not at all sure that congestion was the primary motivation for HOV lanes. Why would the feds get involved ?

R2-E2, 2G Prius.
Highway/City/Husband/Wife MPG: 56.5, as of 12/2005, 26K miles

Jac Nasser, Ford President: "We are planning to launch a hybrid version of
this car [P2000] within this year [1998]. We will also make FCEV available in
2004."

Agreed with Double-Trinity, I always thought the point of the HOV lane was to reduce traffic congestion, not to reduce polution. Two hybrids take up just as much space on the road as two regular cars, but one Camry with two occupants takes up less space than two hybrids. Pretty simple really.

Ditto for Double Trinity's comment about HOV lanes and reducing congestion. If we're a single occupant vehicle, we should be treated as such.


If states want to reward us for driving Hybrid vehicles, those with toll roads could do so by giving us discounts. We pay more up front for our vehicles, which in turn create more tax revenues for our states. And with income tax incentives going away, a small token of our states' appreciation of driving cleaner vehicles would be nice. I can just hear the state saying they're losing money because of us - we don't buy as much gas so they don't get that tax money... Anyone have a contact with the EZ-pass people??

C&J the Gas Pirates

I'm the Captain of this ship and I have my wife's permission to say so.

I think most of us commute with enough stuff to fit into a backpack. I've always been a big motorcycle fan for commutes under 50 miles one way, but most states don't allow lane splitting, and I haven't seen any that have a special narrow lane for motorcycles. As long as you can keep moving, the motorcycle is a great option. I hate sitting in traffic on my bike. I've been pumped a few times by inatentive drivers when there foot slips off the break. It would be great if cycles could use shoulders legally during rush hour, with a maximum speed of 10mph above moving traffic, it just won't happen. The downside to using bikes is helmet head, weather, uncoordinated riders, and motorcycle flat tires can be a real bear to control.

Have any of you ever seen this:

http://www.skytran.net

I'd love to see something like this in operation. Even a monorail in the D.C. area would be great!

I use the HOV lanes in Virginia. I can tell it irritates people that have a couple of folks in a car. It also kind of defeats the purpose of the car being a hybrid. But it is legal.

Several thoughts:

• The general concept of allowing one-passenger hybrids in HOV lanes was good, but as others have said, the perks might be better directed elsewhere. In May, I was in Northern California and saw an abundance of Prius's and some Hybrid Civics (but no Insights ). California will overfill HOV lanes unless they are very restrictive on which hybrids are allowed...
• Also in June, noticed a Prius with a Colorado emissions exempt sticker. I'd love that in Texas. Ditto to a toll tag discount, but I'm getting greedy...
• Lots of people in Dallas cut into HOV lanes alone - maybe a $1000 fine isn't enough. Tragically what has happened more than occasionally is:
  • Driver cuts into HOV lane (not supposed to do it just anywhere)
  • Driver does not see someone behind them was going 20mph faster.
  • Freeway shut down during the clean up. I've seen vehicles upside down.
• Dallas just had at least five consecutive Ozone Action days. It's a significant economic burden to the EPA's dirty list, so some kind of incentive to clean up is good. Hybrids in the HOV lane is not the best way, but I can see how more hybrids, motorcycles, etc., could reduce the Ozone Action days.

61.5mpg lifetime - 82mpg in recent months

Best Run >
www.cleanmpg.com

"fanatic" is what the lazy call the dedicated

Most motorcycles are actually bigtime polluters, and really only get hybrid FE because of the general low technology and historical lack of emission regulation. Ozone, or smog will get worse if motorcycles replace cleaner cars, even if they are using slightly less gas... There are cleaner bikes, but not many are willing to pay the extra just to be clean. Honda is going to have a 100% fuel-injected line by 2007, so that will be an improvement, and hopefully the rest of the industry will follow.

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

Anybody know good links on motorcycle and moped fuel economy? Also, I forgot that motorcycles are probably two-cycle engines.

A friend at the gym is considering a motorcycle to spend less on gas. It's strange to think the Insight gets better fuel economy than most motorcycles, yet weighs at least 1800 pounds.

61.5mpg lifetime - 82mpg in recent months

Best Run >
www.cleanmpg.com

"fanatic" is what the lazy call the dedicated