Maybe a lot of you were already aware of this, but I hadn't heard a thing about it! This is a pretty big deal since I think the majority of Hybrid owners in this area use the 95/395 HOV lanes much more often than they do the 66 & Dulles Toll Road. At least I've already got my Clean Special Fuel Plates on order, so I'll be okay until July of next year. This really sucks!

This is copied and pasted directly form the VDOT web site.

"New Law for Hybrids on HOV Lanes takes effect July 1, 2006

Hybrid vehicles with the required clean fuel plates are permitted to use the HOV lanes until July 1, 2007. However, beginning July 1, 2006, the Department of Motor Vehicles will issue clean fuel license plates with a new design to distinguish them from the existing clean fuel plate. Only those vehicles with plates issued prior to July 1, 2006 will be permitted to use the I-95-395 HOV lanes. Vehicles with the new plates will be permitted to use the I-66 and Dulles Toll Road HOV lanes but not the 95/395 HOV lanes. "

Their justification for this is total BS! They say that the added Hybrids are causing delays to actual HOV traffic. I drive the 95 HOV from Woodbridge to Rosslyn daily and know for a fact that the number of hybrids is still miniscule compared to the number of HOV violators. There are probably MORE HOV violators than there are valid HOV travelers! The lawmakers have decided that rather than actually spend the money to enforce the law, they will limit the "rich" (<-yes...that's the general perception of us) hybrid owners use of the lanes!

 

The way I read it, if you've got the legacy clean fuel plate, you can use the HOV lanes beyond July 1, 2007. It's the people who get the new plate, between July '06 and '07, will be cut off. They'll probably cut the rest of us off in '08 or '09.

 

As of right now (as far as I can find anyway). ALL Virginia Hybrid HOV access exemptions end on 1 July 07!

It is extended on a yearly basis and based on this action, I wouldn't expect it to be extended.

If you can find anything else, please let me know.

 

I do expect that it will be extended for the legacy plates. Why not? It seems the vast majority of Virginia legistlators were behind this compromise.

 

gang
i have got to agree on this one. I have never seen anyone pulled over because they were illegally using the HOV lane. People cheat and tool around in it all the time because it is not enforced. I think if they enforced the law, it would in fact be better for everyone.

 

It's a catch-22. If they enforce the HOV-limits, they'll catch more violators, and deter potential violators. However, they'll also cause HOV traffic to grind to a halt.

I do agree there are more HOV violators than hybrid cars.

 

This is definitely true. If one car in a blocked off lane slows down to pull over, that will slow an entire line of traffic behind initiall, and continue to do so, as about 1 jackass out of every 100 cars will brake to watch what is going on and slow down the whole lineup.

The funniest incident I have ever seen though was when in my brother's vehicle. We were in the far left (non-HOV) lane. An officer had someone pulled over up ahead, so this one woman by herself in the HOV lane panicked, and cut across the double-yellow lines without signalling, cutting us off in the process (4 violations at once). My brother honked to draw attention- the police officer saw us, then went to pull her over

The one place I have seen HOV lane violations enforced, however, is on onramps, where it's possible to bypass the traffic meter signal in the HOV lanes. This doesn't cause any backups as there is a lot of right-hand shoulder space to pull onto. A friend of mine actually cut one of those and ended up with a ~$480 citation, along with about 10 other peopel that day. I notice the police like to pick a few days a year at random to enforce things like this, although the chance of getting pulled over is small, even years worth of habitual time-shaving are not worth $480.

What would be interesting would be to see some sort of traffic camera to cite violators. The problem with that however is it would be determining who the violators are by sight without actually pulling them over, as it could be argued they had a child in the backseat, or their passenger bent over to pick something up etc.