Hybrids Lose California Carpool Privileges

If you’ve ever driven in California, you’d know that one of the state’s defining qualities is its carpool lanes. Carpool or high-occupancy vehicle lanes are lanes of traffic designated for vehicles with more than one commuter. According to California’s Department of Transportation, nearly half of all the traffic on state highways travels through HOV lanes. HOV lanes can be used by solo drivers of motorcycles and people with white or yellow clean-air stickers on their cars (shown above). That means stickered vehicles like the Honda Civic Hybrid and Toyota Prius can drive down the carpool lane without remorse. 

Well, with hybrids being as popular as they are in California — 85,000 people have an exemption sticker on their hybrids already — the state has decided to let the stickers lapse or expire at the end of this year. Hybrid cars with only one occupant in them would have to merge back into the mixed-flow lanes. 

We’re in favor of this move as the idea behind carpool lanes is to move more people, not more cars. We understand the concept behind the yellow clean-air stickers was to promote hybrids, which get double the mileage of many other vehicles on the road, but there are a number of 30-plus mpg cars on the road today that aren’t hybrids. 

Of course, buyers of the Tesla Roadster, Honda’s fuel cell FXC Clarity or Honda’s compressed gas Civic GX would still be permitted to drive in the HOV lane with one driver as those drivers are a part of a much more elite class of white clean-air-sticker holders. 

HOV lanes are typically only enforced during peak traffic periods, with the exception of most in Los Angeles, where it is enforced 24/7. The minimum fine for being caught in a HOV lane with only one passenger is $381. As with most hard-and-fast laws in California, there are dozens of exemptions, exceptions and addendums. 

California drivers shouldn’t give up their hopes yet, as pending legislation could extend the yellow stickers until July 1, 2011. For a complete list of cars that qualify for yellow or white clean-air stickers go here.

Comments

You say, "We understand the concept behind the yellow clean-air stickers was to promote hybrids, which get double the mileage of many other vehicles on the road, but there are a number of 30-plus mpg cars on the road today that aren’t hybrids." The point of hybrids isn't just one issue: MILEAGE. Most hybrids emit around 90% LESS pollution and particulates. That's a huge help for this horribly polluted state. 85,000 stickers is NOTHING.

What about the all the energy needed to make and recharge the battery and the all the heavy metals and lead?

Well two other reasons behind the HOV lanes is to reduce the number of vehicles and the number of lanes, as well as required parking for the vehicles once they get to their destination, typically a business district. Those require lots of resources and none of those goals are furthered by letting hybrids in the HOV lanes. Fewer cars means less congestion and less time for the vehicles out there to be running or depleting their charge, so this just makes sense long-term.

$381 fine for driving in the wrong lane???
This is unconstitutional because this is cruel and unusual punishment.

@ Yakuba & others,

I've read too many of the nonsense 'bou "all the energies being needed to build hybrids."

Those energies are there already, whether u use it or not. The more CORRECT question is, are we going to use less than, say, 100% of the energy output capacity, or are we going to use closer to 100% of that capacity, from the power plants? The coal is still being burnt, and extracted, for the coal power plants, whether you want it or not, and has nothing to do with hybrids. In case u dunno, ICE has a efficiency of less than 30%, compare to electric motor of close to 100% efficiency. Multiply that loss of 70% of energies/waste of fuel by the # of pure ICE vehicles on the roads today...

What 'bou metals? They will still be produced by suppliers/manufacturers, whether the metals are being used for hybrids or not.

Thus, hybrids, or the manufacturing of hybrids, don't create a problem with energies and raw materials. The problem is ALWAYS there, whether hybrids or any fuel efficient vehicles are being manufactured or not.

To lessen the problem with air pollution and fossil fuel usage, hybrid/CNG/electric vehicles are the solutions - unless everyone starts walking and biking! These vehicles AREN'T the solution to the problem of humans using earth's resources, or the use of "Clean" power plants.

Let's me move you guys to a higher level of discussion, 'coz I'm seeing kid's argument here - if your friend has jumped off the bridge, then it's ok for me to jump off the bridge too. That's a wrong argument. Illogical at all! Just 'coz you are questioning the raw materials and energies usage (from power plants) due to the hybrids, it doesn't mean that you've proven your point. It's the utter opposite. You are still proving that hybrids/electric/CNG vehicles are greener vehicles than anythg else other than bicycle and our feet. These vehicles still produce less pollutants, use less fossil fuels, and decreases our addiction to gasoline. PERIOD. Unless any one of you can provide arguments that contradict those 3 facts, then there's is no argument. Now, let's see who can show prove that other pure ICE vehicles have those 3 facts better than hybrids/electric/CNG and then we can have a discussion.

P.S. Now you can BUY HOV pass for regular vehicles...CA is poor and needs $. So the point of HOV for its intended purposes is really dead.

I think stickers for hybrids should expire and never be issued again. Hybrids ought to sit in traffic since they benefit from battery usage during the stop and go driving. Regular gas burning cars don't have engines that shut off when idling and they can see up to 40% better fuel economy on the highway, therefore those cars should be the ones permitted to drive in HOV lanes, not hybrids.

yakuba-
You said, "What about the all the energy needed to make and recharge the battery and the all the heavy metals and lead?" Ummm, you need to do your homework. I have a clean-air vehicle that does not take and energy to "recharge the battery" No car on the road today is 100% ecco-friendly, however, whatever anyone's argument is against hybrids I have one thing to say to you-It is still better than your obnoxious, pointless SUV's and Hummers. Enjoy sitting in traffic while I fly by you in the carpool lane. :)

Hey "Gas Burner" GREAT IDEA! You can put all of the "Regular gas burning cars" in the carpool lane. LOL that will solve nothing. I hope you work at McDonalds, with ideas like that, this world is in trouble.

What LA really needs is a better public transit system as is utilized in EVERY other major city in the world including Chicago, New York, London-pretty much everywhere in Europe....

Looks like the ca.gov site reports that yellow car access to HOV lanes has been extended until 7/2011

http://www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/carpool/carpool.htm

@Jessica:

we use to have an awesome system. Los Angeles once boasted the largest system of "interurbans" (heavy-duty inter-city trolleys) in the U.S., carrying some 80 million passengers a year in the late 1930s.

http://www.usc.edu/libraries/archives/la/historic/redcars/

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/551/did-general-motors-destroy-the-la-mass-transit-system

California is bankrupt! Do the right thing and start a new program where the state charges $500 one time charge for new stickers. Tax revenue from new car sales will skyrocket. The additional revenue from the stickers could be used for road improvements and education. California gets more clean air vechiles.

This would mean more jobs in California!

There are 1000s of people w stickers waiting on new rules.

Charge $500 for a one time sticker! Use the additional revenue for road improvements and education . This would mean more jobs in california, more clean air, less foreign oil.

Be smart california

HHH Yes, the design of national policy is important, how our economic development plans for the next five years, how the implementation, how to make our economy even faster. Are designed to advance our focus to invest money in what ways it should be carefully arranged.