/\/\ichael Patric|{
HOV-lane-access sticker on hybrid's back bumper, Albany, December 27, 2005
I've complained about this matter here, here, here, here, here, and here, and I still feel pretty much the same--granting hybrid vehicles the privilege to use high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes regardless of occupancy defeats the purpose of carpool lanes, which is to increase people-throughput of the freeways, to fit more people into fewer cars, to move more people using the same amount of roadway space. Allowing single-occupancy vehicles (SOVs) into those lanes just reduces their throughput (although charging SOVs for using those lanes could fund more express-bus service and help boost throughput). It's great that some hybrids get such great mileage, but their popularity was rising well before this privilege was enacted, so legislators really did not need to give their sales this kind of boost. And now that the privilege is in place, I doubt political will exists to repeal it.
HOV-lane-access sticker on hybrid's back bumper, Albany, December 27, 2005
I've complained about this matter here, here, here, here, here, and here, and I still feel pretty much the same--granting hybrid vehicles the privilege to use high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes regardless of occupancy defeats the purpose of carpool lanes, which is to increase people-throughput of the freeways, to fit more people into fewer cars, to move more people using the same amount of roadway space. Allowing single-occupancy vehicles (SOVs) into those lanes just reduces their throughput (although charging SOVs for using those lanes could fund more express-bus service and help boost throughput). It's great that some hybrids get such great mileage, but their popularity was rising well before this privilege was enacted, so legislators really did not need to give their sales this kind of boost. And now that the privilege is in place, I doubt political will exists to repeal it.