Featured Hybrids kicked out of Free HOV?

From what I read, Virginia HOV rules were kind of a sham. But DC politicians live across the border, so I guess that makes sense , at least before the political Dynamics changed. You could have a massive lexus land barge that was hybridized & still get HOV privileges.
Anywho, e/state sets its own HOV rules. Cali just issued new stickers about a year ago, purple, previously red, earlier were green, then white & yellow were starting around the same time. Phasing out the old ones keeps buyers opting for your new vehicles, which makes it better for a cheaper/used market for the people who can't afford new.
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There's lots of oversized vehicles that have hybrid systems in them that do almost nothing to improve fuel consumption because the entire vehicle the hybrid system is built into is so ridiculously inefficient in the first place. HOV lanes should create incentives that promote more efficient transports rather than ineffectual gimmicks for waste-based consumers.

 

the only one ever mentioned here is cali, who eliminated hybrids, then older phev's

 

ergo my above comment.
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Even under old rules, when a particular set of HOV lanes gets too much congestion, hampering their real purpose, any special access given to non-HOVs was supposed to be cancelled.

Free HOV use by hybrids was never nationwide. E.g. my state never implemented it, and for damn good reason. We had plenty of transit buses and real HOVs using our I-5 HOV lanes. And far more people adopting hybrids without incentives than our HOV lanes could possibly handle. Letting them in freely would wreck our public transit bus schedules and carpooling incentives.

Hybrid HOV access was merely a special short-term incentive meant to encourage another goal while getting more use out of a seriously under-used asset. Everyone knew that it wasn't permanent, and would go away when those federally subsidized assets finally started getting more of their originally intended use. Those who still want to use the HOV lanes, can man up and form a real carpool. BTDT, for 16 years, before anybody had hybrids. Then I changed worked locations and could start bicycle commuting.

 

when i go down 95 in va at rush hour, the hov looks empty compared to the non poor masses

 

In the Seattle area, we had an HOV lane taken over by a toll lane... Not only did it start generating tens of millions of dollars in revenue for the state, but just about every commuter was willing to pay for it, so the once efficient way to encourage carpooling and electric cars to travel much faster than traffic was replaced by government money making they won't let go of and a crowded former HOV line now barely going faster than the rest of the traffic. I-405 toll lanes have collected $44.5 million in revenue in two years | KOMO

 

Note to outsiders: this toll lane does not go through Seattle. It goes around the other side of the big lake, Lynnwood-Bellevue-Renton. The demand-driven toll is capped under current law, but apparently too many people are willing to pay that cap. So it needs to be raised.

When I used to occasionally drive there during commute hours, before tolling, that HOV lane just wasn't getting the use that I regularly saw on the I-5 HOV lanes. But the wealth over there supports plenty of hybrids and beyond, so special free access for them would swamp it. Thus, the conversion to tolling.

When were EVs ever allowed special access to I-405's HOV lane?

 

It's now a toll lane with demand pricing that requires EZpass. The time I tried it ended up costing over $8.

 

those roads must have cost a fortune to build, i can see the need for revenue.

i would consider trying it, to avoid the stop and go from the beltway to fredericksburg

 

It is not respect NOVA (and Norfolk) need but money. Typical of many states, the rural interests get a share of the taxes disproportionate to their population. And the dense urban counties which pay much more in taxes get much less.

Another oddity, notice how great the roads are between the state capitol and the state university football stadium.

 

So, you have to carpool to use it?

 

If I am reading that federal law section correctly, that "new federal HOV rules" was from a law passed in 2015. And the applicable "new rule" gave hybrids two extra years. Under the old law, hybrids would have been kicked out on Sept. 30, 2017:

This 2015 law also split hybrids apart from alternative fuel vehicles, and gave the later a much longer extension, to Sep 30, 2025.

In short, hybrids are not getting shorted. Instead, their last extension just ran out. This should not have been a surprise to anyone.

 

There is a bright side. They can still use HOV with a passenger.

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