That's too bad. I don't know how traffic compares between the HOV lane and the adjacent travel lanes during rush hour in CA, but locally in MA, the HOV lane on I93 into Boston is under-utilized.
From my experience here in the Puget Sound region, all you have to do to drive in the HOV lane is tint your windows!
Amen. I get really mad watching single occupant cars use the HOV entrance lane to the freeway; many of them have tinted windows and many of them have only one occupant. Because of the resentment I feel watching others drive single occupant in the HOV lanes, I'd be reluctant to do it in my Prius even if it were legal to do so; most people watching me do it probably wouldn't see the "exempt" sticker or recognize the Prius as a hybrid. Too much road rage to add anything else to it. And... I'm not gonna tint my windows.
It depends on whether the purpose of the HOV lanes is to reduce pollution or to reduce the number of vehicles on the road (which by extension reduces pollution). I imagine it would be possible to engineer something that got 10 mpg but trapped all the pollutants for disposal. It sounds like the CA lawmakers are trying to set a maximum pollution value per mile thus are considering the HOV lanes more as pollution reducers than vehicle density reducers and the new Lexus and Ford hybrids don't get there. The Accord hybrid will probably put out less pollutants than the straight 6, but only when 3 cylinders are shut down so I doubt it will be a big reduction.
Speaking only for myself, if they were to ask me to vote to make the Washington HOV lanes open to hybrids, I'd vote no. I ride a vanpool to and from work, with 4-12 people every day. Before that, I was in a carpool with 3 people. I ride about 4 days a week on average. That's a lot fewer cars on the highway every day -- making for less congestion, and (to some degree) less emissions. Both are benefits to everyone -- including the people who can't use a vanpool or carpool (whether they're in a hybrid or not.) I think allowing single drivers in hybrids access to the HOV lanes is the lesser of two benefits.
Arriving in Seattle area for a short visit and in talking to friends who work in the area, there are 2 reasons for HOV lanes: decreased air pollution and decreased traffic congestion. The traffic congestion issue is an issue totally on its own. On that basis, HOV should remain based solely on passenger number without consideration of emissions.
the HOV lanes around King county do provide duality as the polution levels are such that a different formulation of gas is mandated for the area as well. (the seattle-tacoma-everett corridor is one of 41 areas in the country that is required to take steps to reduce polution)
