California-No more car pool stickers left for Hybrid drivers

I got my car thursday so this really sucks!!! We should start a petition to have more stickers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(adoraim @ Feb 6 2007, 04:48 PM) [snapback]386424[/snapback]</div>

Send an email to the Governator's office. They might actually read it.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(adoraim @ Feb 6 2007, 07:48 PM) [snapback]386424[/snapback]</div>

I'm not holding my breath, though:

"...a growing economy is likely behind some of the increased traffic [in carpool lanes], but hybrids may also be adding congestion. That concern has led both Assemblyman Lieu and Assemblywoman Sally Lieber, D-Mountain View, who co-wrote last year's legislation [to add an extra 10,000 HOV stickers], to say they will not carry legislation increasing the number of stickers again this year."

 

Well, the original intention of the HOV lanes was to reduce air pollution. Encouraging people to buy hybrids, that do not contribute to air pollution on the scale of a conventional car made sense. If a Prius only has about 25% of the emissions of a normal car that means cars in the HOV lane should have a minimum of four DRIVERS (not Mom and three kids). I don't think people need the incentives to buy hybrids that they did. Hence the phasing out of the tax credit as well. Or course, I think the tax credit should remain in place for ALL hybrids and EVs until at least 50% of cars on the road are hybrid or EV.

But I do think hybrids drivers should receive a perk for being responsible consumers. I'd like to see free registration for hybrids instead of HOV lane stickers. Or a significant reduction, like the difference in dog licenses between a dog that has been spayerd or neutered and a dog that has NOT been fixed. You pay three times as much for being the irresponsible owner of a dog that's going to either get pregnant or get some other dog pregnant. And unlike dogs, all cars have to be registered. So give people a tangible, renewable reward for being green.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Feb 6 2007, 07:32 PM) [snapback]386532[/snapback]</div>

Amen sistah! I think the price of car registration in California is outrageous!

 

A lot of people don't realize that you get free parking with that HOV sticker anywhere in "The City of Los Angeles" which is an incredibly complicated set of boundaries.

I think a smart move on the part of those who missed these stickers would be to lobby for a new round of stickers that conveys only the free parking benefit, and expands it to all of LA County (Long Beach and Santa Monica are notably missing from the current rules).

Letting Priuses into the HOV lane is already kind of silly - they get worse mileage in that lane since it tends to be an 85mph lane! But free parking is a nice and suitable benefit - in a family with 2 cars, if the hybrid has the free parking sticker and the gas guzzler doesn't, the family is more likely to take that hybrid into the city - and city driving is where these things make their mark.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Feb 6 2007, 10:32 PM) [snapback]386532[/snapback]</div>

Well, some benefits still exist. From today's San Jose Mercury News:

"Q: Now that carpool stickers for hybrids have reached the end of their allotment, will new stickers for full-electric, CNG and fuel-cell vehicles be stopped as well? I hope not.

JoAnne Sarro
Santa Clara

A: There is no limit on carpool stickers for electric vehicles and those powered by natural gas. So far, the state has issued about 7,000 sets of diamond lane stickers for those vehicles. Their stickers are white, unlike the hybrids, which get yellow stickers."

A $4,000.00 tax credit is still available for the Honda Civic natural gas vehicle, in addition to HOV stickers, free parking (in selected cities), and free bridge tolls (in the Bay Area).

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(SoopahMan @ Feb 7 2007, 02:15 PM) [snapback]386645[/snapback]</div>

You are misinformed. The sticker has nothing to do with free parking whatsoever. Any hybrid car has the free parking benifit, sticker or not. Also, its my experience that the HOV lane goes exactly the same speed as the drivers on the main part of the freeway except during traffic. 85 is not the average, its more like 65 -70

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jimalden @ Feb 8 2007, 12:24 PM) [snapback]387033[/snapback]</div>

The City of Los Angeles changed the rules last year to make the white or yellow HOV sticker a requirement:

"On June 21, 2006, the Los Angeles City Council voted to extend the program providing free parking at City parking meters for hybrid vehicles through December 31, 2007; but the Council also directed the City Attorney to prepare an ordinance limiting participation in the free parking program to only those vehicles that have Clean Air Vehicle Decals issued by the California Department of Motor Vehicles."

Santa Monica and Hermosa Beach also have the same requirement:

"Clean Air Vehicle Priority Parking: If your vehicle has the decal affixed to your alternative fuel, hybrid or electric vehicle, the Santa Monica Municipal Code (3.16.120) allows you to park in any metered parking space in the city without charge for the maximum amount of time allowed by that meter."

"Free metered parking at silver poled meters for vehicles with the Clean Air Decal in downtown Hermosa Beach. Vehicles may park for the maximum time limit (generally 2-3 hours). This includes hybrids as long as the state of California recognizes the HOV sticker."

 

Ooh thanks for the info bugmenot! That's cool Santa Monica's part of the program now - it would be nice if Long Beach would participate, I'm there more... .

jimalden, you must not drive in the HOV lane on the 405 much.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(SoopahMan @ Feb 8 2007, 03:58 PM) [snapback]387136[/snapback]</div>

You're welcome!

P.S. - In case anyone is interested, I posted some updated information to a new topic:

California DMV HOV / Clean Air Vehicle Sticker Webpage UPDATED
HOV Sticker Rules Clarified for Transfers and Replacements

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Feb 6 2007, 07:32 PM) [snapback]386532[/snapback]</div>

Reposting from a prior discussion (http://priuschat.com/index.php?showtopic=24002)

As I see it, there are two main reasons for carpool lanes:

1. reduce traffic congestion
2. reduce air pollution

A single person driving in a Prius does nothing much to help point #1, but does a really good job with #2.

In comparison, take another carpool lane user: Moms & Dads who are "carpooling" with their babies/kids. In this example, there is no benefit on either of the above points. If the kids aren't old enough to drive, there is no reduction in either traffic or pollution by carpooling.

I say, instead of cutting off the number of stickers for hybrids prematurely, there should be a law passed to eliminate "parental carpools." That will free up more space in the carpool lane to reward people who are making choices/sacrifices (i.e. carpooling or buying hybrid cars) that help solve some of these problems of modern life.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hpajlp @ Feb 15 2007, 10:43 PM) [snapback]391311[/snapback]</div>

You would be screwing the people who do the right thing (or make the sacrifice as you put it) by taking two or more kids with them instead of all the parents driving their kids separately.

Better to just enforce the existing laws and get rid of the cheaters. How will you ever define a "parental carpool?" And how would you ever prove that the kids in the car are not representative of removing other cars from the road? Personally, I'd rather see a car full of ANY people in the HOV lane than a single-driver gas vehicle there.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(bugmenot @ Feb 6 2007, 07:22 PM) [snapback]386529[/snapback]</div>

Better enforcement to take out the cheaters, elimination of the "parental carpool" and maybe even a minimum mpg requirement (no hummers in the carpool lane) would make more room for more hybrids in the carpool lane. The sticker and the tax rebate are what got me to finally go out and buy my Prius last year.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(darelldd @ Feb 15 2007, 10:53 PM) [snapback]391313[/snapback]</div>

Hi Darrell! Nice to see you again! It was several months ago when we had this same discussion, remember?

Anyhow, here's what I think:

The number of legitimate parental carpools (defined as parents driving their own kid AND someone else's kid, thereby taking another driver off the road) I am guessing is very low... maybe 5% of carpool lane users. Granted this is just a guess.

The vast majority of parental carpools I see every day are one adult driving with one kid in the car (their own). This type of carpool lane user does nothing to reduce traffic congestion or pollution and allowing them in the carpool lane undermines the existence of carpool lanes entirely.

Just because you had a baby doesn't mean you should have a VIP ticket to the carpool lane.

To me the benefit of 10,000 more people driving hybrids outweighs the "unfair" takeaway for the comparatively small handful of legit parental carpoolers. The way to enforce the new rule would be to require the other passenger (or passengers) in a carpool to also be licensed drivers. That way, you ensure that another car is taken off the road.

Of course, this law will never be passed because politicians have to cater to the soccer moms to get elected.

Cheers!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(hpajlp @ Feb 15 2007, 10:55 PM) [snapback]391314[/snapback]</div>

Interestingly enough, my "minimum mpg requirement" would be zero. If we're going to offer incentives, let's offer incentives to get car companies to build the cars we need. The ones that don't burn gasoline.

Ooh, sorry. I didn't meant to get all argumentative. This entitlement stuff gets to me sometimes though.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(darelldd @ Feb 16 2007, 02:14 AM) [snapback]391323[/snapback]</div>

I agree. We sometimes lose sight of the fact that the HOV stickers were originally intended to boost the sales of electric, natural gas, and propane vehicles. We hybrid owners should be thankful to have received this privilege, and stop arguing over banning soccer moms from the HOV lanes.

If we really wanted to reduce congestion and pollution, we'd ban cars from the HOV lanes entirely. The HOV lanes (known as the El Monte Busway) on the San Bernardino Freeway (I-10) were bus-only lanes to begin with...

 

I just recieved my stickers last week with an number of 92076. sounds like they went higher than previously thought. :lol:

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(AA5b @ Feb 19 2007, 02:07 AM) [snapback]392731[/snapback]</div>

I don't think they started with 00001.