RIP EV HOV Lane Use (CA Residents: CHP Giving 60-Day Grace Period for Citations; End 11/30)

[Chuck]

As a freeway driver in California, I never liked the idea of letting EVs with one person enter the HOV lane. The ONLY purpose the HOV lanes were built was to reduce the cars on the freeway. Many years later when politicians wanted to promote their political agenda EVs were added. It did NOTHING to reduce the number of cars on the road and its only purpose was to get people re-elected.

Sponsored

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

As a freeway driver in California, I never liked the idea of letting EVs with one person enter the HOV lane. The ONLY purpose the HOV lanes were built was to reduce the cars on the freeway. Many years later when politicians wanted to promote their political agenda EVs were added. It did NOTHING to reduce the number of cars on the road and its only purpose was to get people re-elected.

As a long time California resident when these appeared, I disagree. The stated goal was always two fold: traffic reduction and tail pipe emission reduction. EVs served the latter goal. Be all that as it may, it’s all rather moot now don’t you think? The pilot program has expired.

 

[ChasingCoral]

As a freeway driver in California, I never liked the idea of letting EVs with one person enter the HOV lane. The ONLY purpose the HOV lanes were built was to reduce the cars on the freeway. Many years later when politicians wanted to promote their political agenda EVs were added. It did NOTHING to reduce the number of cars on the road and its only purpose was to get people re-elected.

Enjoy the cleaner air that went along with that.

 

[Mr. Toejam]

As a freeway driver in California, I never liked the idea of letting EVs with one person enter the HOV lane. The ONLY purpose the HOV lanes were built was to reduce the cars on the freeway. Many years later when politicians wanted to promote their political agenda EVs were added. It did NOTHING to reduce the number of cars on the road and its only purpose was to get people re-elected.

I felt the exact same way, until April 2022....when I drove my Mach-e home and applied for my HOV stickers.

 

[Mr. Toejam]

That's my DIY project for today. Not looking forward to it. Each sticker is going to put up a fierce fight

I'm hoping between a gentle use of this, a heat gun and a heavy dose of Goo-gone, it'll be manageable:

EHDIS 1.5" Plastic Razor Scraper Tool with 10pcs Double Edged Blades for Adhesive Remover,Removing Labels Stickers Decals Taping on Glass Windows(Orange) - Amazon.com

I mentioned this 3+ years ago, but I applied my HOV stickers to a sheet of PPF and then cut them out. They stayed great and it just took me less than 2 minutes to pull them off without any issues. Keep that in mind with Parking permits or Bumper stickers (if you are into those).

Rest In Peace my friends. You served me well.....

 

[ChrisO]

As a freeway driver in California, I never liked the idea of letting EVs with one person enter the HOV lane. The ONLY purpose the HOV lanes were built was to reduce the cars on the freeway. Many years later when politicians wanted to promote their political agenda EVs were added. It did NOTHING to reduce the number of cars on the road and its only purpose was to get people re-elected.

I look at it a bit differently. Basically, the goal was to get people to carpool. This has two affects, cut down on the need for constructing more highway lanes and cleaner air. And clean air was at least in California one of the major concerns. Maybe even more than the having to construct more lanes. Afterall at one point LA was getting to the point where it was looking like some of the really bad places that are around the world right now before they enacted the stricter requirement on cars emissions. This is also a "temporary exception" to the federal laws that Trump has been trying to repeal. And no matter what people think it has worked. Look at pictures from the worst of it, to today, and look at pictures from countries/cities that haven't had those policies in place, and you will see that it is night and day different.

But now it has been in place for 20 years and between hybrids, BEV the percentage of people that have these cars (or even monster truck!) I do believe it is about time for the policy to change back so that the forcing of carpools part of it can do its job.

Today:

 

[Ford_orr]

I mentioned this 3+ years ago, but I applied my HOV stickers to a sheet of PPF and then cut them out. They stayed great and it just took me less than 2 minutes to pull them off without any issues. Keep that in mind with Parking permits or Bumper stickers (if you are into those).

Rest In Peace my friends. You served me well.....

Yeah, I read abt that well after I placed them otherwise I would've done that. Will do next time.

 

[ChrisO]

I would be interested to see if anyone ended up with discolorations. Afterall just having anything on the surface on with the sun and other weather conditions doing their thing might cause that.

 

[Space_Pony]

I feel left out. I've never used or seen a HOV lane. I don't even use the Amish Buggy lane, too much horse exhaust on the road.

 

[spicy_taco]

No, unfortunately, you have to activate on the App (if there are less than 3 persons ((poodles do NOT count)) in the car). There are camera's every so often that hit your tag. They just send you a bill in the mail or deduct from your prepaid acct if you don't submit to their subjugation!!!

This is what they started doing to a lot of the HOV lanes in the SF Bay Area. They convert them to paid access lanes now.

 

[jefftuck]

I took it that Atlanta HOV is a pay as you exit to certain streets. Not if you just drive through. I’ve used tha for my wife and I a few times going from Baton Rouge to Virginia.

Atlanta has HOV lanes, HOT lanes, and express lanes. Each have different rules and different requirements. HOT lanes can be toll free, but you need a pass, and register your carpool on the app every trip. Express lanes are pay for everyone. HOV have no requirements except be a 2+ HOV or motorcycle. EVs ended their 20 years of free access today.

 

[HuntingPudel]

I never put the decals on my MMEs. Have fun peeling them off.

 

[Ford_orr]

I never put the decals on my MMEs. Have fun peeling them off.

I will most certainly not have fun!

 

[ChrisO]

Atlanta has HOV lanes, HOT lanes, and express lanes. Each have different rules and different requirements. HOT lanes can be toll free, but you need a pass, and register your carpool on the app every trip. Express lanes are pay for everyone. HOV have no requirements except be a 2+ HOV or motorcycle. EVs ended their 20 years of free access today.

Up here in Northern California they have both HOV and "FastTrack"/Express lanes, and more and more HOV lanes are being converted to FastTrack which would basically be the same as your HOT lanes, pay to use kind of lanes. The older HOV is/was purely "honor system" (with of course a big fine if you get pulled over for violating it). The FastTrack system you get a free device that you put in your car that is connected to an account that connect to a payment account. It has a switch on it for 1, 2, and 3+ passengers. And again, that is the "honor system" for it being in the right position. The cameras will read the license plate and this device, but not how many people are in the car.

Tickets for violating not having the FastTrack device when in such a lane, are done by the license plate. And I believe since a few years now, the toll bridges send an "invoice" for the toll to the address for the license plate if one doesn't have a FastTrack device when crossing these bridges.

(I just looked it up and it seems that removal of the toll booths, and being totally electronic has been delayed until 2026)

As a side note, the fees on these can add up very quickly if you were to do one person using the lanes for a fair distance (each leg costs a certain amount) and do this every day.

 

[ARK]

As we go on, we remember
All the times we had together
And as HOV rules change, come whatever
We will still be HOV solo drivers forever

Sponsored