Hybrids - Love'em or hate'em
Printed From: Slug-Lines.com
Category: Archived Slugging Topics
Forum Name: Hybrids
Forum Description: This area is devoted to the discussion of hybrid vehicles and their impact to the HOV.
URL: http://www.slug-lines.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1355
Printed Date: 22 Nov 2024 at 11:34am
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Topic: Hybrids - Love'em or hate'em
Posted By: cthomas25
Subject: Hybrids - Love'em or hate'em
Date Posted: 18 Nov 2004 at 1:20pm
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I know we've talked about this before on the message board but this morning on my way to work on HOV I counted 18 hybrids from Potomac Mills to the Memorial Bridge exit. That was only in the 30 minutes that I'm on HOV. I think there are way more hybrids in HOV lately and though they are good for the environment wouldn't it make sense for them to either pick up 2 more people or ride in regular traffic. Don't they get better gas mileage in city traffic? Don't get me wrong I too would like to own a Hybrid to save on gas money but I would still pick up 2 passengers. If you're going that way anyways it would just make sense.
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Replies:
Posted By: qorc
Date Posted: 07 Feb 2005 at 7:16am
no, mine gets worse driving in the city UNLESS I never have to stop for lights (eg, recently, I was circling national airport, waiting to pick someone up, and I got about 74 mpg for 15 minues).
I usually run around 50-51 mpg on my highway commute, and 38-40 running around doing shopping.
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Posted By: Wagonman
Date Posted: 07 Feb 2005 at 4:59pm
quote:
Originally posted by cthomas25
[br] I think there are way more hybrids in HOV lately and though they are good for the environment wouldn't it make sense for them to either pick up 2 more people or ride in regular traffic.
Depends on what you mean by better for the environment...many hybrids have poor emissions. Qorc sounds like he has an Insight. His rating is only Tier 2 bin 9(depending on the year since the rating have changed as Tier 2 has been adopted) unless he bought his car in a CARB state and has the CA emissions package. This rating is below Tier 2 bin 5 which is considered the average or typical new vehicle emission rating. Sure, he uses less gas but he isn't helping our air pollution.
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Posted By: qorc
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2005 at 8:23am
Posted By: Wagonman
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2005 at 3:25pm
quote:
Originally posted by qorc
[br]no I have a Prius
Ok, your car is cleaner. But there are still regular cars that aren't that much different than yours in terms of emissions. But most of the other hybrids sold here are a joke in terms of "clean" emissions.
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Posted By: DC2RV
Date Posted: 08 Feb 2005 at 8:00pm
Ok, in all the various threads this Hybrid issue is beaten to death.
Regardless of my own personal opinion (pro cleaner emissions, anti exemption), one topic that's never discussed is the impact of all the additional vehicles on DC.
The HOV lanes are only a thoroughfare. What's the impact on the final destination?
Where do all these additional vehicles park? Are Colonial and other parking garage operators making a killing on daily/monthly fees?
What's the effect on downtown where traffic already sucked before the emergence of hybrids?
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Posted By: VA4ver
Date Posted: 09 Feb 2005 at 6:32am
I'm a hybrid owner who picks up people (but I have never had one complain when there's a long line of drivers and I can go w/o waiting for another person [:D]). Enough of being smug! I've noticed that a lot of former sluggers have opted to purchase a hybrid. Why is that? Could it be because we are becoming rude and intolerable? When is it acceptable to engage in a long and drawn out private cell phone conversation in a public arena, like another person's car? Think about it and get a grip and go back to Ms. Manners.
When I purchased my hybrid I knew the exemption would end. I did it for two things A. it seemed to be cool at the time B. GAS! (I fill up every OTHER week.) But the hatred amongst everyone out there is AMAZING! Hybrid owners aren't, using Bush's favorite word, evil. They are simply taking advantage of something that is available at the present time to everyone and anyone. It was a gimic to get people to start investing in new technology. Or would you rather have Bush's tax break (which is significantly more than for the hybrid) for a H2?
From my standpoint of having to commute into the fair city for at least 16 years, traffic overall has exploded! People choose to drive into the city because public transportation is fairly expensive, but parking is cheap (and can be deducted pre-tax). Also, public transportation takes forever and isn't equiped to handle the populace.
So, quit being such a self-righteous bunch, keep writing your Congressmen and keep slugging!
P.S. Spongebob, yellow as you are, go back to the sea! [:)]
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Posted By: qorc
Date Posted: 09 Feb 2005 at 7:14am
quote:
Originally posted by Wagonman
[br]quote:
Originally posted by qorc
[br]no I have a Prius
Ok, your car is cleaner. But there are still regular cars that aren't that much different than yours in terms of emissions. But most of the other hybrids sold here are a joke in terms of "clean" emissions.
No, that's not true. the mileage I'm getting is typical of Prius (and I presume Honda) owners. I go to a Yahoo message board for Prius owners. I'm pretty much right in the middle.
It's not CLEANER, per se. but I use a lot less gas than most vehicles out there, which makes it cleaner in terms of emissions.
Hey, I like it because I went from dropping $42 a week on my truck (and slugging to work in other people's cars) to $14 a week and driving myself to work. I know the Hybrid exemption will end. But I like the economy of it. When it ends I will either become a driver or go back to slugging (IF they expand the 234 lot).
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Posted By: SpongeBob
Date Posted: 09 Feb 2005 at 9:47am
I haven't even appeared in this thread, and yet I must deal with the cruel jibes and taunts of an aggrieved population of high-bred owners who forget that I, the Sponge, Defender of Slugdom, have championed their right to keep their blasted exemption through 2006. Fair's fair, as they say.
But in their honor today, I offer a modification of my previous term, "High-bred". From now on, let them be known as "Hypebrids", since Wagonman has blown a hole in their complacent claims of greater Greenity.
Qorc, the Sponge stands ready to welcome you and Adjguy and the other Smugs back into The Fellowship of the Slug when the hypebrid exemption ends, which, from the look of things, may be never.
When you live at the bottom of the sea, the sky is always falling. Right now, the thing I see falling on me is a hypebrid SUV carrying a load of Ford Motor Company lobbyists on their way to Capitol Hill to press for legislation that will boost the sales of their latest products. Does anyone doubt, for even a second, that the legislation will pass? The sky is falling and slugging is ending.
We are living in the End Times.
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Posted By: VA4ver
Date Posted: 10 Feb 2005 at 8:45am
Can you see a new movie in the making: Revenge of the Hybrids or Hybrids Strike Back. New phrase "May the Hybrids be with you!"
Hey Sponge you've got to be the funniest sponge on the web.
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Posted By: Wagonman
Date Posted: 10 Feb 2005 at 10:40pm
quote:
Originally posted by qorc
[br]quote:
Originally posted by Wagonman
[br]
Ok, your car is cleaner. But there are still regular cars that aren't that much different than yours in terms of emissions. But most of the other hybrids sold here are a joke in terms of "clean" emissions.
No, that's not true. the mileage I'm getting is typical of Prius (and I presume Honda) owners. I go to a Yahoo message board for Prius owners. I'm pretty much right in the middle.
It's not CLEANER, per se. but I use a lot less gas than most vehicles out there, which makes it cleaner in terms of emissions.
I'm not knocking your mileage. It may not be exactly what the EPA says, but it is still good. I'm just saying that high mileage doesn't automatically mean cleanest emissions. While using less gas is good, it doesn't help air quality around here when the emissions aren't that much better(Prius) or actually worse(Civic hybrid and Insight) than a lot of other regular cars.
Higher mileage does reduce carbon dioxide emissions, but that isn't a regulated pollutant and isn't a local air pollution issue.
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Posted By: VA4ver
Date Posted: 11 Feb 2005 at 10:03am
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We all agree that hybrids are the way of the future and the incentives to purchase new technology (tax break/HOV access) has made this area a haven for hybrids. It's time to allow ALL the exemptions to the HOV (Edsall Road, hybrids, off duty police, etc.) to end, and to modify the times. Keep the HOV flowing and at the same time find a solution to the traffic through a more efficient and affordable train/bus system.
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Posted By: sluDgE
Date Posted: 11 Feb 2005 at 12:45pm
Edsall Road [?] How does Edsall Road traffic impact HOV?
The morning entrance to HOV just north of Edsall Road is little used, and the afternoon Edsall exit from HOV has no back-up.
Or do you mean the Turkey Run afternoon HOV entrance from the regular lanes that allows Springfield-Burke residents to use the Old Keene Mill Rd (Va 644) or Backlick Rd HOV exits to avoid the multi-lane crossing danger at the mixing bowl from the regular lanes? My understanding is the Turkey Run HOV entrance will be closed once the dedicated Springfield exit ramp that involves no mixing bowl multi-lane crossings from the non-HOV lanes is completed.
Keep on sluggin' [:)]
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Posted By: VA4ver
Date Posted: 11 Feb 2005 at 1:26pm
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That is hop on right after Edsall Road Exit.... I believe they said they were allowing regular traffic onto HOV at the 14th St. Bridge to facilitate traffic flow during repairs to the bridge. Have they changed it back? Just like exemptions, once the powers that be are too comfortable with something, it's hard to get them to change without a "little" nudging from their constituents.
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Posted By: sluDgE
Date Posted: 11 Feb 2005 at 3:51pm
VA4ver,
So you do mean the Turkey Run HOV entrance. I hear that "hop-on" to the HOV lanes is supposed to be closed to single drivers once the dedicated Springfield-Franconia exit to VA 644 is completed.
Be patient, and you will not have legal single Springfield drivers jumping on at Turkey Run any longer. That should make those next two HOV exits HOV-3 only -- and it will no longer be legal for single drivers to jump on HOV lanes at Turkey Run to use the Old Keene Mill and Backlick Rd HOV exits. I suppose if the Turkey Run HOV "hop-on" remains open it will be for legal HOV-3 users only.
Keep on sluggin'! [:)]
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Posted By: dickboyd
Date Posted: 14 Feb 2005 at 4:08am
What part does the road play in pollution? Traffic engineers try to minimize idling time as the holy grail of pollution reduction. The real pollution comes from acceleration/decleration cycles. Changing speed is a larger contributor to pollution than idling.
Operating a road at capacity rather than free flow guarantees stop and go traffic as well as one day in 20 of unpredictable travel time.
What does it take to get roads operating free flow rather than capacity.
This may be a difficult question for the area that defined blivets and reverse blivets.
A blivet is trying to put five pounds of stuff in a three pound bag. A blivet is trying to put 3,100 cars per hour per lane with drivers that need two second spacing or they run into each other.
A reverse blivet is trying to fill a five pound bag with three pounds. A car may have five seats but is considered full with three people on the reversible lanes. That same car may be considered full with one person on the regular lanes. With esixting occupancy trend, a car may be full with 0.8 people. Some drivers will be required to tow an empty car to keep the car count up. ;-P
dickboyd@aol.com
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Posted By: LJD
Date Posted: 14 Feb 2005 at 1:07pm
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I'm a former regular slug rider (4yr from Horner!), now sometimes slug driver (17/610). There seems to be some discussion of "free flow" vs. "at capacity" on this board wrt HOT lanes and Hybrids. How about using the industry terminology of Level of Service? A-G, where A is an open road, E is a roadway at capacity, F is stop and go, and G is so choked that traffic hours are extended. You can't talk free-flow to the traffic engineers.
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