Changes coming for hybrid vehicles in Va. HOV lane
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Forum Name: Hybrids
Forum Description: This area is devoted to the discussion of hybrid vehicles and their impact to the HOV.
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Topic: Changes coming for hybrid vehicles in Va. HOV lane
Posted By: MDC
Subject: Changes coming for hybrid vehicles in Va. HOV lane
Date Posted: 15 Apr 2011 at 11:39am
Hank Silverberg, wtop.com
WASHINGTON - If you drive a hybrid car or are in the market for one, the rules for HOV lanes in Virginia are about to get a bit more complicated.
Right now, if you drive on Interstate 66 and have a properly registered hybrid, you get to use the HOV lanes until the end of June 2012. But if you buy a hybrid after July 1 of this year, forget it -- you can't use the car pool lanes without another passenger.
Virginia State Delegate Tag Greason (R-Loudoun) says officials are phasing out the special privilege for hybrids because there were too many of the energy-efficient vehicles in the car pool lanes.
Greason drives a hybrid and sponsored a bill to extend the privilege one more year to make the transition smoother.
"Some people have invested money in that vehicle for their commuting purposes, and I think pulling the rug out from under them by eliminating the program cold turkey was not the right approach," Greason says.
On Interstate 95/Interstate 395, the rules were changed five years ago and only drivers who had hybrids before 2006 are allowed to use the HOV lanes without three people in the car. Different license plates alert police to who's OK and who is not.
Not all hybrids qualify for the exemption even if you buy one before July 1. The Department of Motor Vehicles has a list of those that do.
http://wtop.com/?nid=41&sid=2345396
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Replies:
Posted By: MDC
Date Posted: 15 Apr 2011 at 11:43am
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Now the question is how long will they keep the exemption for old plates, and continue to allow people to transfer their special plates to new cars every year or two.
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Posted By: enburns1018
Date Posted: 27 Jun 2011 at 10:05am
Here's the latest and greatest from VDOT. Even if a person is purchasing a qualifying vehicle and transferring the plates every two years, the occupancy exemption expires July 1, 2011 whether those plates are "old" or "new". FINALLY!! :)
http://www.dmv.virginia.gov/webdoc/citizen/vehicles/cleanspecialfuel.asp
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Posted By: Pele
Date Posted: 27 Jun 2011 at 12:00pm
quote:
Originally posted by enburns1018
Here's the latest and greatest from VDOT. Even if a person is purchasing a qualifying vehicle and transferring the plates every two years, the occupancy exemption expires July 1, 2011 whether those plates are "old" or "new". FINALLY!! :)
http://www.dmv.virginia.gov/webdoc/citizen/vehicles/cleanspecialfuel.asp
Hallelujah!!!
-------------------------
Times to beat:
Horner Rd to/from Pentagon: 12 mins Without Slugs - 17 mins With slugs
Dale City exit to/from 3rd St Tunnel, D.C. 18 mins (No slugs - Holiday)
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Posted By: ETC
Date Posted: 27 Jun 2011 at 12:41pm
But what about House Bill 1432? Says it's extended to 2012...
http://lis.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/legp604.exe?111+sum+HB1432
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Posted By: ETC
Date Posted: 27 Jun 2011 at 3:31pm
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That's just capping the number of Hybrids on I-66. Sorry, thought the exemption was actually going to expire.
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Posted By: SuTaRiCh
Date Posted: 01 Jul 2011 at 1:08pm
Here is the link you need to clarify Silverberg's article:
http://www.virginiadot.org/newsroom/northern_virginia/2011/hov_law_for_hybrid51769.asp
HOV exemption on 95/395 was extended to June 30, 2012.
Change to I-66 means that future hybrids will not be exempt (like what they did on 95/395 a few years ago.
The link above that takes you to VDOT page that lists exempt vehicles appears to be out of date - in that it does not reflect that exemption was extended for another year.
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Posted By: Pele
Date Posted: 02 Jul 2011 at 8:23am
quote:
Originally posted by SuTaRiCh
Here is the link you need to clarify Silverberg's article:
http://www.virginiadot.org/newsroom/northern_virginia/2011/hov_law_for_hybrid51769.asp
HOV exemption on 95/395 was extended to June 30, 2012.
FFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUU
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Times to beat:
Horner Rd to/from Pentagon: 12 mins Without Slugs - 17 mins With slugs
Dale City exit to/from 3rd St Tunnel, D.C. 18 mins (No slugs - Holiday)
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Posted By: RetiredMarine
Date Posted: 05 Jul 2011 at 7:49am
Took this from Colossus911
It was posted on a different spot with-in the site. I hope VA will get SMART and do what CA did already.
Hybrid drivers lose special privileges in Calif.
By DAISY NGUYEN, Associated Press
Associated Press June 29, 2011 12:36 PM
For six years, California gave owners of hybrid cars the keys to the fast lane: permission to drive alone among carpoolers.
Now hybrids are about to lose the special privilege that was intended as a reward for saving gas and protecting the environment. The vehicles are no longer novel, their key-shaped yellow decals faded from the sun, and transportation officials want to make way for a new generation of even cleaner cars.
Starting Friday, 85,000 hybrid owners have to get back in line with the gas guzzlers, the truckers and everyone else or face steep fines.
State officials say the time has come to end the hugely popular incentive program introduced in August 2005 because they've met their goal of getting drivers to switch to low-emission hybrids, which run on both electricity and gasoline.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2011/06/29/national/a123246D38.DTL#ixzz1QmVntIxG
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Posted By: NoSUV
Date Posted: 20 Jul 2011 at 1:12pm
Um, the article quoted by colossus911 was in error. As well as the conclusion colossus drew.
Read the entire article (even marines are likely capable) and you'll see that the CA exemption is really just shifting from one type of SOV to another. And the author of the article misinterpreted VA law. What happens in 2012 is that the new CSF plates that could be used during HOV hours on I66 designated lanes (and, I presume, I64 in Tidewater) will no longer be issued.
And here I thought RetiredMarine could actually read the other postings in this thread to see his errors.
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Posted By: RetiredMarine
Date Posted: 21 Jul 2011 at 7:46am
Yes you are correct the Virginia law makers haven't changed the I-95/I-395 HOV lanes as of yet. We can only hope and Pray they learn from CA. Or are you one of those of give large kick backs to our lawmakers to help them look the other way.
No error in my posting. I stated I hope VA would get smart and do teh same as CA. The rest of the posting was a copy and paste. Glad to be able to help make your day.
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Posted By: billybaru
Date Posted: 29 Jul 2011 at 2:48pm
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I drive on 395 HOV everyday; so what is the final verdict on hybrids ? I got confused following all of the messages on this topic. I am for HOV-3 for everybody with no hybrid exceptions
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Posted By: jramage
Date Posted: 19 Oct 2011 at 7:33am
I agree with billy; HOV-3 for everyone. I'm all for green technology, but if the hybrid drivers REALLY want to impact the environment, they'd be picking up two passengers like everyone else to lessen the number of cars on the road. And make taxis do the same.
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Posted By: siggy14
Date Posted: 27 Oct 2011 at 2:01pm
If taxis do not have a fare they are suppose to be taking two riders as well.
quote:
Originally posted by jramage
I agree with billy; HOV-3 for everyone. I'm all for green technology, but if the hybrid drivers REALLY want to impact the environment, they'd be picking up two passengers like everyone else to lessen the number of cars on the road. And make taxis do the same.
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Posted By: NoSUV
Date Posted: 28 Oct 2011 at 1:36am
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If y'all believe what YOU post, you'd all be on a bus!
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Posted By: billybaru
Date Posted: 22 Dec 2011 at 2:56pm
everybody needs to contact their state reprsentatives to voice the displeasure. For every one complaint received there are 10 more people that just don't do anything about it. politicians know this, I hope.
All it takes is a simple e-mail. Our commute time depends on our collective efforts
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Posted By: NoSUV
Date Posted: 24 Jan 2012 at 3:58pm
quote:
Originally posted by billybaru
everybody needs to contact their state reprsentatives to voice the displeasure. For every one complaint received there are 10 more people that just don't do anything about it. politicians know this, I hope.
All it takes is a simple e-mail. Our commute time depends on our collective efforts
Couldn't agree wtih you more about writng your delegate and senator. I do so frequently; both agree that the best alternative is to kill the carpool exemption from the express lanes, but they fear the backlash from knucleheads who are only interested in themselves and not the greater good. So they compromise with "good enough" by keeping the only exemption that really makes sense anymore - the hybrid exemption. If only they had the courage to do the right thing and eliminate the carpool exemption...
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Posted By: HOVME
Date Posted: 29 Feb 2012 at 3:33pm
Looks like the General Assembly today passed the hybrid extension with no expiration date.
HOVME
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Posted By: HOVME
Date Posted: 14 May 2012 at 10:13pm
NEW LAW FOR HYBRIDS ON HOV LANES
With proper tag, hybrids can use lanes until further notice
Per Virgina DMV: "Under a new law approved by the General Assembly and signed by Gov. Robert F. McDonnell, drivers of hybrid vehicles may continue to use the high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes on Interstates 66, 395, 95 and the Dulles Toll Road during rush hours, provided they have the required clean fuel license plate.
The new law leaves the hybrid exemption open-ended rather than providing a one-year extension as in previous years. This means that hybrids with the approved clean fuel tag (issued before the required dates below) can continue to use the HOV lanes until further notice."
HOVME
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Posted By: MDC
Date Posted: 15 Dec 2014 at 1:02pm
Since a spammer bumped my thread! :) The new EzPass Express lanes will not have an HOV-3 Exeption for Hybrids, even if they still have their 8+ year old license plates. They will be required to pay tolls for the toll portion of the road, and still be able to use the HOV only portion of the road as they have been.
http://www.95expresslanes.com/travel-hybrid
Here's the Quote: However, a small portion of Virginia hybrid drivers are eligible to access the HOV lanes on I-95 during rush hour without meeting the HOV requirement (3+ people). Virginia law makes a special exception for only those hybrids whose clean fuel plates were issued before July 1, 2006. When the Express Lanes open, these drivers must pay a toll or have three people in the car to use the Express Lanes.
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Posted By: scottt
Date Posted: 16 Dec 2014 at 9:31am
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The Hybrids (FINALLY) having to pickup slugs or pay a toll is the ONLY part of this boondoggle that I actually like!
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Posted By: NoSUV
Date Posted: 22 Dec 2014 at 11:08am
Turns out the exemption still applies to I395 N of Edsall and on I66.
What is fascinating is that the Commonwealth has 3 different rules for how motorcycles are treated with respect to hybrids:
- On I395 and I66, both are exempt from HOV rules
- On Dulles Toll road, both pay tolls
- On "Express" or HOT, hybrids pay tolls but motorcycles don't
I guess motorcycle riders have a better lobby than hybrid owners.
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Posted By: MDC
Date Posted: 05 Jan 2015 at 10:21am
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The I-66 "clean fuel" exception is for license plates issued prior to July 2011. Otherwise the same.
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Posted By: mpatoka
Date Posted: 05 Jan 2015 at 2:22pm
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Also, Dulles Toll Road is a true toll road so everyone pays, not an HOV road like I/95/395/495.
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