There has been a bill introduced that would allow all hybrid cars to use California carpool lanes. I'm very unhappy about this. Let me explain why:

1. When freeways are expanded now, it is always a carpool lane added. This does very little to actually help traffic congestion. Cars merging from a 45mph carpool to a 5mph #1 lane is a HUGE mess. I've seen situations where it actually slowed the freeway more. How about they expand with REAL traffic lanes? The minor environmental impact here can't be worth this.

2. Did anyone realize some hybrid cars actually get poorer mileage than normal vehicles? The new Toyota Highlander hybrid only gets ~30mpg highway. Why should that be allowed special privileges when a ~35mpg Civic isn't? You can bet there will be more of these large hybrid cars/SUVs being made... at some point will 20mpg hybrid Hummers be allowed too?

 

I think public transportation needs to be improved vastly to the point where driving to work is more trouble then taking the metro.

 

This will never, ever happen in LA without a huge cultural shift.

 

After spending a week in Japan, you realize that even with the world's best public transport system... driving is still easier.

 

Good points.. I have never been a fan of car pool lanes, but if we are gonna have them we should use them to remove a car from traffic.. that means there should be two or more driving age people in the car.

 

public transportation is awesome. i drive only on weekends these days.

 

Actually the proposed CA law sould open the carpool lanes to 75,000 hybrids that get at least 45 MPG. So of the current cars on the market, only the Prius, Civic and Insight would qualify. But there are already 53,300 Prius, 12,600 Civic, and 300 Insights sold in CA, so looks like any new hybrid buyer will be out of luck. Or maybe I am missing some of the fine prints.

 

And I heard it wasn't a proposal, it was passed already.

 

I would have to imagine that it would be open to "the 75000 hybrids in California" as well as hybrids that will be added to the state in the future.

I'd think they would go strictly by the EPA rating, but does anyone actually get 45mpg in the Prius?

 

Well, that's more logical at least.

The original proposal about a year ago would have included ALL hybrids. I heard yesterday that they were about the bill being on the fast-track to passing. Didn't know they had changed the proposal to include a mpg minimum.

Thanks for the info.