Giving Hybrid Vehicles a Break (October 6, 2004) March 2005

Out-of-Gas writes "This news is a little dated but still very informative.
original link:
http://www.ppionline.org/ndol/print.cfm?contentid=252950

PPI | E-newsletter | October 6, 2004
Giving Hybrid Vehicles a Break

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Editor's Notes: The PPI "State Environment Exchange" is a monthly email newsletter published by PPI's Energy & Environment Project. The newsletter is made possible by a generous grant from the Joyce Foundation.
Original links are included though some may have expired.

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High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes were built in many of America's metro areas in the 1980s and 1990s to encourage commuting by carpool and buses. Now states are selectively expanding access to these express lanes to encourage commuters to buy cleaner, more fuel-efficient cars. California, for example, recently passed legislation (AB 2628) that would allow owners of hybrid vehicles to use HOV lanes when driving alone and to travel free on toll bridges.

Meanwhile, in late July Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn and City Councilman Eric Garcetti proposed exempting hybrid owners from having to feed parking meters. The program went into effect October 1.

"This motion says to L.A. drivers: Don't worry locally, be happy globally," said Councilmember Garcetti. "At the same that you can be happy you're polluting ninety percent less than other drivers, you don't have to worry about whether you just put your last quarter in a tip jar when you're parking on city streets."

The City of Los Angeles currently provides free parking at city meters for electric and natural gas cars and trucks designated as "Clean Air Vehicles" by the Department of Motor Vehicles. Based on the success of this initiative, and in an effort to promote cleaner air, Mayor Hahn developed a plan to extend this program to owners of hybrid vehicles for a six-month trial period.

Hybrids, which use a combination of gasoline and electric power, provide increased fuel economy on a miles-per-gallon basis and, subsequently, reduce air pollution. California has twice as many hybrids as any other state, according to the City of Los Angeles. Over 4,700 hybrid vehicles were registered in Los Angeles alone in 2003, that's more than any other city.

At the end of the program's six-month trial period, LADOT will analyze the initiative and make a determination of whether or not to continue it.

The Los Angeles measure complements a new state-level HOV waiver for hybrids, which Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) signed into law in late September. The new law was sponsored by state Rep. Fran Pavley (D). State Environmental Protection Agency Secretary Terry Tamminen (a political newcomer who headed an environmental group before his appointment by Schwarzenegger) and state Treasurer Phil Angelides (D) also supported the new measure.

To qualify for the state-level HOV and toll breaks, hybrid cars would have to get at least 45 miles per gallon and meet strict emission standards; it's estimated that 75,000 HOV-exemption stickers will be issued. The bill would allow the state Department of Motor Vehicles to limit the program if HOV lanes become too congested. The state is looking to add 1,045 miles of carpool lanes to its existing 1,112 miles, which already represent about 40 percent of the national total.

Not everyone is pleased with the new law. Transportation experts are alarmed at any new additions to California's high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes. Already, 23 of the state's 56 carpool lanes are at, or near, capacity, including sections of the Foothill, Century, and San Diego freeways in Southern California.

"The lanes that we have in the state are a precious resource for travel," said Martin Wachs, director of the Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Berkeley, who owns a Toyota Prius hybrid. "I can think of no rational reason why we should give away capacity to vehicles that will contribute as much to congestion, just because they're clean fuel."

Experts who have studied traffic flow say that just a few dozen extra vehicles in a carpool lane in an hour can cause a noticeable slowdown. There were 23,983 hybrids registered in California as of May, and state officials anticipate the number to increase more than fourfold over the next three years.

In written testimony, the California Association of Councils of Government last month called the bill irresponsible and said it "fails to recognize the extent of traffic congestion."

Bay Area transportation officials have raised the strongest objections. They say the measure could scuttle their efforts to encourage more commuters to use express buses, and could cost as much as $2 million a year in lost toll revenue because drivers in some carpool lanes cross toll bridges for free.

Brian D. Taylor, director of UCLA's Institute of Transportation Studies, said the bill was "bad policy" because it would attempt to motivate one goal -- energy efficiency -- by altering high-occupancy vehicle lanes that were designed to address the different objective of improving traffic flow.

"Why don't we allow nurses and schoolteachers to use HOV lanes? They're certainly doing good things," Taylor said. "Do you want to say, 'We want people to eat more roughage, let's let those people use HOV lanes as well?' Just because there are a lot of benefits of hybrid technology, that doesn't mean there's a logical nexus between that and HOV lanes."

The new law attempts to prevent congestion by limiting the number of hybrid cars with the special privileges to 75,000. Each car would get a distinctive decal so police could know they were permitted in the lanes. They would be in addition to the approximately 6,000 all-electric cars authorized for solo drivers.

The bill also requires the California Department of Transportation to ban hybrids from congested carpool lanes and to stop issuing permits above the number 50,000 if congestion problems were to arise.

To take effect, California still must obtain a federal waiver to implement the exemption for hybrids if it wants to continue receiving federal highway funds. Washington provides highway money only for carpool lanes that are restricted to vehicles with at least two occupants. The only current exemption involves cars that emit no pollution at all, such as those powered solely by electricity.

Florida, Georgia, and Arizona have already adopted provisions similar to California's and are asking to be exempted from the federal multi-passenger rule, which Congress is considering abolishing. Virginia already grants single-passenger hybrids access to its HOV lanes and New York lawmakers are also contemplating inviting hybrids into carpool lanes.

Transportation experts are right to raise concerns that HOV exemptions will increase carpool lane congestion. California and other states seeking to reward solo hybrid drivers must evaluate their respective programs carefully. In the meantime, with gas prices giving U.S. consumers vertigo, Washington should grant the pioneering states seeking to help kick our oil habit an exemption from carpool lane restrictions
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