PHOTO:Lawrence K. Ho / LAT
It is now legal for single occupancy drivers of hybrid cars to use the car pool lane on the Freeway. A decal is required to be placed on such autos to identify them. Some of the owners are annoyed at the ugly stickers.
Allowing solo drivers in hybrids to use the car pool lane defeats the entire purpose of the lanes: to reduce the amount of cars on the road. Hybrids may have social value, but in a few years they may comprise up to 50% of all cars. When there are hybrid trucks and hybrid SUV’s will California allow all those solo drivers to use the car pool lane?
Why not go further and honor hybrids by allowing them to park in the handicapped spaces? Imagine a 22 year old trainer at LA Fitness as she parks her hybrid car in the blue spot near the front entrance of the club? Why not? Hybrids are a moral choice and they deserve to be everywhere regardless of logic.
Here in Van Nuys 
Well, Toyota is reportedly going to release a whole ton of new hybrid models, hopefully at different price points, including lower than the Prius. If they can get a $15,000 hybrid out on the road, that will really start to turn heads. The other automakers have got to be noticing that this is a potentially profitable market they’re missing out on.
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I agree that the diamond lanes have been pretty much a bust as far as reducing traffic goes. They’ve been around for about 20 plus years, while the number of cars on the road grows exponentially, and have done little to encourage people to carpool. They might be better off just scrapping it just to make an extra lane that might do better to reduce gridlock.
Allowing a hybrid car in the diamond lane isn’t really a new idea. Motorcycles are also allowed, since they are classified as low emissions and high fuel economy. But how many people carpool on a motorcycle? Same with at least one gas engine car, the Honda Civic, which is also a low emission vehicle under California law.
Hybrid cars get twice the “average” fuel efficiency of American gas engine cars, which is something like 21 MPG. I agree that hybrid cars are a little pricey, 20-22k, which isn’t too bad, though you could do cheaper. Perhaps when there are more on the road the price will come down. But it beats paying 50k or more for an Escalade or a Mercedes.
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Think of it this way: does the hybrid get TWICE the mileage of a “regular car”? If that regular car gets 25 MPG, I’m pretty sure the Prius is pulling 50 mpg on the freeway, or at least 45. That’s probably enough to justify it in the carpool lane strictly on fuel economy. Same is true for emissions. But it smacks of elitism because of the price of these vehicles.
Now when it comes to the effectiveness of carpool lanes in general, don’t get me started: I’m not in any way convinced that they help, only that they hurt overall traffic flow.
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You’re right about the hybrids in that they are environmentally friendly and will lessen our payments to the supporters of Al Quida. But I still question whether clogging the car pool lane with solo Hybrid drivers is the answer.
The privelege of riding in the diamond lanes belongs to those who carry more than one passenger. That’s what a “car pool” lane means.
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Actually, only the Toyota Prius, and the Honda Accord and Civic hybrids are the only ones who qualify for the carpool lane stickers. The hybrid SUVs and pickups can’t because they don’t get as good gas mileage as those cars, and the mileage is only slightly better than their regular engine versions.
While I agree that the Prius has been a pretty trendy car among the well-to-do and their reasons for buying one may be a gesture of vanity, the gas mileage is much better than most cars on the road, save the few electric vehicles that are left. The air conditioning doesn’t tie into the gas engine, so it reduces the mileage minimally. The lights use hardly any power. Also, the car has lower average pollution emissions than regular cars, which is also one of the reasons for having the car pool lane, to reduce the amount of air pollution spewed out by cars every day. Granted, at this point there’s not enough hybrids on the road to reduce it all that much, compared to the number of monster SUVs that people all over the Valley drive, but it makes a dent.
I’m all for having more hybrids on the road for these reasons. It’s a step in the right direction to reducing our dependence on oil if we start to use less of it. Whether it’s being bought by yoga-practicing, pseudo tree huggers is hardly the point.
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Steve-
Yes they are the current status symbol of pretend self-sacrifice. Along with hot room yoga, flip flops and boba drinks.
Andrew
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Your arguments about why hybirds should not be in car pool lanes are cogent,logical and, thus (alas), are not applicable to this discussion.
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The Prius is pretty much a lifestyle accessory. Nobody who buys one needs to save money on gas, and those savings go out the window when you turn on the air conditioning or lights. I imagine that the car’s status will only be heightened with a giant sticker on the back. It’s perfect.
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