No more HOV passes for hybrids in California
As of Friday, the DMV in California announced they will no longer be accepting applications from hybrid car drivers who wish to drive solo i...
https://iskablogs.blogspot.com/2007/02/no-more-hov-passes-for-hybrids-in.html
As of Friday, the DMV in California announced they will no longer be accepting applications from hybrid car drivers who wish to drive solo in the diamond lane.
Only three hybrid cars qualified under the state guidelines for solo access to the HOV lane, the Honda Civic Hybrid, the Honda Insight and the Toyota Prius. These are the only three hybrids who are rated at better than 45 mpg.
Access was first granted in 2005 by law to 75,000 hybrid cars. In September, 10,000 more stickers were authorized to be passed out starting in January. But now they are all gone.
"We have no more stickers available to issue, and any applications sent to DMV will likely not be successfully processed," Spokesman Steve Haskins said. "Any unprocessed applications and checks will be returned as soon as the last of the stickers are mailed to customers."
The stickers are good until 2010 and its unknown whether lawmakers will extend the program. There was quite a debate back in the Fall about whether the excess vehicles were causing congestion. Most responses to this have pointed to the level of cheaters, not hybrids, that are clogging the diamond lane.
Only three hybrid cars qualified under the state guidelines for solo access to the HOV lane, the Honda Civic Hybrid, the Honda Insight and the Toyota Prius. These are the only three hybrids who are rated at better than 45 mpg.
Access was first granted in 2005 by law to 75,000 hybrid cars. In September, 10,000 more stickers were authorized to be passed out starting in January. But now they are all gone.
"We have no more stickers available to issue, and any applications sent to DMV will likely not be successfully processed," Spokesman Steve Haskins said. "Any unprocessed applications and checks will be returned as soon as the last of the stickers are mailed to customers."
The stickers are good until 2010 and its unknown whether lawmakers will extend the program. There was quite a debate back in the Fall about whether the excess vehicles were causing congestion. Most responses to this have pointed to the level of cheaters, not hybrids, that are clogging the diamond lane.
