1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Solo Hybrid Drivers in California HOV lanes Amplify Congestion

Discussion in 'Prius, Hybrid, EV and Alt-Fuel News' started by hill, Oct 1, 2014.

  1. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

    Joined:
    Jun 23, 2005
    19,606
    8,036
    54
    Location:
    Montana & Nashville, TN
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    I do like my stickers .... & seldom use 'em. But if the author has their way -

    Green Car Congress: Study finds solo hybrid drivers in California HOV lanes amplify congestion, create up to $4,500 per car in adverse social costs annually

    Here's a solution ... let's kick out all the NON-hybrid car owners !!
    :D
    .
     
    bwilson4web likes this.
  2. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

    Joined:
    Nov 25, 2005
    27,068
    15,372
    0
    Location:
    Huntsville AL
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    Perhaps you mean all the gasoline and diesel car owners?

    Bob Wilson
     
  3. MarcSmith

    MarcSmith Active Member

    Joined:
    Jan 13, 2014
    471
    150
    0
    Location:
    Northern VA
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    HOV

    Hybrid only Vehicles... LOL
     
    bwilson4web likes this.
  4. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 19, 2006
    11,309
    3,586
    1
    Location:
    Northern VA (NoVA)
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Virginia invented the idea of free solo HOV for hybrids but we started backing off by 2006 because our "sluggers" (car poolers) were ticked off at the congestion.

    I do not philosophically agree with free HOV for hybrids/plug-ins, but pragmatically it's a great boost to the car sales business and I might do it just to for that reason.
     
  5. bwilson4web

    bwilson4web BMW i3 and Model 3

    Joined:
    Nov 25, 2005
    27,068
    15,372
    0
    Location:
    Huntsville AL
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    The nice thing is unlike tax credits, the dealer can't jack up the price so their profit center is the tax incentive. Of course it does nothing for those of us without HOV lanes to deal with . . . hummm a Federal HOV 'pass'.

    Bob Wilson
     
  6. mmmodem

    mmmodem Senior Taste Tester

    Joined:
    Nov 17, 2011
    2,732
    1,703
    0
    Location:
    Bay Area, CA
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    If the adverse social cost is $4500 for each car in already congested HOV lanes, what are the benefits on non congested HOV lanes in northern CA? What is the percentage of already congested HOV lanes to those that are completely empty. highway 80 to San Francisco has an HOV lane that requires 3 occupants. It is empty when I drive through while 5 or 6 lanes are near standstill. It's pretty frightening driving 65 mph next to a lane of cars doing 5. There are no restrictions on entering and exiting the HOV lane. In this case, I would prefer more cars in HOV so it slows down a bit and I don't get honked from behind because I am not going 80 mph.
     
    F8L likes this.
  7. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

    Joined:
    Jun 23, 2005
    19,606
    8,036
    54
    Location:
    Montana & Nashville, TN
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    see if you would have stopped right there I would have declared,
    "winner winner chicken dinner"

    First of all, I took the OP as a joke. The linked article written by the so-called experts shows no matrix as to WHY $4,500 is the magic number. That number - likely pulled out if their sphincter is based on their guess at some average person's salary that regularly drives the L.A. route they're estimating .... and that the driver's lost time is quantifiable because they should have been to work (example) 30 minutes ago and home 30 minutes earlier. But the drivers account for their lengthy drive - so that part is just BS.
    Then - as mmmodem danced around - the HOV cars would now be jamming up the other 4 lanes .... which would be FAR worse than jamming up one HOV Lane - which but is NOT spewing as much pollution as the other 4 lanes. The HOV lanes are full of ev's poet's, multi-passenger vehicles, etc - unlike the other 4 lanes. Where's the accounting for that reduced pollution. No - I'm thinking these researchers were paid off by some special interest group to arrive at the conclusion that was already requested. Its just too sloppy and lacking data to be anything else imo.
    .
     
    SageBrush likes this.
  8. hill

    hill High Fiber Member

    Joined:
    Jun 23, 2005
    19,606
    8,036
    54
    Location:
    Montana & Nashville, TN
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    I'm thinking you meant non-congested - NON-HOV lanes. See ... if you would have stopped right there I would have declared,
    "winner winner chicken dinner"

    First of all, I took the OP article as a joke. It's too incredible to even be worthy of consideration as being 'scientific'. The linked article written by the so-called experts shows no matrix as to WHY $4,500 is the magic number. That number - likely pulled out if their sphincter is based on their guess at some average person's salary that regularly drives the L.A. route they're estimating .... and that the driver's lost time is quantifiable because they should have been to work (example) 30 minutes ago and home 30 minutes earlier. But the drivers account for their lengthy drive - so that part is just BS.
    Then - as mmmodem danced around - the HOV cars would now be jamming up the other 4 lanes .... which would be FAR worse than jamming up one HOV Lane - which is NOT spewing as much pollution as the other 4 lanes. The HOV lanes are full of ev's phev's, multi-passenger vehicles, etc - unlike the other 4 lanes. Where's the accounting for that reduced pollution for the 4 Lane reduction. No - I'm thinking these researchers were paid off by some special interest group to arrive at the conclusion that was already requested. Its just too sloppy and lacking data to be anything else imo.
    .
     
    Chazz8 likes this.
  9. Camfab

    Camfab Member

    Joined:
    Mar 25, 2013
    118
    35
    0
    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    N/A
    What the hell is an adverse social cost? The study is full of crap, here's a simple example....... If it weren't for the carpool incentive, I'd still be driving my truck everyday and generating three times the pollution. I'd be in the regular lanes, thus creating even more congestion in the regular lanes.
    You want to solve congestion in the carpool lanes? How about enforcing (ticketing) all the illegal single occupant cars driving in the lanes. I can assure you that number is greater than the number of legal single occupant sticker cars in the lanes. With all the joblessness in this country why do we waste good money on this kind "research".
     
  10. PriusC_Commuter

    PriusC_Commuter Active Member

    Joined:
    Mar 21, 2013
    914
    307
    0
    Location:
    Los Angeles/ Orange County, CA
    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    So much wrong with this article I can't even.