interstate reciprocity for HOV lanes!! ( NY & NJ especially!!)

I can assure you, have reciprocity for all zero miles of HOV lanes here in Mississippi. You should be talking to legislators, no one here can grant your wish.

 

HOV access for private non-HOV vehicles is a special privilege for people special enough to have certain special cars. It is not a civil right.

If you want this special privilege, go talk to the legislators who set the policy. BTW, because you don't vote in their districts or even their state, their interest in your problem may be very limited. Some of us have been waiting in vain for decades for reciprocity on other things much closer to true civil rights that many states, including both NY and NJ, refuse to recognize because of where we live.

If HOV access is that important, you do have at least two options:
(1) Join a legitimate carpool (I did this for 15 years, before Prius, and am not the least bit offended that my state doesn't offer HOV access to hybrids or plug-ins);
(2) Become a legal resident of NY, get your car registered there, and get the sticker.

 

Register to vote at your academic address in New York, get a NYS drivers license, pay your NY sales tax on the vehicle, register your car in NY, and enjoy your Clean Pass.

 

Bingo

 

In most states, HOV stands for High Occupancy Vehicle....and this usually means that more than one person is riding in the vehicle. I'm not completely unbiased in this issue because I believe that HOV should mean just that...
However (comma!!!) I don't have the right to tell the good people in New York how to regulate their traffic because I'm not a legal resident of that state, and I don't help pay for their roads by (*cough!!*) properly registering a vehicle there and paying all of the applicable state taxes.

Spoiler Alert!!
This isn't a civil rights issue.

 

While this is clearly not a civil rights issue, the odd thing about this is a ticket left unpaid in NY or just about anywhere will reflect on your driving record in NJ with the possibility of license revocation. They can reciprocate where monetary gain is evident, but no where else.

 

Rosa Parks didn't sit in the front of the bus so you can drive your Prius in the HOV lane, numbnuts.

 

He is just voicing the Tea Party perspective of self-serving idiocy, but replaced 'freedom' with 'civil rights.'

You should be kinder to your cousin.

 

HAHA, no sorry. I think it is more of the "woe is me I'm entitled to everything at everyone else's expense" liberal perspective of self loathing, life isn't fair, stupidity.

You should be flying to new york to help a fellow brother in arms. Maybe you guys can get large sodas banned again while you're there.

Oh even better! Why don't you "occupy" the HOV lane?

 

Is this a state reciprocity problem, or an EZPass problem?
There are various separate EZPass programs, and as far as I know you do not have to live in the state to purchase the EZPass, but you might have to purchase several EZPasses. For example, here in Virginia we have a special new EZPass for the I495 Beltway new HOT Lanes. It is equal opportunity open to anybody, but you are going to have to buy the Virginia HOT Lanes special EZPass. I can imagine some people might have a box full of EZ passes for different programs around VA MD NJ NY etc if they travel a lot.

There are several good past discussions here on Prius Chat about the complex details of NJ, NY thruway, Port Authority, bottom line it is frustrating...to some extent NY'ers can register the same EZpass for several of the programs. >>I am not aware of any NY/NJ EZPass HOV benefits that is residents only, but maybe there is.

Now in Virginia we do have messed up HOV system we need a special license plate, so if you are from Maryland, forget it. But that's a different story.

 

A NY-issued EZPass works on roads, bridges and tunnels along the I-90/I-95/I-80/I-78 corridor (MA/CT/NY/PA/NJ/MD/DE) and maybe more, but not as far west as OH. One can get reduced price tolls with a commutation travel pattern, but there is no HOV access/benefit.

 

...you can add VA, WV to the list of EZPass states, but both NJ and NY do have special "green" EZPass for Prii (apparently the rule is ~45 MPG or better so Prius v may not qualify). Yes a regular EZPass gets you anywhere EZPass is taken, for the full fare, but there are sometimes discounts which may require unique transponder. However, I am not sure the OP specific issue...he has to tell us exactly what road/HOV priviledge he trying to use in NY.

 

Energy efficient cars can get stickers which allow them in the HOV lane on the Long Island Expressway with just one occupant. It's a major timesaver in rush hour. Nothing to do with EZPass.

 

OK good I get it, and it does sound like LIE HOV is his specific problem.
We have a very similar single occupant HOV program in Virginia - yes it's state residents only.

However, VA partially discontinued the program in 2006 for I-95/I-395 HOV, and we further reduced it for I-66 HOV in 2011. Not only do we not reciprocate with other states, nobody here can get it either, except you are grandfathered if you already own the appropriate plates. VA program is still active but the usefulness to new hybrid owners is substantially reduced to a few remaining not-so-valuable HOV lanes.

I found this FAQ for the LIE HOV helpful, apparently these HOV programs have Federal law as legal basis:

 

I'm leaning towards 15yrs ago...it's hard to be greener and less congested by simply having the HOV for multiple occupant vehicles only. No more fights on favorites that can drive in it.

 

I had understood that the federal allowance for SOV hybrids in federally funded HOV lanes is contingent on having sufficient surplus capacity to not significantly impede the primary HOV users -- transit buses and carpools. If significant congestion builds up, the feds require the lower priority vehicles to be booted. That also means if we have too many carpoolers, the carpool requirements get tightened to 3+ riders, not the normal 2.

In my area, HOV lanes are already very well used. We also have a huge population of hybrids, easily overwhelming the HOV lanes if allowed in without riders. Therefore we have not created such a special privilege system. Even the population of plug-in cars is rising rapidly enough to bar such special privileges from them also.

 

Maybe there's no reciprocity regarding HOV lanes between NY and NJ because the 15 miles of HOV lanes in NJ are a joke.

 

Correct. NY Clean Pass access to HOV lanes is distinct from EZ Pass.

 

EZPass works as far West as Chicago.