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

Long Island Expwy HOV lane users?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by cliffy1203, Nov 27, 2013.

  1. cliffy1203

    cliffy1203 Junior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 16, 2013
    11
    4
    0
    Location:
    Long Island, NY
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    Hello Prius owners,

    I just got my NYS registration in the mail today, and I called the DMV to apply for my CleanPass stickers. They said they should be here in 7 to 10 days.

    My question is: for those of you LIers who commute using the HOV lane, how much time savings are you seeing? Does the lane run quicker in the mornings or the evenings, or is it about the same? My commute will run from exit 62 (middle of Suffolk County) to Willis Ave in Roslyn.

    Additionally, do you see a boost in mpg because you are driving more smoothly?

    I see lots of you out there, mostly Prius gen. 3's, with a good amount of gen. 2's and some Prius C's. Looking forward to joining you all in the "Prius Parade" once I get my stickers.

    Thanks!

    Cliffy1203
     
    #1 cliffy1203, Nov 27, 2013
  2. JMD

    JMD 2012 Prius 4 Solar Roof

    Joined:
    Oct 11, 2012
    3,779
    1,282
    0
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    I don 't travel on the LIE. Congrats on the Prius
     
    #2 JMD, Nov 28, 2013
  3. kingnba6

    kingnba6 Active Member

    Joined:
    Mar 17, 2013
    1,018
    242
    0
    Location:
    NY
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius c
    Model:
    One
    i like the hov lane simply because its a little more easier on braking and acclerating. so the mpgs dont suffer as much. only problem i have is sometimes the hov lane slows down while the other lanes are still moving a little, and at that point it is hard to come out to the hov lane.

    welcome.
     
    #3 kingnba6, Nov 28, 2013
  4. szgabor

    szgabor Active Member

    Joined:
    Jul 29, 2009
    993
    175
    0
    Location:
    Oceanside NY
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    well it is not just "hard" but it is illegal to come in/out of HOV except about what every 3 exits in some places (fat double white solid lines) . Since I do not use it daily I missed this a few times in the beginning ... :)

    On the original question, I do live in Long Island (south shore) , but for my new Prius I did not bother to get the sticker. For the occasional LIE experience not worth it.
     
    #4 szgabor, Nov 29, 2013
  5. orenji

    orenji Senior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 17, 2013
    5,884
    3,486
    0
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    The HOV lanes in Southern California work most of the time, and its great to see rows of Prii, leaf's, Volts and Teslia cars!
     
    #5 orenji, Nov 29, 2013
  6. cliffy1203

    cliffy1203 Junior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 16, 2013
    11
    4
    0
    Location:
    Long Island, NY
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    Thanks to everyone who responded! Now that I've been using the HOV lane on the Long Island Expressway, I've been keeping track of my time savings.

    I'm saving about 30 to 35 minutes EACH WAY. Today I left work at 5:32pm (exit 36, Searingtown Rd) and got home 58 minutes later (exit 63, County rd 83)! A trip like this was usually running me between 90 and 110 minutes. In my Hyundai, leaving work at 5:30 would mean I'd get home at 7:10 to 7:20. What a blessing the Prius had turned out to be...

    And when I get home, I am not exhausted and ill-tempered! My family has already noticed a major difference. Mileage for the 45-mile trip has fluctuated between 47 and 52 mpg so far.
     
    #6 cliffy1203, Dec 4, 2013
    JMD and ftl like this.
  7. ftl

    ftl Explicator

    Joined:
    Jun 2, 2009
    1,812
    790
    0
    Location:
    Long Island NY
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Three
    If I was still driving the LIE every day I'd definitely get the HOV stickers. Fortunately, those days are long past, but at one time I was driving from East Quogue to Syosset (about 55 miles) every day, and later from Kings Park to Great Neck (34 miles).

    For readers of this thread who may not know the topography, Long Island's traffic is mostly east-west in the morning rush hour, and the reverse in the evening. All the roads run basically parallel, and the only choice is which heavy traffic you want to sit in. Of the three limited access highways, two are parkways (cars only) built in the 1930s with two narrow lanes each way, winding curves, and short ramps, while the LIE takes all types of traffic and is mostly three lanes each way. All have a maximum speed of 55 MPH. In addition to its three regular lanes in each direction, the LIE has about 40 miles of HOV lanes through much of its busiest section.
     
    #7 ftl, Dec 4, 2013
    cliffy1203 likes this.
  8. orenji

    orenji Senior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 17, 2013
    5,884
    3,486
    0
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    Its been 23 years since I was last on the LIE. I could only imagine what it must be like now, I assume it is still called the worlds longest parking lot! :)
     
    #8 orenji, Dec 5, 2013
    DadofHedgehog likes this.
  9. ny_rob

    ny_rob Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 28, 2012
    1,968
    813
    0
    Location:
    L.I.- NY
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    It still is some days! And I really feel for those daily grind folks.
    Luckily, I drive from west to east in the mornings- opposite the congestion flow into the city.
    I have the stickers, but never put them on because I just don't need them on the LIE because of my unusual traffic pattern.
     
    #9 ny_rob, Dec 6, 2013
  10. cliffy1203

    cliffy1203 Junior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 16, 2013
    11
    4
    0
    Location:
    Long Island, NY
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    Opposite-way commutes are awesome! You are lucky. :)
     
    #10 cliffy1203, Dec 6, 2013
  11. cliffy1203

    cliffy1203 Junior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 16, 2013
    11
    4
    0
    Location:
    Long Island, NY
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    Excellent description of wonderful Long Island traffic! It can be a hellish experience to go even a few miles during the most congested times. I had to go a different way tonight and I averaged 7 miles per hour for about thirty-five minutes. Then it got a lot better and I was able to speed up to over (gasp) 30 mph, on Sunrise Highway.
     
    #11 cliffy1203, Dec 6, 2013
    ftl likes this.
  12. buster71

    buster71 Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 20, 2013
    40
    18
    0
    Location:
    Queens, NY
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    I drive the LIE HOV (reverse commute) between the Queens/Nassau line to exit 53 each day. Compared to when I was commuting in the regular lanes, I'm saving on average at least 30-40 minutes per day combined. Not having to worry about being late to the office in the morning really relieves a lot of the stress, since the AM eastbound traffic is predictable. The PM westbound is another story...
     
    #12 buster71, Dec 8, 2013
  13. Keith Elkin

    Keith Elkin Member

    Joined:
    Apr 9, 2013
    116
    32
    0
    Vehicle:
    2013 Prius
    Model:
    Persona
    I drive from exit 64 to 34 and reverse every day.. The AM westbound commute is always shorter than the eastbound return trip. In the AM I save about 20-25 minutes... In the PM it doesn't seem like I save as much...
     
    #13 Keith Elkin, Dec 16, 2013
  14. Super Mario

    Super Mario Member

    Joined:
    Jul 26, 2014
    142
    57
    0
    Location:
    Medford, NY
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius c
    Model:
    Two
    I take the HOV lane to Manhattan from exit 64. Going there it's no difference I. The morning but I leave at 5 am but coming home I save about an hour to an hour and a half and I always get 52-65 MPG
     
    #14 Super Mario, Aug 19, 2014
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)