High-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes; use by vehicles bearing special fuel vehicle license plates. (HB1014)

Please pass this bill!!! If all of the hybrids now using the HOV lanes under the hybrid exception (a large number, judging by what I see every day) are taken out of the HOV lanes and dumped into the regular lanes, everyone using the regular lanes will suffer additional congestion. We'd have a situation where hybrids would be contributing significantly to air pollution, not due to their own emissions but the emissions of cars stuck in traffic all around them.

The State should do all it can to encourage the purchase of hybrid cars -- both to reduce dependency on foreign oil and improve air quality.

There are 2 reasons people bring up to NOT extend this law.

1. Too many HOV commuters
2. 3 people in a 12mpg vehicle will pollute less than a car that does 52mpg.

Both of these are bogus. HOV commuters know that hybrids are not the reason for any backups. Usually the violaters and the police sitting at the dumfries merge is what slows traffic.

As for polluting the air. The whole reason behind HOV vehicles is because they do a lot less pollution than any other vehicle. When I'm at a stop, my car turns off and has no emmissions whatsoever.

If we want to reduce our emissions for the environment, we should do everything in our power to seek alternate fuel sources as well as encourge people who pay the extra buck to support their technology in the cars that use it.

Great news that this bill was passed.

The HOV lanes along the I-95/395 corridor continue to move at speed. And the number of hybrids using the lanes are dimishing given the sunset or cap on additional hybrids being allowed beginning in July '06. If hybrids were removed from HOV on I-95/395 the lanes would be ridiculously under-utilized relative to the regular lanes and as a previous commenter noted, would increase significantly the already ridiculously clogged regular lanes.

I have heard that I-66 is getting more congested but this probably has as much to with I-66 being designated HOV-2 vs. HOV-3 as with I-95/395.

Regardless, with $4 per gallon gas on the horizon incentives for driving alternate fuel vehicles is a no-brainer.

thank you Virginia House and Senate.

Great news. There is still one cheater for every 2 Hybrids on I-66 both morning and afternoon so congestion could be helped and state coffers filled if the police enforced the HOV rules inside the beltway. On one of the counter-arguments above above, the facts are off: as the Washington Post reported, it would take 7 people to commute together inside one regular car to get down to the level of the low carbon emissions of a Prius, and I don't think you'll see too many HOV-7s, so hybrids are more environmentally sound than full HOV cars - although we need as many of those as possible, no doubt.

Please pass this bill. I do agree however that stricter enforcement is needed to ticket the huge amount of violators I see every day on I95/395

I am a hybrid owner and great news! I can't believe the HOV-3s continue to blame brids. When I travel to work (8am-9am)and return (430-530pm), there is very little HOV lane congestion. But when the HOVs open/close they get congested beyond belief. To blame this congestion on brids is loony when the simple fact is the times on the HOV lanes are too restrictive & should be changed to 5:30 AM - 7:00 pm. In case no one noticed, the commuter's start times are earlier each year. In addition, I rarely see enforcement at the entrance of the HOVs. An SOV that sees PD on the ramp will turn the car around. Looks to me like the slugs need to stop blaming the brids and start pushing for longer lane times and smarter enforcement policies. BTW, a brid may not = an HOV-3 while on the HOV lane, but it far surpasses the HOV-3 when all 3 owners are out burning up their gas doing their chores. And isn't what this bill is all about, getting Virginians to save gas as well??