I travel the Interstate 95 HOV lanes to and from work on a daily basis with three people in my car. I enter the lanes around 7:10 a.m. and again around 4:30 p.m. Although I cannot say that at those times the HOV lanes are as congested as the main lanes, I have noticed that the number of hybrids has increased. The lanes have slowed, and I find myself literally surrounded by single-occupancy vehicles (hybrids, not violators).
It seems to me that the goal of the lanes should be to encourage higher occupancy of vehicles and fewer cars on the roads. Single-occupancy hybrids only add to the volume, defeating the intended purpose of the lanes.
As more and more hybrid models enter the market, I believe it will be more difficult for police to enforce restrictions.
I will urge Virginia leaders not to extend the hybrid-HOV exemption past 2006.
Dan Hale
Manassas
The state exemption that allows hybrids with fewer than three occupants to use HOV-3 lanes is scheduled to expire June 30, 2006.
VDOT has recommended that the exemption be eliminated, saying the hybrid vehicles are a significant cause of HOV lane congestion.
My concern is that this is an easy out for the state to avoid dealing with or even identifying the real problem: regular vehicle HOV cheaters.
I'm asking you folks to count the next 10 vehicles you see in the HOV lanes and tell me how many are hybrids with fewer than three occupants, and how many are HOV lane violators in regular vehicles.
Transportation researcher Diane Mattingly contributed to this column.
Dr. Gridlock appears Sunday in the Metro section and Thursday in Extra. You can write to Dr. Gridlock, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071. He prefers to receive e-mail, at drgridlock@washpost.com, or faxes, at 703-352-3908. Please include your full name, town, county and day and evening phone numbers.
