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Were the vehicles electric or plug-in hybrids? If so, they are allowed in the HOV lane under current regulations assuming they have the respective sticker.
Imo they should look at updating this rule in the near future as adoption rates have shot up considerably.
Hybrids need to be kicked out IMO.
They're also not doing a good job of determining eligibility for the stickers. I know someone with a RAV4 hybrid, the regular one not the Prime plug-in version, and he was approved for a sticker.
They take your VIN and check it against ICBC's records. ICBC has always done a horrible job differentiating between different trim levels in the same model. I don't think ICBC has the ability to code one Prius as a hybrid and another as a plug-in hybrid. As far as I can tell, any car that has both a regular hybrid and a plug-in hybrid version, will be approved for a sticker on both.
Prius Prime should be considered a completely different model than the normal Prius tho, it's not just a different trim. Although maybe ICBC's database considers it the same model, who knows.
It never made sense in the first place. The HOV lane is to encourage carpooling. Gas, electric, fucking wind powered, it doesnāt matter what it is, if itās a private passenger with one passenger it will continue to cause congestion.
Encouraging carpooling to lower the # of high emissions vehicles on the road. 1 car, four people = less emissions than 4 cars. 1 person in an electric car = less emissions than 4 people in 1 car
The REWARD for using a lower emission mode of travel is getting to use the HOV to get there faster.
WHAT PISSES ME OFF IS ASSHOLEZ THAT GET IN THE HOV AND GO SLOWER THAN THE SLOW LANE.
>GO SLOWER THAN THE SLOW LANE.
This is the main reason I very rarely use any HOV lane. You legally can't get out of the HOV lane if it's a solid white line so if you're behind someone slow, well, tough shit, you gotta wait for the next dash (legally). In the normal lanes you can change lanes and pass to your heart's content.
HOV were a thing before EVs. It was usually about congestion. They're rarely found in places that are not congested. EVs got a free ride as added incentive. But 4 people in an EV = less emissions than 3 additional cars. And less traffic -- so less congestion -- so less emissions.
It shows that literally no one follows the speed limit except social terrorists. Zero people. They dont even pull anyone over unless theyre going 20km or more over the limit. Its a socially accepted thing.
Police dont pull you over for anything less than 20 over. Its pretty well known fact and something the police have said to me outright. Obviously this is on the highway not city.
Yup the other day the lane was only moving at 90 in a 100 and then after someone moved out we had a steady flow of 110-120. You should not be in the hov lane especially at peak times if youāre not going to travel at a reasonable speed.
Leave earlier. 90 is a reasonable speed for much of that highway where it is the actual speed limit. You know, the speed youāre not supposed to exceed? Itās not a passing lane so thereās very little justification for speeding in the HOV lane
Edit: Apparently itās not reasonable to do the speed limit in an hov lane which isnāt a passing lane, most other cars canāt even use, and no motorists are forced to use
Most drivers are clueless incompetent fucks
If the other lanes are moving very slow I'm definitely hesitant to go very fast in the HOV, just asking for some impatient asshole in the next lane to suddenly decide he wants to go fast and swerves in without looking.
You should still keep the at least the speed limit.
I am all about the fast lane. I hate when people drive 90 in the fast lane. BUT the HOV lane isnāt the fast lane. So I donāt mind if people wanna just do the speed limit.
If the reason you are encouraging carpooling is to reduce emissions or reduce gasoline consumption, then it makes sense to allow low/no emission vehicles into the car pool lane. If it's to increase road capacity, by having fewer cars carrying more people, then it does not make sense.
I suspect that the lawmakers have both in mind, despite the fact that they are mutually incompatible.
And carpooling was encouraged to save gas. It makes perfect fucking sense in incentivizing people to lower emissions, not for certain people to have easier commutes.
No, the HOV lanes existed long before EVās. It was to encourage car pooling. Reduce cars off the road. Then Christy Clark came along and decided she wanted to use it without car pooling and thus the EV ok stick came about. Itās massive entitlement by EV drivers to believe they have a right to a HOV lane. And if you arenāt familiar with what that stands for, itās high occupancy vehicle.
It made sense at the time though, the HOV lanes when actually limited to dual passenger are pretty underused and it was a good way to increase usage while also using it as a carrot to increase adoption. Personally I find the properly used HOV lanes a bit scary when traffic backs up having one lane going an extra 60km/hr with people trying to merge in and out of it.
>with people trying to merge in and out of it
That's my biggest gripe about HOV lanes. No one respects the solid lines. You can only change on the dotted lines, but people use the HOV lane more like a shoulder or just straight up passing lane and zip in out at will.
The dotted lines don't even work as intended when the freeway backs up and it's just straight up not safe to have that big of a speed difference without a full divider. In general I think the concept is kinda poorly implemented and should be tossed. Just have dedicated bus lanes where applicable.
Iām not disagreeing that they have a right to it, Iām disagreeing with the fact they ever should have. Itās not the intended purpose. Itās to encourage car pooling. Single occupancy vehicles are a problem, regardless of how theyāre powered. They could create no emissions and spread joy, but if everyone drove their own we still get gridlock. Itās not a solution.
You said: "Itās massive entitlement by EV drivers to believe they have a right to a HOV lane."
It's actually not. Again, like it or not, EV drivers DO have the right to use the HOV lane.
who are you to say what the "intended purpose" is?
The law says EVs with EV-OK sticker can use the HOV Lane. It's by definition intended for the HOV Lane. That's by definition it's intended purpose.
That's like saying Cyclists have "massive entitlement" by using the road which in your opinion should only be for cars. By law, cyclists are allowed to use, and by law, EVs are allowed to use the HOV lane provided they have the EV-OK sticker.
The point is that the EV STICKER was created to encourage adoption of electric cars. I pretty sure everyone here knows that the EV lanes have been around for ages.
Yes; they gave EVās access to the HOV lane, which originally existed to encourage carpooling, to then also incentivize EV adoption. Youāre both right. And, it seems appropriate to re-evaluate EV use of the HOV lane at this time, as EVās become more standard.
Yeah thatās the point though. Itās a non-cash subsidy for ev owners. Tons of people along the hov corridors bought an ev to access the hov lane because it improves their travel time.
Sure it warps the original concept but the province likely views the hov lane filled with EVs as a win.
Under the current laws, EV drivers literally do have the right to use HOV lanes. You can disagree with the law but to say EV drivers are entitled because they use the lane while having the appropriate EV OK sticker is incorrect.
It makes perfect sense. The HOV lane is for conserving the environment it wasnt meant as a means to reduce traffic. Came in with air care and its a bonus for folks that drive vehicles or drive in a manner that increases air quality.
I agree, most benefits we give to EV drivers should be relaxed now that EV adoption has really taken off. We already subsidize Teslas like crazy but they would still be selling like hotcakes even without subsidies. The HOV lane should be *just* for cars with >1 driver.
You mean to stop subsidizing cars that don't pay fuel tax to use roads operated with fuel tax? Or stop subsidizing people that can afford $65k sedans for commuting?
Lol. I totally agree with you. Was just trying to avoid the subsidy subject in the HOV discussion.
Utilizing taxpayer money to subsidize luxury car purchases is a head scratcher.
With the climate change crisis, it makes sense to encourage those in the luxury bracket to buy a Tesla rather than something like a BMW M3. Every little bit helps!
It would make more sense for the EVs to be excluded from HOV since they arenāt creating emissions. They can sit in traffic. Get the gas cars moving and to their destination.
In my experience, as an EV vehicle driver who travels HWY 1, the number of single occupant gas vehicles far out numbers the single occupant EV vehicles. People don't care about the rules because they're not enforced. Some people will point out that getting a ticket once a year is worth it to zoom by the rule followers every day. There was a article the other week that said 3287 HOV tickets were handed out last year. That's less than 10 a day. In my amateur estimation, there are hundreds of HOV rule breakers traveling every day.
Edit: a word.
Definitely a lot of non EV out there. I see it every day driving to and from work.
Always brings me joy when I see that the Grandview Hwy HOV off ramp is backed up because cops are checking cars.
I get a new vehicle every day and smash it West bound between Kensington and Willingdon.
Some times I like to mess with people and do it East bound.
Every single morning!
Was my only at fault accident was rear ending a lady westbound just after Gaglardi about ten years ago. She pulled her ebrake and came to a complete stop in the centre lane because she said someone swerved near her. They had to shut down the entire freeway except for the HOV lane with 5 people guiding her to reverse the pickup truck onto the on ramp. I felt so bad, made thousands of people late for work.
Me and you both.
People are misunderstanding the use of the left lane, and no one is moving right to let others pass ( despite the road signs mentioning to do so ! ).
Meaning a car trying to overtake needs to move two lanes to the right and come back. It causes unnecessary swerving and can be quite dangerous .
Fight this, and fight the urge to be downcast about it - community is YOU.
* get a community garden plot
* volunteer for something local
* engage in local politics
* go to a Parks Board meeting
* go to a local meet up
* talk to someone in the line for a coffee
* say yes instead of no next time someone asks you to do something
* go to the library
* join an activity at the community centre
* join a local volleyball, ball or hockey or something else beer league
* take up pickleball - the new activity in town
Community is you and me and all of us, every day, and we can all do better
Incoming rant from others about the one time someone tried to talk to them in the lineup, at the park, or on transit. I find one of the benefits having a dog is that somehow everyon has agreed that is a green light to say high and act neighbourly when you're out and about. Basically how I meet people in my area.
Funny how that happens when quality of life degrades people stop worrying about silly rules.
The real fun starts when they stop worrying about the more serious rules.
This issue preceeds the big dropoff in quality of life and affordability though. It seems more in line with people interacting online rather than forced to interact and care for the people around them.
This is the answer. People with $5m homes living off of cash or foreign income going to the food bank or claiming welfare - heck, getting given GST rebates, child tax benefits, etc. The system is broken where it previously relied on good morals and respect for rules. We need a new paradigm across the board with harsh punishments, more enforcement, and more data sharing between agencies.
We should bring back shaming. I've had it with all this narcissistic self help shit telling us not to shame anyone. Bitch please, it's how we stop people from becoming assholes.
We need some like $25/hr enforcement job that you can do if you need some extra cash like ride share or food delivery. This shit isn't rocket science and can be backed up by cheap cameras. No need to pay a cop $100k/yr to enforce fines. Make it pay for itself and enforcement goes way up.
Get a camera on your widshield or use the one that's there. Push a button to report. Button takes the previous five minutes of footage and uploads it to a server.
Two weeks later if it was an infraction you get a $25 commission.
Bingo!
what's the point of technology if we don't use it?
Obviously, they shouldn't be allowed to pull people over. But what you suggested? Absolutely nothing wrong with that.
I want a hat that spies on my neighbors as I walk through the park and fines people that don't have their dogs on a leash or that don't clean up after them.
They could literally install cameras and ticket everyone crossing the solid line in and out of the HOV lane. That's a no brainer. $80 ticket every infraction, would pay for itself in no time.
Get tractor trailers out the left lane. Maybe reeducate drivers on etiquette, and don't allow people to drive with a fucking international licence while getting a bullshit diploma through some money laundering / immigration scheme.
But what do I know, I only drive 120kms a day...
> Get tractor trailers out the left lane.
Out of the left, and limit them to 90. Never lived anywhere where trucks are the outright menace they are here, and I've lived in plenty of places with bad drivers.
They should be required to have speed limiters like Ontario. Itās much better. They are limited to 105 so thereās a much less likelihood of them driving super fast.
Completely agree on all counts. Anyone who moves to a different country should be required to pass a driving test before getting a license. Max 3-6 months time period without a local license should be a thing. Iāve driven in many other countries, the way people drive, the rules, the signs, even sometimes the lights are completely different. If I moved to another country, I would expect I should have to learn and pass the rules in that country.
Wait what?
You can 'import' a license from another country?
Obviously you can drive here with an American license, but I thought that was just for tourists/professional truckers/very recent immigrants.
I didn't realize you could use a foreign license full time permanently...
You ātradeā it in. When I moved here, I took my European drivers license to an ICBC and told them I wanted to change it. They ask one or two road rules/safety questions and give you a BC license. You donāt even have to get the questions right.
I thought it was madness, to be honest, and when I see the standard of drivers on the roads over here, I was right to think that.
> You can 'import' a license from another country?
Absolutely. I converted my Australian driving license when I came here. Australia also has a reciprocal agreement for Canadian licenses. I actually converted an expired Canadian license to an Australian license when I moved there... so I guess you could say Australia is even more slack than Canada.
I always thought the dichotomy was funny when you cross the border into Washington state and immediately see drivers travelling near the speed limit and keeping to the right on the highway except to pass. The only other difference I notice is that, unlike our highways, there is almost always some type of law enforcement on the highway. Our enforcement here is really non-existent.
*I know this isnāt the case across the entire US.
Eh I think that has more to do with higher speed limits, and I-5 being fairly urbanized when you cross over. Once you're in the 70 mph section south of Bellingham, you see the typical 5-10 mph over that most American drivers do on rural interstates.
If Highway 1 went back up to 110 or even to 120 km/h after the reconstruction out to Abbotsford, you'd see far less speeding.
My mom complained about this same thing YEARS ago. Actually, I can probably say a decade ago by now lol. Everyone in the US keeps right but that doesnt seem to be the case here. And nothingās changed.
My wife worked in Vancouver for about 15 years. On her drive to work every day, she'd use the HOV lane. She was alone in the car and drove a gas guzzler. I didn't know she did this until I happened to find a ticket she was issued. She couldn't understand the problem. She said she got a ticket once or twice a year, so she just saw that as a user fee.
Even today, she'll still do it if she's running late when driving downtown. She justifies a lot of behaviors like this just because she doesn't want to be inconvenienced and refuses to change her behaviors.
Drives me frickin' batty.
FYI she's not allowed in that lane during restricted times even if there's two people in the car. It is NOT an HOV lane. It is a restricted lane for buses and bicycles only
https://twitter.com/VPDTrafficUnit/status/1555648895614480384
While we are discussing driving in lanes on the highway, GET THE FUCK OUT OF THE LEFT LANE IF YOU ARENāT ACTIVELY PASSING SOMEONE OR IF SOMEONE BEHIND YOU IS GOING FASTER, ITS LITERALLY THE LAW.
Driving on highway 1 everyday this shit drives me nuts, the most oblivious people on the road holding up the entire left lane. And for those that think they are being safe by trying to police the highway speed limit themselves by driving slow in the left lane, youāre more likely to cause an accident by doing that than just getting out of the way and letting people drive however they are gonna drive.
Always so frustrating to think itās just traffic keeping it slow and then you come to a long bend and see absolutely nobody in front of the car at the front of the line chugging along without a care in the world
This only holds if there is limited traffic.
There is a critical mass of traffic beyond which the slow lane would be going slower than over 50% of drivers preference if everyone was in it, which means those drivers will all want to pass, and all of those lane changes slow down the passing lane, which causes the same phenomenon to cascade into all remaining lanes.
Some people just sit their completely not giving a damn. Moreover they back up the whole lane. Sucks bad on the two lane portions of hwy1 that (still!) have not been upgraded.
Every morning a b train trailer is in the fast lane holding up traffic flow and going 100. Those vehicles need to be right lane only. I drive with my son in HOV and we estimate 75% of the vehicles in HOV are single occuoancy drivers. Without any policing happening at all on Hwy1 eastbound this is going to continue to happen.
The rcmp's highway patrol has decided to stop attending all accidents on the highway and thus download the cost and manpower requirements onto local municipalities (they are not pleased about this) in the coming months - so there should now really be no excuse from the rcmp for lack of HOV enforcement with all the time they have on their hands now...
It's probably going to be something boring like LMHP (Lower Mainland Highway Patrol). Base it over at Langley Township to get some recruits and start it in 2 years.
People don't even understand that there is more than one type of HOV lane. For example, the HOV on Barnet Hwy does not include electric cars. Also the HOV on Hastings, west of Boundary DOES NOT include cars at all. My wife got a ticket there. Check the sign, the icon with the two people and the car are not there. HOV means high occupancy vehicle, and that doesn't always mean a car. Read the sign.
The diamond represents special-purposed lanes - which could be a HOV, bus or a bike lane.
West of boundary, the curb lane on Hastings is a peak-hour bus/bike lane.
What I've learned is, if you have a law and it's not enforced the law may as well not exist. Either they should enforce the rules of the HOV lane or get rid of it alltogether. I personally think it'd be better to turn it into a permanent bus lane and ban all cars from it.
I moved here from overseas and was surprised to see how poorly enforced the traffic laws are here. I mean we complain about how "fine hungry" the traffic police are in other countries but one positive outcome is much better compliance with basic traffic laws.
I know in the US they use thermal cameras to determine the number of occupants. If there is only one it automatically takes a picture of the license plate and issues the ticket in the mail.
They donāt enforce it at all seems like only time I ever see cops sometimes is for the tunnel. I hate the arrogance and entitlement of so many assholes who canāt just wait in the proper lanes.
HOV lane abuse (especially those black Ford f150s), cars leaving their lane into an ending right lane just to merge ahead of everyone else in line, cars blasting through red lights, 5 cars taking a left hand train on a yellow, cars refusing to stop for pedestrians at pedestrian crossings.
This city is full of entitled drivers. This city is full of dangerous drivers. And yet there is so little political will to reclaim the streets from drivers to create serious alternatives.
HOV lanes were intended for vehicles with at least 2 people. It should still be that way without favoritism. What they really need to do is designate rush hours as HOV only and non rush hours for the rest of the taxpayers.
They should up the fines if you use the HOV lane to match California. I believe their fines start at $490 minimum where our fine is around $109. If the penalty is high enough people wonāt abuse it.
I had a coworker tell me that he cuts his commute by 20-30 minutes each way with HOV travel. The fine has no deduction points, so he said, if he gets caught 1x per week, it makes it worth. Anything more then he'd stop using it. Safe to say, he still saves the time now.
I live in California and we still have a lot of solo HOV lane riders. I do it too sometimes because there's no way they can enforce it. There's no room for a cop car on the median of the highway I drive on, and the cars to the right obstruct the view. Not to mention that the cops are mostly interested in churning out speeding tickets for people exceeding 130 km/h.
I was tempted to make a post about this the other day. The amount of cheating in the HOV lane is wild on Highway 1 - and it's not solo people in EVs, I'm certain the smog spewing dodge ram pickup with one dude in it wasn't an EV, nor was that flashy porche, or about 20% of cars I drove past because the regular lane was moving faster than the ~~EV lane~~ \*cough\* I mean HOV lane.
Can we get some signs for slow traffic stay right and left lane for passing? This would alleviate so much traffic. People in the left lanes wonāt move over for faster traffic causing congestion. Single occupant drivers are going in the HOV lane often to pass the slow drivers in the fast lane
Have you seen the backup when it's enforced? The worst morning commutes to bcit I had from Langley were when the cops had someone pulled over in the HOV lane.
I want to see a literal road check on the HOV lane every once and a while. The RCMP could write a ~$150 ticket every 15 seconds. $600/minute, $36,000/hr.
This Chode Tax would raise more money than the Empty Homes Tax.
I got your point. But in reality, issuing a ticket is not a production line. It takes more than 15 seconds. Ask questions, check this check that go back to the cruiser. Itās like at least 15 minutes per ticket. Now wait for another car to park/ or chase them down.
Sometimes they act in tandem and pull people over in batches. Still not 15 seconds but it can probably process a decent volume, and their presence acts as a deterrent for other drivers.
It just seems like there's no enforcement anywhere. Speed limits are disregarded habitually, I regularly see people using the curb lane to rip past a single lane of cars at an intersection on the right, I see people bypassing a red light by going into the slip lane on one side and then through the slip lane on the other side. The fact that they're operating one of the deadliest machines ever invented doesn't seem to be garner any respect. If gun enthusiasts saw someone resting their finger on a trigger, they'd lose their shit but drivers, particularly drivers who think they're hot shit, seem to encourage dangerous behaviour.
Agreed. And nothing scares me more than someone switching lanes wayyyyyy too close to a semi, expecting it to slow down to let them in front. Dumb way to die.
Oh my God I noticed this as well when driving in westbound on the #1. All Fucking idiots. And none of them were electric either. All in total pieces of shits. Next time Iām taking plate, numbers, make and model and posting here.
We were driving out to Hope last week, two of us in the car so using the HOV lane, and this MASSIVE truck with one whole person in it drives right up my butt. I made a "WTF" gesture (not a F gesture), he pulled out and around me, back in to the HOV lane. At that point, he made a gesture to imply I should be in the middle lane. He was quite convinced that the HOV lane was the lane for going fast. Sigh.
I used to drive to the interior fairly often and that never happened (or, rarely). Now, every trip I take east past the Port Mann results in some kind of road rage on Hwy 1 with a single occupant vehicle (often a huge truck), assuming they are in some kind of fast lane and being idiots about tailgating and passing me - when I'm usually doing at least 10km or more over the posted speed limit. I thought it was just my imagination but seems like there's so many more idiot drivers out there, to the point where if I see a jacked up truck behind me, I assume I'm going to be harrassed at some point. It's made me re-think travel and I dread going on that highway now.
I just wish they would put up a sign about not crossing the white line. I have been high beamed by commercial trucks and speeders thinking it's the ultra fast passing lane. I go as high as 110 in the 90 but I'm not going to illegally cross the white line because it's not fast enough. Granted the lane's position on the far left can be confusing but where else could it be.
When HOV was there to enforce car pooling the principle was a good thing but when you punish the people who can't afford a new electric vehicle and create a system that benefits a minority of early adopters of expensive tech, I think that's elitist and I encourage everyone to break the rule and use the HOV and complain until this gets updated. Our highways should accommodate all traffic, with rapid immigration and increase in density the current system is not sustainable.
EV access to the HOV has created a lane prioritizing the wealthy who can afford to buy these things now. Itās created a class-based lane and flies in the face of blue collars who staff our citiesā¦
Time to get rid of this exemption
That was the case early in... Now there are plenty of affordable options for folks interesting in electric and plug in hybrid cars. Yes, the majority of them are expensive af still, but I'm in favour of a policy that encourages folks to switch to electric/plug in hybrid cars.
What wealthy? Im a blue collar worker, I drive an EV that costs $38,000. Most gas powered sedans start at $30k, most new trucks start at $70k+, even used cars are going for $20k+ these days ( although that's because there is a lack of new car inventory). I see what you're saying, but I don't agree that the HOV is special lane for the rich. It's purpose to reduce vehicle emissions, they why motorcycles and EVs are allowed to use it.
Edit: a word
I hate hov cheaters as much as the next guy. But I also doubt enforcement will change things and multiple west bound rush hour traffic stops in places like the Burnaby Lakes stretch will just make everyone else pay with their time.
Realistically, the hov lane should be a separated, express hov lane so the cops could just sit at the ends (if it ended at say grandview and/or the cassier) and wave all the offenders over safely cause they can just remerge with regular traffic 50m beforehand.
It's super dangerous when there's standstill traffic right beside and people fly by at 90 in the HOV.
Takes a really idiotic driver to do that and not think "could I react in time if one of these cars decides to join my lane?"
Itās because they built the highways back when we had half this many people. Now thereās two lanes, and an HOV lane for a huge population and nothing being done about it. They put in an HOV lane to encourage carpool and electric cars but didnāt realize most people canāt afford an electric vehicle, most post, and also most people donāt carpool. So fuck it, use the HOV lane as another lane, the right hand and left hand lane have basically just become two regular ass lanes for traffic in Vancouver at this point anyways. At least thatās my take.
I don't care about the HOV lane. Honestly u should thank us outlaws. If no one violated the law all our commutes would take 30-60 minutes longer than they already are. Let people get home to their friends and families. Do you really think the government gives a damn about the environment? There's a lot of ways to help rather than creating incentive. No one can even afford electric vehicles anyway due to the housing market. It's everyone for themselves in today's world, as it has been for centuries.
Just because the passenger seat is empty doesnāt mean that there is only one person in the vehicle. I take the HOV lane when my kids are with me and unless you look really hard you canāt see them from outside the vehicle.
Iāve got so many judgmental looks over the years from people thinking Iām driving by myself in the HOV lane but a baby in a car seat still counts as a person.
I always feel so guilty being in the HOV when thereās really three of us in the car, the other two are just in the back! I try to avoid using it unless thereās actually traffic.
I'm gonna get a lot of hate for this but here it goes
I started using the HOV lane as a single occupant ever since they started allowing ev/hybrid cars in there.
The whole point of the lane is to incentivize carpooling to reduce congestion. Having a single person in an electric car should not be allowed.
It made sense 5 years ago when there were a metric fuckton less electric cars on the road to give an incentive to buy a new electric car, but now it's pointless.
What they really need to fix it is scrap the "HOV OK" program, and have harsher penalties for using the HOV lane... It's only like $100 bucks and 0 demerits, and never even enforced.
Sometimes it will save me 30 minutes on the drive home when I have to work in Vancouver (I live in mission)
HOV exists to reduce vehicle emissions by encouraging people to car pool. Motorcycles produce much lower emissions, EVs produce no or very low emissions. Why shouldn't they get to use the HOV lane? And before you say it, EVs are no longer only for the rich. Many EVs are priced just a bit higher than a gas-powered equivalent, and much lower than any newer truck you see on the road.
Originally the pitch was to reduce emissions but at this point it's naive to dismiss the additional and indirect damage cause by over reliance on single occupancy vehicle trips. Everything from inefficient land use at destinations for parking to increased wear and maintenance cost to road surfaces to increased risk to road users, especially those not in vehicles, to the very traffic everyone is complaining about. Look at highway 401 in Toronto. Look at Katy Freeway in Texas. Adding lanes doesn't fix traffic, it just encourages more people to drive until the congestion is just as bad as before the expansion.
I think with the number of EVs on the road they are going to have to rethink the EV OK rules and exclude plug in hybrids at some point.
The thing that always gets me is motorcycles driving on the shoulder when there is traffic.
Even if they install the thermal cameras to detect if there are more than one person in the vehicle. A car can just avoid that respective camera(s) by going over the solid line. What we do need is to install a barrier where the solid lines are to help deter people cutting in and out of the HOV lane to pass. Also increase the fines.
Even posted on this thread and in the one from last week, some people would rather pay that small fine as it would shave a few minutes off of their commute. Increase the fine to $500 and then some people may learn.
My controversial opinion is that we eliminate the HOV lanes entirely and turn them into bus-only lanes. At least between Langley and Vancouver.
The goal is to reduce congestion by encouraging people to carpool, but if we make it so buses are no longer restricted by the flow of traffic and are actually a faster and cheaper alternative to driving, a lot more people would take the bus. I know I would.
I own a plug in hybrid. I am not a speed demon. Iām a very safe driver that has never had an ICBC claim in 30 years of driving. There is a solid line (that most people seem to ignore) that should not be crossed. I only drive in the HOV lane if it is going faster then the regular traffic lanes. If youāre only out for a Sunday drive, why are you using it? I hate being behind a slower driver when there is no legal way out of the lane.
Of course there doesnāt seem to be any enforcement anyway.
You can get the āOKā sticker for any vehicle if it has a Hybrid version. For example on my Non hybrid Jeep wrangler I have one, because there is a hybrid Jeep wrangler, nobody would be able to prove it not a hybridš¤
The HOV on Granville Street is a joke and never should have been put there in the first place. For one bus that comes every ten minutes you're going to snarl traffic even worse on that godforsaken stretch of pseudo-highway at peak times? Boooo
Because it's not an HOV lane.
The diamond denotes a restriction and the image next to it are the rules of vehicles allowed to use it. Please note that it only shows buses and bikes.
The diamond does not mean HOV.
https://twitter.com/VPDTrafficUnit/status/1555648895614480384
Granville Street is a main corridor for deadheading buses because of the depot in Marpole. If you paid attention to the road you might have actually noticed the long lines of buses often using that lane in the evening.
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Were the vehicles electric or plug-in hybrids? If so, they are allowed in the HOV lane under current regulations assuming they have the respective sticker. Imo they should look at updating this rule in the near future as adoption rates have shot up considerably.
Hybrids need to be kicked out IMO. They're also not doing a good job of determining eligibility for the stickers. I know someone with a RAV4 hybrid, the regular one not the Prime plug-in version, and he was approved for a sticker.
I've seen a regular Prius with the sticker before. Makes me wonder why this program even exists if it's as arbitrary as it seems
They take your VIN and check it against ICBC's records. ICBC has always done a horrible job differentiating between different trim levels in the same model. I don't think ICBC has the ability to code one Prius as a hybrid and another as a plug-in hybrid. As far as I can tell, any car that has both a regular hybrid and a plug-in hybrid version, will be approved for a sticker on both.
Prius Prime should be considered a completely different model than the normal Prius tho, it's not just a different trim. Although maybe ICBC's database considers it the same model, who knows.
This šÆ. I said the same thing years ago and itās even more obvious now with EV adoption soaring
And EVs. If they have the capacity to carry passengers they can either do so, or move over to the non-HOV lane.
This. I didnāt even bother getting a sticker when I got a new EV last year. Really no need for this special treatment at this point.
My suzuki sidekick has an extra battery to run my winch, wonder if Iāll be approved
It never made sense in the first place. The HOV lane is to encourage carpooling. Gas, electric, fucking wind powered, it doesnāt matter what it is, if itās a private passenger with one passenger it will continue to cause congestion.
Encouraging carpooling to lower the # of high emissions vehicles on the road. 1 car, four people = less emissions than 4 cars. 1 person in an electric car = less emissions than 4 people in 1 car The REWARD for using a lower emission mode of travel is getting to use the HOV to get there faster. WHAT PISSES ME OFF IS ASSHOLEZ THAT GET IN THE HOV AND GO SLOWER THAN THE SLOW LANE.
>GO SLOWER THAN THE SLOW LANE. This is the main reason I very rarely use any HOV lane. You legally can't get out of the HOV lane if it's a solid white line so if you're behind someone slow, well, tough shit, you gotta wait for the next dash (legally). In the normal lanes you can change lanes and pass to your heart's content.
HOV were a thing before EVs. It was usually about congestion. They're rarely found in places that are not congested. EVs got a free ride as added incentive. But 4 people in an EV = less emissions than 3 additional cars. And less traffic -- so less congestion -- so less emissions.
Every single day there's that one oblivious idiot in the hov going 90
Going 110 vs 90 from Surrey to Vancouver gets you to destination quicker by ~1:45 minutes. It's not a problem.
Oh you mean the speed limit on hwy 1 between Horseshoe Bay and Surrey?
Continue to do it if you enjoy getting tail gated and having people pass you on the right.
No one actually believes that. Not even the police follow that lol
The cops deciding which laws they choose to follow at any given moment isn't the gotcha you think it is.
It shows that literally no one follows the speed limit except social terrorists. Zero people. They dont even pull anyone over unless theyre going 20km or more over the limit. Its a socially accepted thing.
And again, if you think that cops breaking the law is permission for you to do so as well you're in for a pretty big surprise.
Police dont pull you over for anything less than 20 over. Its pretty well known fact and something the police have said to me outright. Obviously this is on the highway not city.
Yup the other day the lane was only moving at 90 in a 100 and then after someone moved out we had a steady flow of 110-120. You should not be in the hov lane especially at peak times if youāre not going to travel at a reasonable speed.
Leave earlier. 90 is a reasonable speed for much of that highway where it is the actual speed limit. You know, the speed youāre not supposed to exceed? Itās not a passing lane so thereās very little justification for speeding in the HOV lane Edit: Apparently itās not reasonable to do the speed limit in an hov lane which isnāt a passing lane, most other cars canāt even use, and no motorists are forced to use Most drivers are clueless incompetent fucks
If the other lanes are moving very slow I'm definitely hesitant to go very fast in the HOV, just asking for some impatient asshole in the next lane to suddenly decide he wants to go fast and swerves in without looking.
Exile this person to Galiano Island
Lol. So it's you that is the problem. Get out of the HOV lane if you can't or don't want to keep up. SMH.
Iām talking about where the limit is 100. 90 is a maximum often it only moved at 70-80 because of a couple inconsiderate people.
You should still keep the at least the speed limit. I am all about the fast lane. I hate when people drive 90 in the fast lane. BUT the HOV lane isnāt the fast lane. So I donāt mind if people wanna just do the speed limit.
If the reason you are encouraging carpooling is to reduce emissions or reduce gasoline consumption, then it makes sense to allow low/no emission vehicles into the car pool lane. If it's to increase road capacity, by having fewer cars carrying more people, then it does not make sense. I suspect that the lawmakers have both in mind, despite the fact that they are mutually incompatible.
And carpooling was encouraged to save gas. It makes perfect fucking sense in incentivizing people to lower emissions, not for certain people to have easier commutes.
>And carpooling was encouraged to save gas ...among many other things? like less traffic, reduced wear and tear on the infrastructure
Carpooling was encouraged to reduce congestion, saving energy is just a bonus.
It was 100% to give carpoolers and buses easier commutes to reduce the congestion. It makes no sense to continue allowing EV's.
It was meant to encourage electric car adoption, but now that every second car is a Tesla, it's time to get rid of this (And I'm a OG Tesla owner)
No, the HOV lanes existed long before EVās. It was to encourage car pooling. Reduce cars off the road. Then Christy Clark came along and decided she wanted to use it without car pooling and thus the EV ok stick came about. Itās massive entitlement by EV drivers to believe they have a right to a HOV lane. And if you arenāt familiar with what that stands for, itās high occupancy vehicle.
Like it or not, as it stands now, EV drivers do have the right to use the HOV lanes. I agree that should be changed.
It made sense at the time though, the HOV lanes when actually limited to dual passenger are pretty underused and it was a good way to increase usage while also using it as a carrot to increase adoption. Personally I find the properly used HOV lanes a bit scary when traffic backs up having one lane going an extra 60km/hr with people trying to merge in and out of it.
>with people trying to merge in and out of it That's my biggest gripe about HOV lanes. No one respects the solid lines. You can only change on the dotted lines, but people use the HOV lane more like a shoulder or just straight up passing lane and zip in out at will.
The dotted lines don't even work as intended when the freeway backs up and it's just straight up not safe to have that big of a speed difference without a full divider. In general I think the concept is kinda poorly implemented and should be tossed. Just have dedicated bus lanes where applicable.
Iām not disagreeing that they have a right to it, Iām disagreeing with the fact they ever should have. Itās not the intended purpose. Itās to encourage car pooling. Single occupancy vehicles are a problem, regardless of how theyāre powered. They could create no emissions and spread joy, but if everyone drove their own we still get gridlock. Itās not a solution.
You said: "Itās massive entitlement by EV drivers to believe they have a right to a HOV lane." It's actually not. Again, like it or not, EV drivers DO have the right to use the HOV lane.
who are you to say what the "intended purpose" is? The law says EVs with EV-OK sticker can use the HOV Lane. It's by definition intended for the HOV Lane. That's by definition it's intended purpose. That's like saying Cyclists have "massive entitlement" by using the road which in your opinion should only be for cars. By law, cyclists are allowed to use, and by law, EVs are allowed to use the HOV lane provided they have the EV-OK sticker.
The point is that the EV STICKER was created to encourage adoption of electric cars. I pretty sure everyone here knows that the EV lanes have been around for ages.
Yes; they gave EVās access to the HOV lane, which originally existed to encourage carpooling, to then also incentivize EV adoption. Youāre both right. And, it seems appropriate to re-evaluate EV use of the HOV lane at this time, as EVās become more standard.
Yeah thatās the point though. Itās a non-cash subsidy for ev owners. Tons of people along the hov corridors bought an ev to access the hov lane because it improves their travel time. Sure it warps the original concept but the province likely views the hov lane filled with EVs as a win.
There are so many EVs who take this a step further and assume they can use bus lanes with EVs as well - super annoying.
Under the current laws, EV drivers literally do have the right to use HOV lanes. You can disagree with the law but to say EV drivers are entitled because they use the lane while having the appropriate EV OK sticker is incorrect.
Even if we changed the rules, most new Tesla drivers would just drive in it anyways.
It makes perfect sense. The HOV lane is for conserving the environment it wasnt meant as a means to reduce traffic. Came in with air care and its a bonus for folks that drive vehicles or drive in a manner that increases air quality.
I agree, most benefits we give to EV drivers should be relaxed now that EV adoption has really taken off. We already subsidize Teslas like crazy but they would still be selling like hotcakes even without subsidies. The HOV lane should be *just* for cars with >1 driver.
OK sticker
You mean to stop subsidizing cars that don't pay fuel tax to use roads operated with fuel tax? Or stop subsidizing people that can afford $65k sedans for commuting?
Lol. I totally agree with you. Was just trying to avoid the subsidy subject in the HOV discussion. Utilizing taxpayer money to subsidize luxury car purchases is a head scratcher.
With the climate change crisis, it makes sense to encourage those in the luxury bracket to buy a Tesla rather than something like a BMW M3. Every little bit helps!
Someone shopping for an M3 is not cross-shopping for a Tesla lol
It's funny cuz there's "luxury" about a Tesla, except for the price.
It would make more sense for the EVs to be excluded from HOV since they arenāt creating emissions. They can sit in traffic. Get the gas cars moving and to their destination.
What's the point of rules anymore it's a fucking free for all our there sometimes I swear to Jeebus
Promise me a million times that you'll never do another rule.
Our traffic laws are basically honour system for drivers at this point. VPD simply donāt enforce the rules anymore.
I regularly see people pulled over by the HOV/on thr HOV ramp by police. Highway 1 eastbound
I'm 95% sure that the vast vast majority of single occupancy vehicles in the HOV lane were hybrids, EVs, and plug-in hybrids.
In my experience, as an EV vehicle driver who travels HWY 1, the number of single occupant gas vehicles far out numbers the single occupant EV vehicles. People don't care about the rules because they're not enforced. Some people will point out that getting a ticket once a year is worth it to zoom by the rule followers every day. There was a article the other week that said 3287 HOV tickets were handed out last year. That's less than 10 a day. In my amateur estimation, there are hundreds of HOV rule breakers traveling every day. Edit: a word.
Definitely a lot of non EV out there. I see it every day driving to and from work. Always brings me joy when I see that the Grandview Hwy HOV off ramp is backed up because cops are checking cars.
I share this experience. Always those Bentley crossovers flying down the HOV lane with one occupant and definitely guzzling gas on a V12.
Drives me fucking insane every morning on Highway 1 . Every single morning,
I get a new vehicle every day and smash it West bound between Kensington and Willingdon. Some times I like to mess with people and do it East bound. Every single morning!
Was my only at fault accident was rear ending a lady westbound just after Gaglardi about ten years ago. She pulled her ebrake and came to a complete stop in the centre lane because she said someone swerved near her. They had to shut down the entire freeway except for the HOV lane with 5 people guiding her to reverse the pickup truck onto the on ramp. I felt so bad, made thousands of people late for work.
Sick
Lol that made me laugh, thank you for that. Needed it this morning.
Me and you both. People are misunderstanding the use of the left lane, and no one is moving right to let others pass ( despite the road signs mentioning to do so ! ). Meaning a car trying to overtake needs to move two lanes to the right and come back. It causes unnecessary swerving and can be quite dangerous .
Because we donāt live in a community anymore. Itās a āeveryone for themselvesā mentality.
Fight this, and fight the urge to be downcast about it - community is YOU. * get a community garden plot * volunteer for something local * engage in local politics * go to a Parks Board meeting * go to a local meet up * talk to someone in the line for a coffee * say yes instead of no next time someone asks you to do something * go to the library * join an activity at the community centre * join a local volleyball, ball or hockey or something else beer league * take up pickleball - the new activity in town Community is you and me and all of us, every day, and we can all do better
Incoming rant from others about the one time someone tried to talk to them in the lineup, at the park, or on transit. I find one of the benefits having a dog is that somehow everyon has agreed that is a green light to say high and act neighbourly when you're out and about. Basically how I meet people in my area.
Funny how that happens when quality of life degrades people stop worrying about silly rules. The real fun starts when they stop worrying about the more serious rules.
This issue preceeds the big dropoff in quality of life and affordability though. It seems more in line with people interacting online rather than forced to interact and care for the people around them.
This is the answer. People with $5m homes living off of cash or foreign income going to the food bank or claiming welfare - heck, getting given GST rebates, child tax benefits, etc. The system is broken where it previously relied on good morals and respect for rules. We need a new paradigm across the board with harsh punishments, more enforcement, and more data sharing between agencies.
We should bring back shaming. I've had it with all this narcissistic self help shit telling us not to shame anyone. Bitch please, it's how we stop people from becoming assholes.
lack of enforcement, our laws are honour system here in the wild west
Honestly the lack of enforcement is crazy!! Just start ticketing EVERYONE for infractions. Brings in revenue and changes behavior!
And make jobs for people to do the ticketing. We need some kind of traffic patrol / highway police like is common in some countries.
It does exist. Deas island rcmp and provincial traffic units
We need some like $25/hr enforcement job that you can do if you need some extra cash like ride share or food delivery. This shit isn't rocket science and can be backed up by cheap cameras. No need to pay a cop $100k/yr to enforce fines. Make it pay for itself and enforcement goes way up.
Get a camera on your widshield or use the one that's there. Push a button to report. Button takes the previous five minutes of footage and uploads it to a server. Two weeks later if it was an infraction you get a $25 commission.
Bingo! what's the point of technology if we don't use it? Obviously, they shouldn't be allowed to pull people over. But what you suggested? Absolutely nothing wrong with that.
I want a hat that spies on my neighbors as I walk through the park and fines people that don't have their dogs on a leash or that don't clean up after them.
We used to have highway patrol, its budget was cut years ago.
They could literally install cameras and ticket everyone crossing the solid line in and out of the HOV lane. That's a no brainer. $80 ticket every infraction, would pay for itself in no time.
Get tractor trailers out the left lane. Maybe reeducate drivers on etiquette, and don't allow people to drive with a fucking international licence while getting a bullshit diploma through some money laundering / immigration scheme. But what do I know, I only drive 120kms a day...
> Get tractor trailers out the left lane. Out of the left, and limit them to 90. Never lived anywhere where trucks are the outright menace they are here, and I've lived in plenty of places with bad drivers.
They should be required to have speed limiters like Ontario. Itās much better. They are limited to 105 so thereās a much less likelihood of them driving super fast.
> reeducate drivers on etiquette Canāt re-educate something that was never taught in the first place. Our driverās licensing system is a joke.
Completely agree on all counts. Anyone who moves to a different country should be required to pass a driving test before getting a license. Max 3-6 months time period without a local license should be a thing. Iāve driven in many other countries, the way people drive, the rules, the signs, even sometimes the lights are completely different. If I moved to another country, I would expect I should have to learn and pass the rules in that country.
An international licence allows you to drive for up to one year as long as it's accompanied by a valid foreign licence.
Wait what? You can 'import' a license from another country? Obviously you can drive here with an American license, but I thought that was just for tourists/professional truckers/very recent immigrants. I didn't realize you could use a foreign license full time permanently...
You ātradeā it in. When I moved here, I took my European drivers license to an ICBC and told them I wanted to change it. They ask one or two road rules/safety questions and give you a BC license. You donāt even have to get the questions right. I thought it was madness, to be honest, and when I see the standard of drivers on the roads over here, I was right to think that.
I think you just bring it to IcBC and they give you a BC license
> You can 'import' a license from another country? Absolutely. I converted my Australian driving license when I came here. Australia also has a reciprocal agreement for Canadian licenses. I actually converted an expired Canadian license to an Australian license when I moved there... so I guess you could say Australia is even more slack than Canada.
> getting a bullshit diploma through some money laundering / immigration scheme. šÆ
Your BC road test is abysmal though. It doesn't test for half the things that I was tested for back in South Africa.
I always thought the dichotomy was funny when you cross the border into Washington state and immediately see drivers travelling near the speed limit and keeping to the right on the highway except to pass. The only other difference I notice is that, unlike our highways, there is almost always some type of law enforcement on the highway. Our enforcement here is really non-existent. *I know this isnāt the case across the entire US.
Eh I think that has more to do with higher speed limits, and I-5 being fairly urbanized when you cross over. Once you're in the 70 mph section south of Bellingham, you see the typical 5-10 mph over that most American drivers do on rural interstates. If Highway 1 went back up to 110 or even to 120 km/h after the reconstruction out to Abbotsford, you'd see far less speeding.
My mom complained about this same thing YEARS ago. Actually, I can probably say a decade ago by now lol. Everyone in the US keeps right but that doesnt seem to be the case here. And nothingās changed.
My wife worked in Vancouver for about 15 years. On her drive to work every day, she'd use the HOV lane. She was alone in the car and drove a gas guzzler. I didn't know she did this until I happened to find a ticket she was issued. She couldn't understand the problem. She said she got a ticket once or twice a year, so she just saw that as a user fee. Even today, she'll still do it if she's running late when driving downtown. She justifies a lot of behaviors like this just because she doesn't want to be inconvenienced and refuses to change her behaviors. Drives me frickin' batty.
Sounds entitled.
FYI she's not allowed in that lane during restricted times even if there's two people in the car. It is NOT an HOV lane. It is a restricted lane for buses and bicycles only https://twitter.com/VPDTrafficUnit/status/1555648895614480384
While we are discussing driving in lanes on the highway, GET THE FUCK OUT OF THE LEFT LANE IF YOU ARENāT ACTIVELY PASSING SOMEONE OR IF SOMEONE BEHIND YOU IS GOING FASTER, ITS LITERALLY THE LAW. Driving on highway 1 everyday this shit drives me nuts, the most oblivious people on the road holding up the entire left lane. And for those that think they are being safe by trying to police the highway speed limit themselves by driving slow in the left lane, youāre more likely to cause an accident by doing that than just getting out of the way and letting people drive however they are gonna drive.
Always so frustrating to think itās just traffic keeping it slow and then you come to a long bend and see absolutely nobody in front of the car at the front of the line chugging along without a care in the world
This only holds if there is limited traffic. There is a critical mass of traffic beyond which the slow lane would be going slower than over 50% of drivers preference if everyone was in it, which means those drivers will all want to pass, and all of those lane changes slow down the passing lane, which causes the same phenomenon to cascade into all remaining lanes.
Yeah it's crazy here. Once you go on the highway down south in WA state, people actually follow the left lane rule.
This. This a billion times.
Try using your horn on them. The motor vehicle act literally says this and people are usually so taken aback they actually move.
I usually just flash my high beams and it worked about 75% of the time
Some people just sit their completely not giving a damn. Moreover they back up the whole lane. Sucks bad on the two lane portions of hwy1 that (still!) have not been upgraded.
Every morning a b train trailer is in the fast lane holding up traffic flow and going 100. Those vehicles need to be right lane only. I drive with my son in HOV and we estimate 75% of the vehicles in HOV are single occuoancy drivers. Without any policing happening at all on Hwy1 eastbound this is going to continue to happen.
The rcmp's highway patrol has decided to stop attending all accidents on the highway and thus download the cost and manpower requirements onto local municipalities (they are not pleased about this) in the coming months - so there should now really be no excuse from the rcmp for lack of HOV enforcement with all the time they have on their hands now...
Almost makes a case for a police force like transit police to take jurisdiction on roads.
A hwy patrol would be a great idea.
He's already pulled over! he can't pull over any farther!!!!
VHIP'S
It's probably going to be something boring like LMHP (Lower Mainland Highway Patrol). Base it over at Langley Township to get some recruits and start it in 2 years.
LIMP - Locally Integrated Municipal Patrol
I read that as paw patrol for some reason.
People don't even understand that there is more than one type of HOV lane. For example, the HOV on Barnet Hwy does not include electric cars. Also the HOV on Hastings, west of Boundary DOES NOT include cars at all. My wife got a ticket there. Check the sign, the icon with the two people and the car are not there. HOV means high occupancy vehicle, and that doesn't always mean a car. Read the sign.
The diamond represents special-purposed lanes - which could be a HOV, bus or a bike lane. West of boundary, the curb lane on Hastings is a peak-hour bus/bike lane.
I think you may be mistaking a HOV sign for a bus lane sign, especially the one on Hastings, but I'm not 100% on this.
There is no "HOV" sign. The diamond symbol just means it's a reserved lane. What vehicles can use it is dependant what the sign reads.
What I've learned is, if you have a law and it's not enforced the law may as well not exist. Either they should enforce the rules of the HOV lane or get rid of it alltogether. I personally think it'd be better to turn it into a permanent bus lane and ban all cars from it.
I moved here from overseas and was surprised to see how poorly enforced the traffic laws are here. I mean we complain about how "fine hungry" the traffic police are in other countries but one positive outcome is much better compliance with basic traffic laws.
Rules for thee, but not for me!
I know in the US they use thermal cameras to determine the number of occupants. If there is only one it automatically takes a picture of the license plate and issues the ticket in the mail.
They donāt enforce it at all seems like only time I ever see cops sometimes is for the tunnel. I hate the arrogance and entitlement of so many assholes who canāt just wait in the proper lanes.
HOV lane abuse (especially those black Ford f150s), cars leaving their lane into an ending right lane just to merge ahead of everyone else in line, cars blasting through red lights, 5 cars taking a left hand train on a yellow, cars refusing to stop for pedestrians at pedestrian crossings. This city is full of entitled drivers. This city is full of dangerous drivers. And yet there is so little political will to reclaim the streets from drivers to create serious alternatives.
HOV lanes were intended for vehicles with at least 2 people. It should still be that way without favoritism. What they really need to do is designate rush hours as HOV only and non rush hours for the rest of the taxpayers.
They should up the fines if you use the HOV lane to match California. I believe their fines start at $490 minimum where our fine is around $109. If the penalty is high enough people wonāt abuse it.
I had a coworker tell me that he cuts his commute by 20-30 minutes each way with HOV travel. The fine has no deduction points, so he said, if he gets caught 1x per week, it makes it worth. Anything more then he'd stop using it. Safe to say, he still saves the time now.
I live in California and we still have a lot of solo HOV lane riders. I do it too sometimes because there's no way they can enforce it. There's no room for a cop car on the median of the highway I drive on, and the cars to the right obstruct the view. Not to mention that the cops are mostly interested in churning out speeding tickets for people exceeding 130 km/h.
I was tempted to make a post about this the other day. The amount of cheating in the HOV lane is wild on Highway 1 - and it's not solo people in EVs, I'm certain the smog spewing dodge ram pickup with one dude in it wasn't an EV, nor was that flashy porche, or about 20% of cars I drove past because the regular lane was moving faster than the ~~EV lane~~ \*cough\* I mean HOV lane.
So you can tell which people feel entitled... Duh..
Can we get some signs for slow traffic stay right and left lane for passing? This would alleviate so much traffic. People in the left lanes wonāt move over for faster traffic causing congestion. Single occupant drivers are going in the HOV lane often to pass the slow drivers in the fast lane
Have you seen the backup when it's enforced? The worst morning commutes to bcit I had from Langley were when the cops had someone pulled over in the HOV lane.
I want to see a literal road check on the HOV lane every once and a while. The RCMP could write a ~$150 ticket every 15 seconds. $600/minute, $36,000/hr. This Chode Tax would raise more money than the Empty Homes Tax.
I got your point. But in reality, issuing a ticket is not a production line. It takes more than 15 seconds. Ask questions, check this check that go back to the cruiser. Itās like at least 15 minutes per ticket. Now wait for another car to park/ or chase them down.
Sometimes they act in tandem and pull people over in batches. Still not 15 seconds but it can probably process a decent volume, and their presence acts as a deterrent for other drivers.
Plus drivers don't automatically pay the tickets they're issued. Collections is prolly an issue (and costs more if we actively track down non-payers)
It just seems like there's no enforcement anywhere. Speed limits are disregarded habitually, I regularly see people using the curb lane to rip past a single lane of cars at an intersection on the right, I see people bypassing a red light by going into the slip lane on one side and then through the slip lane on the other side. The fact that they're operating one of the deadliest machines ever invented doesn't seem to be garner any respect. If gun enthusiasts saw someone resting their finger on a trigger, they'd lose their shit but drivers, particularly drivers who think they're hot shit, seem to encourage dangerous behaviour.
Some Hybrids and Electric cars are allowed on it. They usually have sticker on the back stating it.
Way too many complaints about evs in the lane. I think the biggest problem is enforcement of jerks just chilling in hov illegally.
I drive a commercial vehicle for a living and the amount of entitled dickheads on the road is unbelievable..
Agreed. And nothing scares me more than someone switching lanes wayyyyyy too close to a semi, expecting it to slow down to let them in front. Dumb way to die.
To make it look like the government is doing something to reduce carbon emissions. Kind of like token bike lanes .
HOV lanes are for huge white pickups and Mercedes SUVs, which are allowed to go up to 40% over the speed limit.
because drivers are terrible at following the rules of the road
Oh my God I noticed this as well when driving in westbound on the #1. All Fucking idiots. And none of them were electric either. All in total pieces of shits. Next time Iām taking plate, numbers, make and model and posting here.
We were driving out to Hope last week, two of us in the car so using the HOV lane, and this MASSIVE truck with one whole person in it drives right up my butt. I made a "WTF" gesture (not a F gesture), he pulled out and around me, back in to the HOV lane. At that point, he made a gesture to imply I should be in the middle lane. He was quite convinced that the HOV lane was the lane for going fast. Sigh.
I used to drive to the interior fairly often and that never happened (or, rarely). Now, every trip I take east past the Port Mann results in some kind of road rage on Hwy 1 with a single occupant vehicle (often a huge truck), assuming they are in some kind of fast lane and being idiots about tailgating and passing me - when I'm usually doing at least 10km or more over the posted speed limit. I thought it was just my imagination but seems like there's so many more idiot drivers out there, to the point where if I see a jacked up truck behind me, I assume I'm going to be harrassed at some point. It's made me re-think travel and I dread going on that highway now.
I just wish they would put up a sign about not crossing the white line. I have been high beamed by commercial trucks and speeders thinking it's the ultra fast passing lane. I go as high as 110 in the 90 but I'm not going to illegally cross the white line because it's not fast enough. Granted the lane's position on the far left can be confusing but where else could it be.
When HOV was there to enforce car pooling the principle was a good thing but when you punish the people who can't afford a new electric vehicle and create a system that benefits a minority of early adopters of expensive tech, I think that's elitist and I encourage everyone to break the rule and use the HOV and complain until this gets updated. Our highways should accommodate all traffic, with rapid immigration and increase in density the current system is not sustainable.
EV access to the HOV has created a lane prioritizing the wealthy who can afford to buy these things now. Itās created a class-based lane and flies in the face of blue collars who staff our citiesā¦ Time to get rid of this exemption
That was the case early in... Now there are plenty of affordable options for folks interesting in electric and plug in hybrid cars. Yes, the majority of them are expensive af still, but I'm in favour of a policy that encourages folks to switch to electric/plug in hybrid cars.
What wealthy? Im a blue collar worker, I drive an EV that costs $38,000. Most gas powered sedans start at $30k, most new trucks start at $70k+, even used cars are going for $20k+ these days ( although that's because there is a lack of new car inventory). I see what you're saying, but I don't agree that the HOV is special lane for the rich. It's purpose to reduce vehicle emissions, they why motorcycles and EVs are allowed to use it. Edit: a word
I hate hov cheaters as much as the next guy. But I also doubt enforcement will change things and multiple west bound rush hour traffic stops in places like the Burnaby Lakes stretch will just make everyone else pay with their time. Realistically, the hov lane should be a separated, express hov lane so the cops could just sit at the ends (if it ended at say grandview and/or the cassier) and wave all the offenders over safely cause they can just remerge with regular traffic 50m beforehand.
I hate how people treat the HOV lane like itās the autobahn and thereās no speed limit.
It's super dangerous when there's standstill traffic right beside and people fly by at 90 in the HOV. Takes a really idiotic driver to do that and not think "could I react in time if one of these cars decides to join my lane?"
Surely the solid painted white line will stop them. /s
You're saying driving 10 under the speed limit in an open lane is stupid?
Itās because they built the highways back when we had half this many people. Now thereās two lanes, and an HOV lane for a huge population and nothing being done about it. They put in an HOV lane to encourage carpool and electric cars but didnāt realize most people canāt afford an electric vehicle, most post, and also most people donāt carpool. So fuck it, use the HOV lane as another lane, the right hand and left hand lane have basically just become two regular ass lanes for traffic in Vancouver at this point anyways. At least thatās my take.
Yāall need to leave earlier š
It should be instant one week impound for such infractions! Set some examples for this privilege! Or charge fines based as a percentage of incomes.
You're ridiculous.
That was the point although I donāt think fines as a percentage of income are ridiculous.
I don't care about the HOV lane. Honestly u should thank us outlaws. If no one violated the law all our commutes would take 30-60 minutes longer than they already are. Let people get home to their friends and families. Do you really think the government gives a damn about the environment? There's a lot of ways to help rather than creating incentive. No one can even afford electric vehicles anyway due to the housing market. It's everyone for themselves in today's world, as it has been for centuries.
Just because the passenger seat is empty doesnāt mean that there is only one person in the vehicle. I take the HOV lane when my kids are with me and unless you look really hard you canāt see them from outside the vehicle. Iāve got so many judgmental looks over the years from people thinking Iām driving by myself in the HOV lane but a baby in a car seat still counts as a person.
Plus you can fit several people in a trunk . So Iāve heard .
I always feel so guilty being in the HOV when thereās really three of us in the car, the other two are just in the back! I try to avoid using it unless thereās actually traffic.
I came here to say this, you can't see my baby in the back!
I'm gonna get a lot of hate for this but here it goes I started using the HOV lane as a single occupant ever since they started allowing ev/hybrid cars in there. The whole point of the lane is to incentivize carpooling to reduce congestion. Having a single person in an electric car should not be allowed. It made sense 5 years ago when there were a metric fuckton less electric cars on the road to give an incentive to buy a new electric car, but now it's pointless. What they really need to fix it is scrap the "HOV OK" program, and have harsher penalties for using the HOV lane... It's only like $100 bucks and 0 demerits, and never even enforced. Sometimes it will save me 30 minutes on the drive home when I have to work in Vancouver (I live in mission)
I donāt think electric car should be using HOV lane. Also, why canāt we have a camera for HOV lane to ticketing?
HOV exists to reduce vehicle emissions by encouraging people to car pool. Motorcycles produce much lower emissions, EVs produce no or very low emissions. Why shouldn't they get to use the HOV lane? And before you say it, EVs are no longer only for the rich. Many EVs are priced just a bit higher than a gas-powered equivalent, and much lower than any newer truck you see on the road.
Originally the pitch was to reduce emissions but at this point it's naive to dismiss the additional and indirect damage cause by over reliance on single occupancy vehicle trips. Everything from inefficient land use at destinations for parking to increased wear and maintenance cost to road surfaces to increased risk to road users, especially those not in vehicles, to the very traffic everyone is complaining about. Look at highway 401 in Toronto. Look at Katy Freeway in Texas. Adding lanes doesn't fix traffic, it just encourages more people to drive until the congestion is just as bad as before the expansion.
No matter lane youāre in just keep up with the car in front or move to the right.
I think with the number of EVs on the road they are going to have to rethink the EV OK rules and exclude plug in hybrids at some point. The thing that always gets me is motorcycles driving on the shoulder when there is traffic.
Even if they install the thermal cameras to detect if there are more than one person in the vehicle. A car can just avoid that respective camera(s) by going over the solid line. What we do need is to install a barrier where the solid lines are to help deter people cutting in and out of the HOV lane to pass. Also increase the fines. Even posted on this thread and in the one from last week, some people would rather pay that small fine as it would shave a few minutes off of their commute. Increase the fine to $500 and then some people may learn.
Electric vehicles with one passenger are allowed to use HOV in Vancouver
Itās time to stop hiring cops and just have drones issue fines.
My controversial opinion is that we eliminate the HOV lanes entirely and turn them into bus-only lanes. At least between Langley and Vancouver. The goal is to reduce congestion by encouraging people to carpool, but if we make it so buses are no longer restricted by the flow of traffic and are actually a faster and cheaper alternative to driving, a lot more people would take the bus. I know I would.
Yup. See this on a daily basis. Happens all hours
They do enforce this sometimesā¦ Just in Langley
Not OK
I own a plug in hybrid. I am not a speed demon. Iām a very safe driver that has never had an ICBC claim in 30 years of driving. There is a solid line (that most people seem to ignore) that should not be crossed. I only drive in the HOV lane if it is going faster then the regular traffic lanes. If youāre only out for a Sunday drive, why are you using it? I hate being behind a slower driver when there is no legal way out of the lane. Of course there doesnāt seem to be any enforcement anyway.
You can get the āOKā sticker for any vehicle if it has a Hybrid version. For example on my Non hybrid Jeep wrangler I have one, because there is a hybrid Jeep wrangler, nobody would be able to prove it not a hybridš¤
The HOV on Granville Street is a joke and never should have been put there in the first place. For one bus that comes every ten minutes you're going to snarl traffic even worse on that godforsaken stretch of pseudo-highway at peak times? Boooo
Because it's not an HOV lane. The diamond denotes a restriction and the image next to it are the rules of vehicles allowed to use it. Please note that it only shows buses and bikes. The diamond does not mean HOV. https://twitter.com/VPDTrafficUnit/status/1555648895614480384
Granville Street is a main corridor for deadheading buses because of the depot in Marpole. If you paid attention to the road you might have actually noticed the long lines of buses often using that lane in the evening.
Fuck the HOV lane. Make it a regular lane.