No more solo Diamond Lane in CA [Admin Warning: NO POLITICS]

[Joules Burn]

I just received this notice from CA DMV.

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[SANZC02]

I just received this notice from CA DMV.

Yes, sad day, I did enjoy the free 91 Express Lanes in my Tesla an Rivian over the last 9 years.

I am a little surprised CA did not put their own plan in place of the federal one that is ending.

 

[Zorg]

Enjoyed the free carpool from 2013 through 2020. All good things must come to an end.

 

[schlosrat]

All good things must come to an end.

Must they? I respectfully disagree. Perhaps CA and other states will move to set up their own system, though I have to wonder if there's some sort of federal funding tied to this.

While this doesn't affect me where I live, I think it's a pretty dumb thing to do.

 

[Zorg]

In the SF bay area, carpool became clogged with EVs in 2019. Since then, carpool lanes became 3+ to be free and 50% discounted for EVs. So, most of the freebies have been gone for a while in most of the carpool lanes.

 

[Great Gatsby]

Obviously its a federal thing, but got a call yesterday from Peach Pass (who handles the tolling in GA) and they informed me of the same thing. Not that anyone in Atlanta follows the HOV rules anyway lol but just annoyed to see all these EV perks being thrown away while floating ways to further penalize EV ownership/make it more difficult (state AND federal taxes, less funding for chargers, EV fees registration, other junk). Meanwhile gas tax remains unchanged and the incentives for the oil industry remain in place. I'm all for fairness, but this is not it. I am getting quite annoyed by what feels like the powers that be punishing people for choosing a different way to run their vehicles. Its incredible what gets politized in this country.

 

[Joules Burn]

Must they? I respectfully disagree. Perhaps CA and other states will move to set up their own system, though I have to wonder if there's some sort of federal funding tied to this.

While this doesn't affect me where I live, I think it's a pretty dumb thing to do.

I think federal funding was a factor. The program was a federal permission for Interstate highways. The California version was a sticker good for three years. The feds took the permission away. NOT getting into politics but this is one federal mandate that California decided to not contest.

 

[mkg3]

Must they? I respectfully disagree. Perhaps CA and other states will move to set up their own system, though I have to wonder if there's some sort of federal funding tied to this.

While this doesn't affect me where I live, I think it's a pretty dumb thing to do.

Since much of the HOV lanes are on Federal Interstate Highway, if any state implement anything, they risk federal highway funds.

In CA, over 30% of new vehicle registration is some form of electric vehicle (BEV, PHEV, hybrid) so I think it should end, even though I will miss it too...

 

[sfvR1S]

D*** move by petty politicians. They can renew in 2026, but I'm not holding my breath.

 

[lefkonj]

Makes sense to continue to try and hurt the EV market so you can line your pockets with dinosaur juice

 

[schlosrat]

Since much of the HOV lanes are on Federal Interstate Highway, if any state implement anything, they risk federal highway funds.

In CA, over 30% of new vehicle registration is some form of electric vehicle (BEV, PHEV, hybrid) so I think it should end, even though I will miss it too...

I get your (and other's) points that the interstates are federal, and these things can be tied to federal funding. I'll leave that one alone as I don't want to take this to a political topic. I'd just say that's unfortunate and leave it there.

As to the other point, that one is much more interesting and has a simple and practical aspect. On the one hand, the point of HOV lanes is to reduce emissions, and you're not going to reduce them any more than you can by driving an EV short of simply not traveling at all. On the other hand, if there are so many EVs on the road that the permit starts to become meaningless and the HOV lanes are just as congested as the non-HOV lanes, then for sure the value of the permit will have tanked.

Is that the case? Are HOV lanes in CA just as congested as the non-HOV lanes? I wouldn't know as it's been a while since I've driven down there.

 

[CharonPDX]

I just received this notice from CA DMV.

The big question - will California actually enforce it?

 

[schlosrat]

The big question - will California actually enforce it?

Hmmm... So they can comply with the federal rule and send out a notice, but you're suggesting they might just ignore the enforcement aspect? I suspect that's unlikely, and wouldn't advocate for anyone to test the theory. If they found a legal way to implement their own state-wide approach, that would be another thing.

Kudos if they do, bummer if they can't or won't.

 

[PaythePiper]

We are losing the same benefit here in AZ.

 

[SANZC02]

I get your (and other's) points that the interstates are federal, and these things can be tied to federal funding. I'll leave that one alone as I don't want to take this to a political topic. I'd just say that's unfortunate and leave it there.

As to the other point, that one is much more interesting and has a simple and practical aspect. On the one hand, the point of HOV lanes is to reduce emissions, and you're not going to reduce them any more than you can by driving an EV short of simply not traveling at all. On the other hand, if there are so many EVs on the road that the permit starts to become meaningless and the HOV lanes are just as congested as the non-HOV lanes, then for sure the value of the permit will have tanked.

Is that the case? Are HOV lanes in CA just as congested as the non-HOV lanes? I wouldn't know as it's been a while since I've driven down there.

Even with the large amount of lower emission vehicles in CA it has not yet reached the saturation point (at least in SoCal) so it is still a perk being able to use the carpool lanes. My Tesla sticker expired years ago so if I’m going anywhere and the carpool lane would make a difference these days I take the Rivian.

Bigger loss is the free or discounted express lanes, that was tied to the vehicle plate and did not expire. One of the express lanes I use can be quite expensive at specific times where the discount could save me $14 one way. I would estimate that over the course of 9 years I saved over $5k at around $50 a month on discounted tolls. It could be a much larger loss for people using those roads 5 days a week.

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