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Forum LockedWashington Post reporter seeks help on hybrids

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Steven Ginsberg View Drop Down
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Joined: 08 Apr 2004
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Steven Ginsberg Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Washington Post reporter seeks help on hybrids
    Posted: 08 Apr 2004 at 10:50am
I'm a reporter at the Washington Post and I'm doing a story on the exemptions allowed for people who own hybrid cars and other low emission vehicles. I'm interested in talking to people on all sides of this topic: those who own the cars, those who hate seeing single drivers whiz by them, those who have considered the exemption as a reason to move to the outer suburbs, etc. Please email me with any comments at ginsbergs@washpost.com
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JustWannaGetHome View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote JustWannaGetHome Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Apr 2004 at 1:16pm
Hi Steven,

If you really want to know all sides of this issue, the best place is to look at the following "topics" on the "General Slugging Topics" list serv on this Web site. You are going to have to go to the bottom right hand side of the page and request to see topics from the past year.

The titles of the topics that relate to this heated debate are: "A proposal for hybrids," "Hybrids-a threat to car-pooling," "Hybrids in HOV," "New Prius Review," and "Continued awful trips on HOV."

You will get every side possible, and then some. Good Luck and do us sluggers proud!
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slugger94 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote slugger94 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Apr 2004 at 10:20am
Steven, I am a slugger and sometimes I drive. I have been doing this for over two years. It use to take 20 minutes to go from the Horner Rd. Lot to the Pentagon and now it takes almost 30 minutes. I have to say that this is greatly attributed to the great number of CF vehicles that are allowed on the HOV without picking up other riders. A couple of years ago, I would see one maybe two CF vehicles each day. Now, at any given time, I would see three to four of them as I travel to and from the Pentagon.

The HOV is to help commuters get to and from work in the most efficient way. At the rate the number of CF cars are growing on the HOV lanes, commuters who are putting in the effort to car/vanpool or ride the bus find their commute getting longer and longer.

I feel that CF drivers should put in their fair share of helping to eleviate the traffic congestion that we all suffer instead of contributing to it. Granted the HOV lanes are still not as congested as the regular lanes but give it a year or two, we will see the traffic on the HOV crawling because of all these CF cars. VDOT should require tiny CF cars with two doors to have at least have two people and the four door CF cars to have three people like all other cars.
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JustWannaGetHome View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote JustWannaGetHome Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Apr 2004 at 11:55am
Slugger94 I agree with everything you say. I just want to tweak the number of CF cars you see on the trip from Horner to the Pentagon from three or four....to 20 to 30 plus.

Every model of car is coming out with their own Hybrid, SUV Hybrids are coming out this year! It won't be long before we're all using the regular 95 lanes to avoid the congestion in the HOV lanes.
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churchlady View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote churchlady Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Apr 2004 at 1:10pm
I have understood for many years that the main reason for the HOV lanes is not to get folks to work faster but to reduce pollution caused by auto emissions. Hybrids and other CF vehicles help meet the goals of reducing auto emissions.

The incentive for our family to purchase our hybrid was to provide a greater deal of predictability to our commute. It is generally used in the a.m. trip by other family for three riders to an unusual commute location not served by public transit or slug lines. For a while the third person was dealing with unpredictable circumstances which caused last minute cancellation. With the hybrid, these last minute changes no longer make the other two late.

The CF vehicle is not the one I usuually drive since I can pick up slugs to the Pentagon. From time to time I have been able to use it for my commute. It saves significant time waiting for slugs (reducing the emissions produced while idling in the slug line for anywhere from 5 -20 minutes)and easily knocks an hour off a solo ride on 395 . Gas milage is phenominal, ranging from 45-50 mpg when I drive and even higher with it's regular driver.

The couple of times I stopped for slugs with the CF car I caught a vibe that I was unfair to non-CF slug drivers by taking away their riders. I guess I can't win!
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emancilla View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote emancilla Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Apr 2004 at 3:47pm
I was reading the info about the HOV lanes offered by this website that says:

"The intent of restricting the number of occupants is to encourage ridesharing, which in turn reduces the number of vehicles on the highway. With fewer vehicles, the HOV lanes operate generally with less congestion and are much faster than non-HOV lanes."

I doesn't say anything that the HOV lanes were created to reduce pollution caused by auto emissions. This is one of the benefits of ridesharing.
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Zevida View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Zevida Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Apr 2004 at 7:25pm
I think that the only solution to the traffic problems that we have is to get cars off the road. Period. Hybrid vehicles do nothing to help that. Yes, lower pollution is wonderful and all, but Hybrids do not improve the commute for anyone as a whole. By picking up slugs every afternoon, I am eliminating two other cars from the afternoon commute. If we took away two-thirds of the vehicles traveling I-95 south, that would be a tremendous reduction of volume.

I do not support Hybrids in the HOV without three passengers because the goal of HOV is to reduce congestion, and Hybrids are not contributing to that end.
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vabigblue View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote vabigblue Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Apr 2004 at 8:06am
Steven, I guess this is the kind of dialogue you wanted and I believe you probably came to the right site for it. At any rate, let me add my two cents in addition to the posts I made in the threads alluded to by "JustWannaGetHome". I agree with all the posts except the one by "Churchlady". In my opinion, the HOV lanes are there for reducing congestion only. I don't understand why these vehicles are exempt from HOV requirements. It doesn't matter if they are clean fuel cars or not, they are still cars and should be subject to the same rules as my Ford Explorer and anybody else's whatever. In addition, while slugging to work this morning, I decided to count Hybrids - not to my surprise, between Tacketts Mill and the Pentagon, I counted a grand total of 51. At this rate, as the other posts indicate, we will soon be saturated by "CF" vehicles.
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Bob View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Bob Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Apr 2004 at 8:59am
If VDOT or local agencies wanted to, they could easily provide up to date numbers on how many hybrids are in the state, and on 95. We did get the overall numbers last year in the statewide HOV report (I am too lazy to look it up on my C drive) This information is being intentionally withheld in my opinion. Here is my estimate, and tell me if you think I am off base. I have heard that about 10,000 cars use the 95 HOV (anyone have a better number?). On average, I believe that we now have about 20% hybrids. That would be 2000 hybrids using the road. However, I note that the license plates are now up to almost 10,000. I know that most of the VA hybrids are in Northern VA (75%?). That would b 7500 in Northern VA. But it would seem that that would imply maybe 4000 hybrids for I-95. (Comments?)

Bob
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vabigblue View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote vabigblue Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Apr 2004 at 10:46am
Bob, I might add that some hybrids don't have the "CF" plates and some are from out of state, so we can probably add another 1-2% for those. Thanks
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