Hybrid and alternative-fuel- vehicle drivers will have to get permits and stickers before they can cruise solo down high- occupancy-vehicle lanes, officials said Thursday.
It could be months before a permitting process is in place that would allow a hybrid affixed with a special decal to use those lanes, Colorado Department of Transportation spokeswoman Stacey Stegman said.
“We haven’t had a chance to review all of the EPA’s standards yet,” Stegman said. “There are a number of agencies we’ll need to work with on this, including the Federal Highway Administration, the Federal Transit Authority, not to mention RTD (Regional Transportation District).”
State transportation officials released guidelines Thursday on what hybrid and alternative-fuel vehicles can use HOV lanes without a passenger in the car.
CDOT and the Colorado Tolling Enterprise, which manage HOV lanes, are also studying how to avoid slowing public transit in metro-area lanes by hybrids.
“Our first priority on those lanes is (mass) transit, then the HOV vehicles, and third on that list would be the hybrids,” said Peggy Catlin, who heads the tolling authority. “Right now we have some capacity that would allow the hybrid vehicles to go in there, but we’ve got to make sure we don’t crowd out true HOVs and buses.”
Colorado lawmakers passed a measure in 2001 that gave hybrids carrying only a driver access to HOV lanes, but state transportation officials delayed implementing the law until the federal guidelines were released.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency listed 41 vehicles by their years, makes and models. To be considered, they had to use compressed natural gas or be a hybrid getting at least 50 percent more miles per gallon in the city (or at least 25 percent better combined city/highway) than its gasoline-fueled model.
Those include the Honda Civic, Insight and Accord; Toyota Prius, Highlander and Camry; Ford Escape; Lexus RX 400 and Tribute; Mercury Mariner; and some natural-gas vehicles.
Staff writer Manny Gonzales can be reached at 303-954-1537 or mgonzales@denverpost.com.
