Congress didn't re-authorize a program that allows drivers of EV and other clean-air vehicles to drive solo in California's carpool lanes. It was a partisan move, but the program had run its course.
In 2005, I was among the first wave of people to buy a hybrid car in order to participate in California’s Clean Air Vehicle Decal Program, which allowed us to drive solo in the carpool lane.
My silver Prius was not lovely, comfortable or fun to drive, but the yellow decal was a life-changing perk. At the time, my daily commute from Echo Park to Woodland Hills had been such a grind that I was considering quitting my job. Instead, the drive became bearable for another six years once I could skip part of the crunch by using the HOV — High Occupancy Vehicle — lanes on the 134 Freeway.
Even before my decal expired in 2011, however, the carpool lanes were getting crowded with other hybrids.
Fifteen years later, I traded the aging Prius for a fully electric Kia Niro. I was able to get another sticker because in 2015 Congress, which has authority over whether states can grant carpool lane access to clean cars, extended the decal program until Sept. 30, 2025.
The decals were much less useful the second time around. Often, the carpool lanes on my commute to El Segundo were as slow as the other lanes, chock full of EVs, plug-in hybrids, actual carpools as well as plenty of solo drivers taking the risk they wouldn’t get caught.
Congress decided not to allow another extension for the decal program this year — no surprise there. And while I’m sure there was some partisan hostility behind that decision based on the current administration’s many anti-EV policies, it was time to phase out the decal program in California anyway.
It was never intended to be permanent, only a way to help stimulate sales of less-polluting vehicles. And it did, at least at first, according to a 2014 UC Davis analysis. More than 1.2 million decals have been issued since 2000.
But California reached a milestone in 2024 of more than 2 million zero-emission cars sold, making it the national leader by far and raising the question of whether carpool access was still driving the switch. In the first quarter of this year, 23% of new cars sold here were zero-emission.
Still, I feel for the hundreds of thousands of people who purchased an electric car recently only to lose their carpool lane access earlier than they may have expected. But today’s expiration date was set a decade ago, and there was never a guarantee of an extension even if Democrats had still been in charge in Washington.
There’s a legitimate fear that suddenly dumping the half-million cars with expiring decals out of carpool lanes will cause hellish conditions on California’s highways. And the Department of Motor Vehicles was wise to grant drivers with active decals an extra 60 days to get used to the rule change, so the Highway Patrol won’t write tickets just yet. If the DMV were to quietly extend that grace period indefinitely and allow officers to focus on dangerous violations such as reckless driving, speeding and road rage, well, I can’t imagine there would be much objection from motorists.
In any case, it’s time for California to pat itself on the back and move on. Either leave the HOV lanes for carpoolers and buses, or think up new ways to use them to benefit Californians.
