I've never had a car before that had an access sticker for HOV lane use (California). Are there any restrictions to that? For example, the I-15 in San Diego has an HOV with fast pass access which displays rates for use. But sometimes it says HOV only in place of a price (super heavy traffic). Is it okay to use the HOV with one person during that time as long as it has the sticker or are all single passenger cars prohibited? Does it include HOV on-ramp access? Thanks
"The I-15 Express Lanes provide 20 miles of flexible travel between State Route 78 in Escondido and State Route 163 in San Diego to relieve congestion and keep travel times reliable. Get on your way in the I-15 Express Lanes. You have choices! The Express Lanes are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. High occupancy vehicles (HOVs), like carpools and vanpools, can use the Express Lanes for free - all day, every day. Transit vehicles, permitted clean air vehicles, and motorcycles can also use the lanes for free. Solo drivers can get FasTrak online or at Costco to use the Express Lanes. The toll is automatically deducted from a prepaid FasTrak account based on trip length and traffic in the lanes." - I-15 Express Lanes "Direct Access Ramps (DARs) allow immediate access to the I-15 Express Lanes for Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) Rapid vehicles, carpools and vanpools, permitted clean air vehicles, motorcyclists, and solo drivers using a FasTrak account. The DARs eliminate the need to travel across multiple lanes of traffic to enter and exit the Express Lanes. DARs are located in Escondido at Hale Avenue and Del Lago Boulevard and in the San Diego communities of Rancho Bernardo, Sabre Springs, and Mira Mesa." You are a permitted clean air vehicles if you have the sticker, so you are always able to use the lanes even when 'HOV only' is displayed. and you get to use the on-ramps any time. (MS has 0 miles of express lanes, and all 0 of them allow Hybrids)
My wife and I currently carpool but sometimes it's only one of us. We normally jump on at Hale Ave and get off on Hillary. Hale Ave is a little bit of back tracking for us but it's usually still quicker and there's no crossing jammed lanes to get to the HOV lane. I love those direct HOV access ramps. Coming back we get on at Hillary and get off near Center City Parkway. We could also get off at 9th Ave, but I'll drive all the way to Hale Ave if it's jammed at 9th (which is fairly rare).
i get off at Miramar, und used to get on there as well but am now taking Hilary as it is almost impossible to cross 7 lanes when joining from Mirarmar to the nearest carpool entry, esp when traffic is 75+
