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Honda Civic GX & HOV Lane Access

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Comments

  • epnfrnepnfrn Member Posts: 87
    my point was that not many dealers allow sports cars to be driven before purchase, not rarity. when i bought my S2000 in '03, NO dealer allowed test drives, and most were charging $5k over sticker. when i bought my GX in '06 ... no problem with test drives, and most accepted my bid of $1k under sticker.

    there may be only 700, but demand isn't higher than that (at present). come up to the bay area. ask for the GX specialists at Lodi or Mel Rapton in Sac. they were both incredibly helpful to me.
    epi
  • smart888smart888 Member Posts: 1
    Hello, I'm new, so hi to everyone. :0)

    I recently received in the mail a toll violation for the carquinez bridge. The time was 23:44:08. I was in a car with my family (total 3 passengers). I went through the carpool lane, thinking I wouldn't need to pay toll because I have 3 passengers for carpool. Its the first time I travelled that route, and definitely the first time during such late hours. Unknowing that I was outside of carpool hours, I went through without paying the $4.00 toll, which I am now being penalized for of $29.00.

    I've read in other posts in this forum, that during non-carpool hours, the carpool lane is not available to regular traffic? However, I was able to go through, and honestly believing that I was in carpool and don't have to pay. I also didn't know the toll booth hours operate in that manner, peak and non-peak hours. Seems very confusing for first time travellers.

    Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. In the letter, it also said to sign up for fastrak account to waive the penalty. But that would cost me $20-50, and I will never use the toll tags. Has anyone ever experienced anything similar? Should I contest the ticket? As I recall, I dont' remember seeing any visible signs indicating the hours of operations for that carpool lane. I just passed right through, thinking all is fine.
  • thebundothebundo Member Posts: 5
    Carpooling is one thing, bridge tolls are another. They only intersect during carppol hours. There is no such thing as a "carpool", legally speaking, outside of carpool hours. The bridge toll is 24 hrs. a day.
  • topaz420topaz420 Member Posts: 8
    Hi guys, new to the forum!
    I come from a "GX" family -- Sister = 2001, Other Sister = 2007
    And now I'm finally in the market.

    But just wondering: do the 2008s still qualify for HOV stickers
    in California? This is a huge expense for me, and I just want
    to make sure before I dive in (the dealers NEVER know the
    answers to CNG related questions).

    Thanks!
  • epnfrnepnfrn Member Posts: 87
    yep, GX's still qualify for the silver stickers, and should still qualify for $4k tax credit (assuming you don't get hit by AMT).

    as for the Carquinez driver ... no, outside of carpool hours, there is NO lane that says 'carpool' ... during carpool hours, there is, but after hours it changes to 'Fastrak'.

    carpool hours for all roads and bridges in the bay area are posted on signs ... and even if you are a mini with 50 clowns in it, you still have to pay the toll outside of those hours for all bridges.

    i would recommend calling Fastrak and asking if you can work out a deal to pay just the $4. tell them what happened, and perhaps they'll help you out. they aren't all big meanies over there :)
  • ajulianajulian Member Posts: 12
    Honda says, range of approx 225-250 miles on a natural gas honda civic. How many miles to a gallon and what is the tank size on this vehicle? i live in a condominium and can't have a phil installed. How long does it take to refule the vehicle at a retail location?
  • epnfrnepnfrn Member Posts: 87
    ajulian -- i don't mind answering, but do look around in these forums a bit ... all of these questions have been answered many times. also - this particular forum is for topics related to HOV access, so perhaps next time put it in a more appropriate forum to get more responses.

    tank ~8 gas gallon equivs ... but you'll probably never be able to fill more than 6.5 - 7.0 GGEs in a given fill.

    public filling - about the same as filling your normal car

    your mileage may vary! i live in the bay area and have a 40 mi commute through the worst traffic (east bay, bay bridge, pennisula) and i consistently get about 40 mp'g' ... so consistently can get 230-260 miles on a tank of 3600 psi. 200-ish on a 3000 psi fill.

    we hope to have you among us soon!

    epi
  • guavashellyguavashelly Member Posts: 2
    I purchased my GX a month ago and received my silver HOV stickers! When I bought the car, the dealer said that the Gold/hybrid HOV stickers have an expiration date, but the Silver/SULEV HOV stickers won't expire. But I don't see this information anywhere on the CA DMV website.

    Any help would be great.

    Guavashelly
  • freedmlfreedml Member Posts: 43
    The stickers don't expire, but solo driver HOV Access is scheduled to end 1/1/11. So, unless the program is extended, no more solo carpool lane access after 1/1/11. But, since we have 75,000 Hybrid Friends in our court, I'm guessing the program will be renewed.
  • stevedebistevedebi Member Posts: 4,098
    " So, unless the program is extended, no more solo carpool lane access after 1/1/11. But, since we have 75,000 Hybrid Friends in our court, I'm guessing the program will be renewed."

    I don't know, the Feds are upset that the HOV lanes are too slow. That may cause the state to allow the stickers to lapse, since allowing extra vehicles in the lanes is one factor slowing them down. Here is an exerpt from the DMV site (Boldface is from the DMV site):

    Carpool lane use may be restricted at any time by state and federal law for all Clean Air Vehicles carrying fewer occupants than the posted minimum requirement, if their presence is determined by the California Department of Transportation to contribute to increased traffic congestion, increased travel times, decreased sustained travel speeds, or other factors affecting any carpool lane or segment of that lane.
  • freedmlfreedml Member Posts: 43
    Again, the stickers won't lapse or expire. The program may expire 1/1/11 or it may be extended.

    The law already allows the state to suspend solo driver access to any HOV lane they determine is too crowded. They haven't done this yet, but they have always had the power to do so.
  • guavashellyguavashelly Member Posts: 2
    Solo HOV access stickers are no longer being issued to hybrids since the CA DMV has already assigned 85,000 Clean Air Vehicle Stickers (yellow) for hybrids. But since the Honda GX Natural Gas Vehicle is not a hybrid, it is an alternative fuel vehicle, they are still issuing the SULEV silver/stickers, which I got last month. Since the Honda GX is an alternative fuel vehicle and not a hybrid, I am wondering if the solo HOV program for CNG vehicles will go beyond January 1, 2011 program termination date.

    - Shelly
  • freedmlfreedml Member Posts: 43
    My guess is that the program will be extended and all stickered cars will continue to access the HOV lanes. But, if not, all stickered cars will be out of luck. They might make a distinction between white and yellow stickers but I doubt it - -those Prius owners were powerful enough to get Federal law changed to get their stickers. I bet they can get the state to renew the program.
  • silvergx2009silvergx2009 Member Posts: 1
    So you are getting about 40 mpg in a honda GX? What year?
    I just bout a 2009 GX and I am waiting for the plates so I can apply for the Carpool lane stickers. I'm hoping that they are the silver/white ones I dont want to be confused with the hybrids.
  • freedmlfreedml Member Posts: 43
    you will get white stickers. they aren't issuing yellow stickers any more.

    40mpg is pie in the sky. with normal fuel dispensers you can't really tell what your mileage is. maybe 35 all highway no stops no ac keep it below 65 etc.
  • tc44tc44 Member Posts: 1
    I'm looking at a new job with a commute through the SF / SJ bay area.
    If I purchase a new Civic GX, (Natural Gas) can I still get HOV stickers?
    Do I have to trade in a clunker to get the tax credit?

    TC44
  • freedmlfreedml Member Posts: 43
    HOV stickers are still available for 01-current GXs.
  • epnfrnepnfrn Member Posts: 87
    i'm replying to someone asking about my 40mpg statement many months back. yes, i often got 40mpg on a tank and that was commuting in the bay area (including across the bay bridge). i was often able to go over this on all highway jaunts. i had an 07 GX with no modifications. on open road, i always drove 75-80, but usually was doing more like 45-50 due to traffic (but in the HOV lane). i was just always very gentle on acceleration and tried to do my best at not braking ... ie. thinking ahead as much as is possible. it's true that mpg varies will fill, etc ... but over 50,000 miles i averaged 37mpg total.

    i've sold 'natalie' to a friend, so am no longer checking the site ... but today was wondering if there was any gossip on the status of the silver sticker bridge access now that they've announced increases in tolls (including for carpools)????

    epi
  • jgaluskajgaluska Member Posts: 1
    I may have to sell my 2006 civic hybrid---I got too many dogs and need a bigger car. Does anyone know whether or not having the yellow HOV stickers on a hybrid increases its value? I've heard that it does. If so, by how much?
  • jcmanhattanjcmanhattan Member Posts: 7
    I just bought 2010 GX and DMV is saying it will take 60-90 days to get my HOV stickers, due to furloughs and backlog. Wow, seems like it took me just a few weeks when I did this with my Prius 4 years ago.

    Would be interested to hear other wait times for those getting HOV stickers for the GX.
  • bobmatherbobmather Member Posts: 1
    I bought my GX about a month ago but haven't received my CA HOV stickers yet. However, I started driving solo in the HOV lane from day one, and haven't encountered any problems despite having been followed or passed by California Highway Patrol officers on at least two occasions. As you know, the CNG sticker is prominently displayed on the GX. If I get pulled over, I plan to pull out my copy of the HOV sticker application and be ready with an apology...
  • freedmlfreedml Member Posts: 43
    Having a qualified vehicle isn't enough. You have to have the stickers on your car. You'll need a lot of luck if you get pulled over.
  • d_linkd_link Member Posts: 17
    We have an original 1998 Civic GX and have the while HOV access sticker. We had to replace the original, because it was not designed for longevity (unlike the car) and had no problems getting it.
This discussion has been closed.