-
May 16, 2008 5:28 pm US/Mountain
-
Digg |
Facebook |
E-mail
|
Print
Colorado Drivers Have New Reason To Own Hybrids
Written by Paul Day
Reporting
Paul Day
DENVER (CBS4) ―
A new Colorado program will allow qualified owners of hybrid cars to drive solo in high-occupancy vehicle and high-occupancy toll lanes without paying a toll.
"I'm very happy with the whole thing." says Debra Kalish, owner of a Toyota Prius.
She's one of about 500 hybrid owners who've already applied to the Colorado Department of Transportation for a special permit.
But you have to be lucky.
CDOT will hold a lottery to decide who gets a permit.
Only 2,000 applicants will be selected to receive the HOV permits, which are free.
Kalish, who commutes daily to Denver from her home in Boulder County, believes capping the number of permits is a good idea because hybrid vehicles are getting so popular.
"I know a lot of people have registered concerns about the HOV lanes, especially around Boulder, getting too clogged because there are so many Prius drivers," she says.
Kalish adds, "Limiting it to 2,000 is probably not a bad thing."
CDOT is taking applications online, in person, or by mail until May 31, 2008.
The agency will use a list prepared by the federal EPA to decide if an applicant's vehicle qualifies as a hybrid.
Successful applicants will receive a bright orange sticker that must be displayed when they are driving solo in either the HOV or HOT lanes.
Hybrid owners caught driving solo without a sticker will be subject to a ticket like anybody else.
(© MMVIII CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)