[DrScump]

By "price", you point out that California "HOV" lanes... aren't.

"Carpool/HOV" lanes have been political toys from the start. A true carpool means more than one would-otherwise-be driver per vehicle. A minority of HOV lane users in CA have more than one licensed driver. The rest are "kidpools", "hybrids" (which, for all but the first 10-30 miles on a charge are less efficient than non-hybrids), "non-polluting vehicles" (pure electrics, CNG, fuel cell), buses, and government vehicles.

Such lanes are now as crowded as conventional lanes more often than not.

Actual trip reduction could be obtained by limiting HOV use to actual carpools (>1 licensed driver) and buses with passengers, and narrowing their hours of exclusivity a bit.

[twblalock]

In California, we have toll lanes too, and those are the kind of lanes I am referring to.