‘Clean Pass’ program set to end in New York
Single-occupant drivers using electric vehicles will not be able to use the HOV lane on the Long Island Expressway after October 1, even if they have a clean pass sticker. FOX 5 NY’s Jodi Goldberg has more.
LONG ISLAND – Single-occupant drivers using electric vehicles will not be able to use the HOV lane on the Long Island Expressway after October 1, even if they have a clean pass sticker.
Not-so-clean break for Clean Pass Program
What we know:
New York’s Clean Pass Program allows single-occupant drivers with either a plug-in electric or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle to drive in the HOV lane on the Long Island Expressway, so long as they apply for a clean pass sticker.
Nearly 50,000 New Yorkers have been issued a clean pass sticker by the DMV, reports FOX 5 NY’s Jodi Goldberg.
However, a letter was recently sent to these drivers, warning them that “Congress and the President have not reauthorized the program.”
Starting October 1, vehicles currently participating in the program will no longer be allowed to use the HOV lane “without meeting HOV occupancy requirements.”
Officials say close to 200,000 cars use the Long Island Expressway every day.
What they’re saying:
One driver, Jacques Baker, told Goldberg, “I just bought a Tesla, that was the only reason.”
New York Governor Kathy Hochul is calling for a renewal of the program – Hochul’s Long Island Press Secretary, Gordon Tepper, added, “The responsibility lies squarely at the feet of Congress.”
“It’s not costing the federal government any money, so why are we taking it away? It’s wrong.”
However, Robert Sinclair Jr. from AAA Northeast said to Goldberg that when the association speaks to those who own an EV in the area, the HOV lane is not brought up as a reason often.
“There are 79,000 registered EVs on Long Island, and when people talk to us about EVs, the HOV lane doesn’t offer an advantage.”
The Source: This article includes reporting from FOX 5 NY’s Jodi Goldberg.