Most of us here in the U.S. don't get the opportunity to drive around in the UK very often, and that includes myself. Still, I was a bit shocked when I read the press release I've now posted after the break, which announced that the UK has just opened the country's first High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane. So, they're a little ahead in roundabouts, and we're a little ahead in carpooling.

Anyway, the lane runs just 1.7-mile and links the southbound M606 near Bradford to the eastbound M62 towards Leeds. Any vehicle with more than one occupant is welcome to use the lane, as are motorcycles. The lane was added by utilizing the already available shoulder of the roadway. Assuming that this experiment goes well, the Department for Transport has identified 500 more miles of roadway where a hard shoulder could be utilized as an HOV lane.

[Source: Department for Transport]

California bill SB 1374, if passed and signed into a law, would allow any car to join the HOV sticker program as long as that vehicle is carbon neutral. This would mean someone driving alone in a Hummer could legally be allowed into the HOV lane, if the Hummer's emissions were offset. Senator Jim Battin officially proposed the legislation but his press release - which includes lines like "every owner of a polluting, flashy, fuel sucking car" - makes me think he is not serious. The law is starting to grow on me anyway. Why shouldn't a carbon neutral car - even a Hummer - be allowed in the HOV lane?

[Source: LAist]

Finding a way to inconspicuously get into the carpool lane without actually having a passenger can be a lucrative business and is also a source of great consternation to drivers legally allowed to be in the lanes. There have been a few attempts at policing carpool lane usage, but this is the first time that we've seen electronic trickery "smart" enough to tell the difference between real people and dummies. Using infrared signals, U.K. cameras being tested in Leeds are able to "see" the blood and water that is present in a human body and can distinguish between real people and fake bodies.

One potential problem is that some cars, namely certain hybrids and CNG vehicles, are allowed in the carpool lanes with only one passenger. The cameras would need to be programmed somehow to allow these travelers to drive alone without being ticketed.

[Source: Daily Mail via Winding Road]