CLEAN FUEL HAS ITS PERK MORE 'GREEN' VEHICLES QUALIFY FOR SOLO TRAVEL IN HOV LANES.

Byline: Lisa Mascaro Staff Writer

Alternative fuel vehicles have allowed more than 5,520 California drivers to do the unthinkable: pull into the car-pool lane - alone - and cruise along as if they were ride-sharing.

The mix of privately owned vehicles, such as versions of the Ford Crown Victoria and Honda Civic that operate on compressed natural gas, and ``clean'' fleet cars qualify for rewards to drivers who give up their gas-guzzlers and give green power a try.

``It's not a monetary incentive. (But) the way the freeways are in Los Angeles, I know a lot of people stuck in traffic look longingly over at the car-pool lane and say, oh, if only,'' said Air Resources Board spokesman Richard Varenchik. ``It's an extra incentive.''

Dozens of models of cars and trucks - listed on the Air Resources Board's Web site - qualify for the decal that lets them legally use the car-pool lane, a benefit outlined in Assembly Bill 71 that became law in July 2000 to encourage use of alternative-fuel vehicles.

Qualifying low- or no-emissions cars - operating on electricity, natural gas or propane - help reduce the smog-causing pollutants that contribute to the region's stubborn air-quality problems.

The Los Angeles region this summer saw its first Stage 1 alert in years - a setback after more than a decade of improved air quality. The region stands to lose billions of dollars in transportation funds if smog levels don't improve in coming years.

Vehicles account for 75 percent of the pollutants that cause smog in Los Angeles, and passenger trucks, cars and sport utility vehicles make up 25 percent of that.

Half of the solo car-pool-lane drivers come from Los Angeles County, where 2,819 vehicles have decals in the program, according to the Department of Motor Vehicles. Officials could not say how many are fleet cars and how many privately owned.

Using the ``diamond'' or high-occupancy vehicle lane without having to share a ride remains a little-used perk.

But the coveted single-driver decals still elude those behind the wheel of hybrid vehicles, such as the increasingly popular Toyota Prius and Honda Civic that operate on both gasoline and electricity - a regulation that could change under an initiative in Sacramento.

Under the proposal, the governor seeks to allow the state's drivers of 20,000 hybrid vehicles to go it alone in the HOV lanes - a prospect winning enthusiastic support among those who've dreamed of such a perk.

``I've wanted it for a long time. ... Especially (for) somebody who does commute on the freeways a lot, what a great selling point: You can cut your commute, as well as your gas,'' said Blaine Gray, a salesman at Robertson Honda in North Hollywood.

Even though he says the dealership has no trouble selling its 10 hybrid Civics a month - they're on the lot just a few days before getting snapped up - he said more incentives will further bolster the market.

``It's not like it's going to bog down the car-pool lane at this point. All of these car-pool lanes are empty, empty, empty.''

But Todd Campbell, policy director for the Coalition for Clean Air, is wary of giving more incentives to an already popular technology, saying solo car-pool lane driving should be reserved for even cleaner hydrogen- or electric-powered vehicles.

``I don't think it's the leap we really need,'' said Campbell. ``Buying the hybrid electric makes sense on its own. People want them.

``We should hold those incentives over for even more advanced technology where customers consumers are going to be taking a greater leap.''

The proposal has been forwarded to U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta, whose department must sign off on it before it could move forward as legislation in Sacramento. A few other states already allow it.

Officials in the California Department of Transportation estimate as many as 300,000 vehicles would qualify by 2010. Caltrans Officials believe the car-pool lanes can handle those cars without becoming congested, but the program would end if HOV traffic started to jam.

``The idea really is we can achieve two goals at the same time: One, continue to reduce congestion with expansion and use of HOV lanes, and two, help to clean the air with other technologies,'' said Caltrans Director Jeff Morales. ``We think that's a good match.''

But for now, the only solo drivers with access to the HOV lanes are those willing to try other alternative technologies.

With 24 million cars on the roads in California, those taking advantage of the HOV-lane perk remain just a tiny fraction.

As most electric vehicles are no longer in production, compressed natural gas has emerged as the alternative fuel of choice at the moment in California, while other technologies continue being developed, officials said.

Those who've used CNG cars say the main drawback has been the lack of filling stations on every corner, although a number of stations now dot the San Fernando Valley area, according to the Air Resources Board, which maintains a map on its Web site.

Stevenson Ranch resident Jim O'Neil said he tried, and failed, to get in on the HOV sticker program to help smooth his occasional 80-mile, one-way drive to his Irvine real estate office, as well as his trips to development projects he works on across the region.

``Most of my freeways have car-pool lanes, and they're frustrating to look at,'' said O'Neil, who found few qualifying vehicles available for consumers outside fleet sales. ``If the hybrid thing went through, I would probably consider going and getting a car right now.''

He ended up with an Acura MDX, a smallish SUV, but will try again for the car-pool lane sticker when his lease is up in a few years.

``I'm hoping that my opportunities for that will be better,'' he said.

``I would assume, as time goes on, there'll be more and more people qualifying for stickers,'' said the ARB's Varenchik. ``If you got one of them, why would you not get a sticker?''

Lisa Mascaro, [phone]

lisa.mascaro(at)dailynews.com