Pan Am Games HOV lane issues with the Tesla Model S

[mknox]

So I had to go downtown today and used the Gardiner Expressway. I stayed out of the HOV lanes as they are not for Green Plated vehicles. I noticed many single passenger violators in the HOV lane, but I was particularly disheartened to see several Teslas, including one that didn't even have green plates to begin with, in the HOV lanes. My meeting downtown was actually on the subject of EV integration with Ontario's electricity grid, and in conversations learned that Teslas in the city HOV lanes is not going unnoticed. C'mon, guys. We are very visible and are going to develop a bad reputation flouting the laws like this. I think, as early adopters, we need to try and be good ambassadors for EV adoption in general and Tesla specifically. Let's leave it to Rob Ford to continue to bob in and out of the HOV lanes to avoid the cops

 

[glenhurst]

We were in Toronto Sunday, Monday, and today, and noticed the same thing: single passenger cars in the HOV lanes. Didn't see any Teslas though. We did drive in the HOV lane on Sunday when my wife was with us--we were three people in the car, and I think that's the minimum, right?--but didn't do so on Monday or today because it was just my son and I (wife flew out of Toronto Sunday night). So, though we're not Canadian and don't have green license plates, we tried to do our part.

 

[Judge Advocate]

So just the other day I was on the Gardiner coming in to town and an OPP car was merging into the lanes from one of the entrances near Islington I believe. I was not in the HOV lane but as soon as he merged onto the expressway, on came the lights and he pulled me over. Apparently, he thought I was in the HOV lane.
Immediately he came over and apologized once he realized I had a Tesla. I asked about the HOV lane use on the Gardiner and DVP and he said that Teslas ARE ALLOWED and should I get pulled over to just mention a previous officer said it was OK.
He then wanted to know about the car and we chatted about 5 minutes on the side of the road. He was very interested. Then yesterday, I drove in the HOV lane again and actually passed a Toronto police car and he did nothing.

So to put this issue to bed for once and for all, we ARE allowed on the Gardiner, DVP, and Lakeshore, according to the OPP.

 

[mknox]

So to put this issue to bed for once and for all, we ARE allowed on the Gardiner, DVP, and Lakeshore, according to the OPP.

No, Green Plated Vehicles are not allowed on City expressways. Secondly, the OPP do not patrol city expressways, the Toronto Police do. The OPP patrol provincial highways and this officer was probably confused because Green Plate vehicles are allowed on provincial highways. This has been clearly articulated and even the signage along the side of the roadway is clear on this. Provincial highways have a Green Plate symbol and the city expressway signs do not. I guess the good news is that this cop was confused and you didn't get a ticket. On a related note, I was speaking to a contact at the MTO and asked why the discrepancy, because it is kinda dumb. The sense I got is that the City didn't really want the temporary HOV lanes in the first place and there was some animosity between the City and the Province. The City decided to go with the bare minimum.

 

[mibaro2]

We are very visible and are going to develop a bad reputation flouting the laws like this. I think, as early adopters, we need to try and be good ambassadors for EV adoption in general and Tesla specifically. Let's leave it to Rob Ford to continue to bob in and out of the HOV lanes to avoid the cops

As an alternate viewpoint :
I was on the DVP yesterday for a good hour heading south from 407 down to lakeshore. (HOV lanes were empty and we were crammed into the other 2 lanes)
I saw lots of cars in the HOV lanes with just the driver in the car. I did not see any Teslas doing that.

 

[mknox]

As an alternate viewpoint :
I was on the DVP yesterday for a good hour heading south from 407 down to lakeshore. (HOV lanes were empty and we were crammed into the other 2 lanes)
I saw lots of cars in the HOV lanes with just the driver in the car. I did not see any Teslas doing that.

Oh absolutely. I saw single passenger cars, FedEx trucks.. you name it. And those people are being roundly criticized as well. The distinction, I am hearing, is that no one is saying "look at those Camry drivers" or "look at those BMW drivers" but they are noticing, specifically, the Tesla drivers. The car is already unique and identifiable, and it stands out in a crowd, let alone scooting along in a restricted lane. This is very much like when car fires or accidents being reported. If it's a Tesla it is always called out, but if anything else, it's just a "car".

BTW, on your trip, you can use the HOV lanes from the 407 to the 401, but south of the 401 you can't (without 3 in the car).

 

[wayner]

I really doubt that there are all that many Teslas driving on HOV lanes in the city for the simple fact that there are very few Teslas in Toronto. And the number that would be in an area to use the non-400 series HOV lanes is a tiny fraction of that.

 

[mknox]

I really doubt that there are all that many Teslas driving on HOV lanes in the city for the simple fact that there are very few Teslas in Toronto. And the number that would be in an area to use the non-400 series HOV lanes is a tiny fraction of that.

I saw 3 or 4 go by me in the HOV lanes on the Gardiner eastbound between the 427 and Spadina yesterday morning. Could have been more in the proper lanes but with everyone moving the same speed, I didn't see them.

 

[mibaro2]

BTW, on your trip, you can use the HOV lanes from the 407 to the 401, but south of the 401 you can't (without 3 in the car).

Actually I can't since I don't have a green plate. Our government can't make personalized plates in green :biggrin:

 

[mknox]

Actually I can't since I don't have a green plate. Our government can't make personalized plates in green :biggrin:

Right! Too bad they don't have a decal or some sort of additional "green" sticker for personalized plates.

 

[wayner]

I saw 3 or 4 go by me in the HOV lanes on the Gardiner eastbound between the 427 and Spadina yesterday morning. Could have been more in the proper lanes but with everyone moving the same speed, I didn't see them.

Wow - the only time I have seen 3 or 4 Teslas in the same day has been at the YYZ lot, parking garage at Brookfield Place and a Tesla Service Centre.

 

[mknox]

Wow - the only time I have seen 3 or 4 Teslas in the same day has been at the YYZ lot, parking garage at Brookfield Place and a Tesla Service Centre.

Honestly, by the time the third one went by I was kinda surprised myself. If I had the time, I'd go back through my dashcam video and try and catch some screen grabs. I have seen a number of S's parked at Brookfield and it is not uncommon for me to see one or two on my normal commute to the Waterloo Region. The other day I was followed by a Model S right up to my office where he (or she) flashed and waved as I turned in to our parking lot. I have two SCH-100 chargers in my lot, so we occasionally get a few at those "bird feeders" as well.

I was joking the other day with someone about how I don't feel "special" any more. Back in early 2013 I had all kinds of people coming up to me (even ringing my doorbell at home) to see the car. Most people had no idea what it even was. The interest level has tapered way off as more of them are around and people know what they are.

 

[TSLARLTR]

So just the other day I was on the Gardiner coming in to town and an OPP car was merging into the lanes from one of the entrances near Islington I believe. I was not in the HOV lane but as soon as he merged onto the expressway, on came the lights and he pulled me over. Apparently, he thought I was in the HOV lane.
Immediately he came over and apologized once he realized I had a Tesla. I asked about the HOV lane use on the Gardiner and DVP and he said that Teslas ARE ALLOWED and should I get pulled over to just mention a previous officer said it was OK.
He then wanted to know about the car and we chatted about 5 minutes on the side of the road. He was very interested. Then yesterday, I drove in the HOV lane again and actually passed a Toronto police car and he did nothing.

So to put this issue to bed for once and for all, we ARE allowed on the Gardiner, DVP, and Lakeshore, according to the OPP.

Thanks for clarifying!

 

[Terapin]

My partner got pulled over on the DVP for using the HOV lane with the Tesla and only himself in the car. He was told it was not allowed, only on the 400-series highway, and let off with a warning. This was last Tuesday.

On a (mostly) Canadian note, the Tesla gets a lot of attention going through Tim Horton's drive throughs, with the younger staff recognizing it right away. One guy, who looked about 17, said, "That's a 100k car right there!" I resisted the urge to correct him as the P85D was a little more than that, but I understood his sentiment. My partner was heading back to the parked Tesla on Queen Street, and saw two guys standing by the car admiring it. As they were leaving, one of the guys said, "I'd do anything for that car!". I was turning right and a car turning left at the same intersection honked at me. I was all indignant until I realized he was driving a Volt and was just waving to a fellow electric car owner. LOL Kinda nice to still get some attention.

 

[Cebe]

I prefer to just go with what the signs say. DVP, Gardiner, do not mention green plates, but mention motorcycles. 401 (including QEW past 427) mention green plates, but not mention motorcycles.

 

[SmartElectric]

the Tesla gets a lot of attention going through Tim Horton's

Same! Drove through a Tim's near Owen Sound on our first day in the car, and one of the kids in the store was telling his co-workers to "check out the Tesla!!".

He spoke over the girl at the cash, saying from 5 feet away "that's a Tesla right? What's it like?"
Me : Awesome!

Drove silently away as we marvelled "no one ever gave the Mercedes a second glance..."

 

[mdemetri]

I find this thread very interesting. Some background, I am a former Torontonian who now lives in California. I recently returned from a visit to Toronto during the Pan Am games (and boy did I miss my P85). I have benefited from the HOV lanes in California and had the opportunity to observe (and utilize) the temporary HOV lanes in Toronto. Some observations:

1) Defining HOV as 3 or greater in Toronto is a mistake IMHO. In California, it is 2 or more. This makes a huge difference. My observations were that the HOV lanes in TO were virtually empty (especially when you removed the cheaters), whereas this is not the case in California. This creates much more gridlock for those in the non-HOV lanes than is necessary, creating bad sentiment from the public. HOV at 2 people would help alleviate this while still maintaining flow in the HOV lane.

2) Many many more cheaters in TO than in California (likely due to point number 1 above).

3) ZEV's can use any HOV lane in California (exclusions for toll roads), whereas this is hap-hazard in TO. Not sure why this cannot be synchronized. It really makes it very confusing.

4) Model S owners should use the HOV lanes in TO (when allowed) as much as necessary. This is a major way to educate the public at large about the benefits of owning a Tesla. That was a major driver of sales in California and served to educate many and bring in converts.

5) Model S is a far less common in TO than California. Thus, the TO market is far from penetrated, which bodes very well for my TSLA investments.

 

[Terapin]

The requirement for three people is just until the Pan Am Games are over. Then those lanes on the non-400 series will be removed, leaving only the 400-series HOV lanes in place.

 

[wayner]

The requirement for three people is just until the Pan Am Games are over. Then those lanes on the non-400 series will be removed, leaving only the 400-series HOV lanes in place.

I think you mean DVP and Gardiner when you say non-400 series, but there still are some other (pre-PanAm) HOV lanes on city streets that existed before and will remain, like on Eglinton, Yonge, etc. But Green plates are not allowed in those lanes and never have been.

 

[Judge Advocate]

Now the requirement is 2 people per car on all the HOV roads. The 400 series hws are still GREEN, but the DVP, Gardiner and Lakeshore are not, so unless you have 2 or more people in your Tesla on these roads, you will be pulled over if they see you.
However, most of the police themselves are unsure so just play innocent and you will be ok.

- - - Updated - - -

Personally, I would like to see an HOV lane permanently in place on all the roads just for GREEN cars only. LOL!

There is talk though, that a paid for HOV lane will go in on all the highways, so if you absolutely have to be somewhere on time, you can bypass the traffic and pay the fee and get to your appointment on time. Who wouldn't pay that fee if it was that important to get there on time? I would.