Section 21655.9 Of Article 1. Driving On Right Side From California Vehicle Code >> Division 11. >> Chapter 3. >> Article 1.
21655.9
. (a) (1) Whenever the Department of Transportation or a
local authority authorizes or permits exclusive or preferential use
of highway lanes or highway access ramps for high-occupancy vehicles
pursuant to Section 21655.5, the use of those lanes or ramps shall
also be extended to vehicles that are issued distinctive decals,
labels, or other identifiers pursuant to Section 5205.5 regardless of
vehicle occupancy or ownership.
(2) A local authority during periods of peak congestion shall
suspend for a lane the access privileges extended pursuant to
paragraph (1) for those vehicles issued distinctive decals, labels,
or other identifiers pursuant to Section 5205.5, if a periodic review
of lane performance by that local authority discloses both of the
following factors regarding the lane:
(A) The lane, or a portion of the lane, exceeds a level of service
C, as described in subdivision (b) of Section 65089 of the
Government Code.
(B) The operation or projected operation of vehicles in the lane,
or a portion of the lane, will significantly increase congestion.
(b) A person shall not drive a vehicle described in subdivision
(a) of Section 5205.5 with a single occupant upon a high-occupancy
vehicle lane pursuant to this section unless the decal, label, or
other identifier issued pursuant to Section 5205.5 is properly
displayed on the vehicle, and the vehicle registration described in
Section 5205.5 is with the vehicle.
(c) A person shall not operate or own a vehicle displaying a
decal, label, or other identifier, as described in Section 5205.5, if
that decal, label, or identifier was not issued for that vehicle
pursuant to Section 5205.5. A violation of this subdivision is a
misdemeanor.
(d) If the provisions in Section 5205.5 authorizing the department
to issue decals, labels, or other identifiers to hybrid and
alternative fuel vehicles are repealed, vehicles displaying those
decals, labels, or other identifiers shall not access high-occupancy
vehicle lanes without meeting the occupancy requirements otherwise
applicable to those lanes.
(e) This section shall become inoperative on January 1, 2019, or
the date the federal authorization pursuant to Section 166 of Title
23 of the United States Code expires, or the date the Secretary of
State receives the notice described in subdivision (i) of Section
5205.5, whichever occurs first, and, as of January 1, 2019, is
repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that becomes operative on
or before January 1, 2019, deletes or extends the dates on which it
becomes inoperative and is repealed.