SLS 19RS-314 ORIGINAL
2019 Regular Session
SENATE BILL NO. 84
BY SENATOR ERDEY
Prefiled pursuant to Article III, Section 2(A)(4)(b)(i) of the Constitution of Louisiana.
TRANSPORTATION/DEV DEPT. Authorizes designation of a high occupancy vehicle
(HOV) lane on state highways. (8/1/19)
1 AN ACT
2 To enact R.S. 48:345, relative to traffic control and regulation; to authorize the designation
3 of a high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane on highways in the state highway system;
4 to provide a definition of a "high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane"; and to provide for
5 related matters.
6 Be it enacted by the Legislature of Louisiana:
7 Section 1. R.S. 48:345 is hereby enacted to read as follows:
8 ยง345. Designation of a high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane on highways in the
9 state highway system
10 A. The assistant secretary of the office of operations or the chief engineer
11 may designate high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes on any highway in the state
12 highway system and may restrict the use thereof to vehicular traffic classified
13 as a "high occupancy vehicle (HOV)" to the extent he thinks it expedient that,
14 in his judgment, is appropriate to provide travel time savings and to increase
15 the total number of people moved through a highway corridor with high levels
16 of travel demand and traffic congestion.
17 B. For the purpose of this Section, the following words and phrases shall
Page 1 of 2
Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions. SB NO. 84
SLS 19RS-314 ORIGINAL
1 have the meaning respectively ascribed to them:
2 (1) "High occupancy vehicle" means a passenger car, pickup truck, van,
3 recreational vehicle, or a bus or other motorized passenger vehicle used for
4 transporting persons such as a carpool or a vanpool vehicle used for ridesharing
5 purposes and occupied by a driver and one or more passengers. A truck,
6 tandem truck, tractor, truck-tractor, combination of vehicles, or commercial
7 motor vehicle carrying or transporting freight, merchandise, or other property
8 shall not be a high occupancy vehicle.
9 (2) "High occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane" means one or more lanes of a
10 highway or an entire highway where high occupancy vehicles are given at all
11 times, or at regularly scheduled times, a priority or preference over some or all
12 other vehicles moving in the general stream of all highway traffic.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Sharon F. Lyles.
DIGEST
SB 84 Original 2019 Regular Session Erdey
Proposed law authorizes the DOTD assistant secretary of the office of operations or the chief
engineer to designate a high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane on any highway in the state
highway system and to restrict the use thereof to vehicular traffic classified as a "high
occupancy vehicle (HOV)" to the extent he thinks it expedient that, in his judgment, is
appropriate to provide travel time savings and to increase the total number of people moved
through a highway corridor with high levels of travel demand and traffic congestion.
Proposed law defines a "high occupancy vehicle" to mean a passenger car, pickup truck, van,
recreational vehicle, or a bus or other motorized passenger vehicle used for transporting
persons such as a carpool or a vanpool vehicle used for ridesharing purposes and occupied
by a driver and one or more passengers and to exclude a truck, tandem truck, tractor, truck-
tractor, combination of vehicles, or commercial motor vehicle carrying or transporting
freight, merchandise, or other property from its meaning; and defines a "high occupancy
vehicle (HOV) lane" to mean one or more lanes of a highway or an entire highway where
high occupancy vehicles are given at all times, or at regularly scheduled times, a priority or
preference over some or all other vehicles moving in the general stream of all highway
traffic.
Effective August 1, 2019.
(Adds R.S. 48:345)
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Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions.