RÉSUMÉ DIGEST
ACT 81 (SB 84) 2019 Regular Session Erdey
New law authorizes the secretary of DOTD or his designee to designate a high-occupancy
vehicle (HOV) lane on any highway in the state highway system, where adequate shoulders
exist, and may 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.
Specifies that the secretary or his designee is not authorized to designate an existing roadway
or travel lane as a high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane.
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 designated
by traffic control devices 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.
Provides that HOV lanes may be used by a motorcycle regardless of the number of riders or
passengers.
Requires DOTD to promulgate rules and regulations related to enforcement and penalties of
the HOV lanes. Provides further that notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, the rules
and regulations shall be in accordance with the selected implementation method of HOV
lanes.
Effective August 1, 2019.
(Adds R.S. 48:345)