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2013 SESSION

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CHAPTER 195 An Act to amend and reenact § 33.1-56.1 of the Code of Virginia, relating to use of HOT lanes by emergency vehicles and law-enforcement vehicles. [H 1526] Approved March 12, 2013

 

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1.  That § 33.1-56.1 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 33.1-56.1. Definitions.

For purposes of this article:

"Board" means the Commonwealth Transportation Board;

"High-occupancy requirement" means the number of persons required to be traveling in a vehicle for the vehicle to use HOT lanes without the payment of a toll. Emergency vehicles, law-enforcement vehicles using HOT lanes in the performance of their duties, which shall not include the use of such vehicles for commuting to and from the work place, and mass transit vehicles and commuter buses shall meet the high-occupancy requirement for HOT lanes, regardless of the number of occupants in the vehicle;

"High-occupancy toll lanes" or "HOT lanes" means a portion of a highway containing one or more travel lanes separated from other lanes, that has an electronic toll collection system, provides for free passage by vehicles that meet the high-occupancy requirement, and contains a photo-enforcement system for use in such electronic toll collection. HOT lanes shall not be a "toll facility" or "HOV lanes" for the purposes of any other provision of law or regulation;

"HOT lanes operator" means the operator of the facility containing HOT lanes, which may include the Virginia Department of Transportation or some other entity;

"Mass transit vehicles" and "commuter buses" mean vehicles providing a scheduled transportation service to the general public. Such vehicles shall comprise nonprofit, publicly or privately owned or operated transportation services, programs, or systems that may be funded pursuant to § 58.1-638;

"Owner" means the registered owner of a vehicle on record with the Department of Motor Vehicles, or with the equivalent agency in another state. "Owner" does not mean a vehicle rental or vehicle leasing company;

"Photo-enforcement system" means a sensor installed in conjunction with a toll collection device to detect the presence of a vehicle that automatically produces one or more photographs, one or more microphotographs, a videotape, or other recorded images of each vehicle's license plate at the time it is detected by the toll collection device; and

"Unauthorized vehicle" means a motor vehicle that is restricted from use of the HOT lanes pursuant to subdivision D 1 of § 33.1-56.3.