I'll copy and paste what I wrote down in a different thread.
Why doesn't Ontario just copy Federal legislation from the United States? Let motorcycles into the HOV lanes for safety!
If the U.S. Department of Transportation, which governs 210 million U.S. drivers says it's more safer, and motorcycle shall be allowed in HOV lanes. Why does ON government come to a different conclusion?
Can we get expert witnesses from the U.S. DoT to appear at a motorcycle HOV lane trial here, and force the appeal courts to allow motorbikes in the HOV lane? Or maybe a competent lawyer to go through their research and present it in ON courts?
Those arguing... well i'm not going to go use provincial HOV lanes even with marked white hash-lines that if crossed in the wrong location carry $110 + 3 demerit points... do you want a concrete median separating the HOV lane?
If non-HOV traffic is at a stand-still, you don't have to be travelling at +100km/hr in the HOV. Lower your speed and anticipate to brake, or if you don't feel comfortable change into the non-HOV lanes and wait in bumper-to-bumper traffic and heighten your senses for distracted drivers texting/browsing on their smartphones.
At the end of the day, why not just join the U.S. safety bandwagon? Even if you're not going to use it, at least let it be an option. Make some appreciable change for the community.
Just read an old wheels article about motorcycle in ON HOV lanes.
Ontario misses an HOV incentive
http://www.wheels.ca/news/ontario-misses-an-hov-incentive/
Mark Richardson for Wheels (Toronto Star)
Why not allow bikes in there too? They take up hardly any space, use little gas and it would encourage motorcyclists to leave their cars at home. After all, it's not much fun sitting in highway traffic on a motorcycle even if it is cheaper, but the promise of a quicker trip might be enough incentive to choose the bike.
"We haven't looked at the issue of motorcycles … We don't have at this point any plans to add motorcycles to the HOV lanes," she said.
"This has just not been part of our thinking. I have no problem taking it back to the table for further consideration and I know that people have been talking about the issue of hybrids as well. But our whole premise of the HOV lane was based on occupancy and not on vehicle, and I don't know if that opens the door to, for example, the Smart car, which is not much bigger than a motorcycle.
"It has not been and it is not on our agenda at this point."
It saddened me to hear this. When I asked her predecessor Harinder Takhar about this in 2005 he was the transport minister who initiated the HOV lanes; he'd said the same thing.
"The thing is, if you do it with one, where do you stop? First it's motorcycles, then scooters, then the Smart cars, and so on."
He then promised to look at the issue further.
There's a lot more HOV lanes coming very soon,
Hwy 427 and
Hwy 404 HOV from 407 to Newmarket. Province already has transponder technology from 407 which they'll be using for
Hwy 412 as well. It's almost inevitable, there will be paid HOT lanes to fund all these projects.
If the exemption isn't put in place now, it will be pay-per-use once the province installs HOT.