Drivers reported experiencing more traffic today on the Long Island Expressway, the first day after the Clean Pass program expired.

Richard Rampersaud said his commute from Queens to Nassau County was at least 20 minutes longer.

"I noticed the traffic is a little more difficult to get through this morning coming in this way," he said.

Launched in 2006, the Clean Pass program allowed hybrid and fully electric vehicles to use the HOV lane on a 40-mile stretch of the Long Island Expressway even if the cars didn't meet the minimum two-passenger requirement for everyone else.

It was designed to incentivize people to purchase cars that didn't solely run on gas.

But Congress declined to renew the pilot program when it lapsed yesterday, meaning most of those cars that were given special treatment had to join the main lanes.

AAA said about 55,000 vehicles on Long Island were Clean Pass-eligible.

"They need to prepare," AAA public affairs senior manager Robert Sinclair said. "Probably add an extra 30 or 40 minutes to the commute in the morning with all those extra vehicles no longer having access to the HOV lane."

Environmental groups on Long Island, including Citizens Campaign for the Environment, ridiculed the decision.

"Now, sitting in more traffic, spewing out more fumes and causing more air pollution," Citizens Campaign for the Environment executive director Adrienne Esposito said.

Drivers caught breaking the new HOV rules could get slapped with a ticket for failure to obey a traffic control signal, which carries up to two points, as well as a fine of up to $150 or 15 days in jail.