BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  AB 652
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          CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
          AB 652 (Skinner)
          As Amended  August 24, 2009
          Majority vote
           
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          |ASSEMBLY:  |78-1 |(May 11, 2009)  |SENATE: |36-0 |(August 31,    |
          |           |     |                |        |     |2009)          |
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           Original Committee Reference:   TRANS  . 

           SUMMARY  :  Extends the length of a public bus owned and operated  
          by the Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit), by  
          four inches, for a bike rack mounted on the front of it.  The  
          additional length would allow for the installation of 40-inch  
          bike racks on AC Transit buses so that three bikes, instead of  
          two, can be loaded and transported in the front of the buses.  

           The Senate amendments  :

          1)Requires AC Transit, prior to installing a folding device on a  
            bus that is 45 feet in length, to establish a route review  
            committee, as specified, in order to determine, by unanimous  
            vote, which proposed bus routes are suitable for the safe  
            operation of the bus retrofitted with a front-mounted bicycle  
            rack.  

          2)Establishes the membership of the route review committee,  
            including a non-voting member of the bicycle community.  

          3)States the intent of the Legislature that the field review  
            include consultation with traffic engineers from affected  
            public agencies that have jurisdiction over segments of the  
            route or routes under review, to ensure coordination with all  
            affected state and local public road agencies that may  
            potentially be impacted from the operation of the  
            front-extended bus.  

          4)Requires that substantive changes or additions to already  
            approved routes be subject to review and certification prior  
            to approval by the route review committee.  
           
          EXISTING LAW  :  









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          1)Authorizes a public agency to operate a bus on the interstate  
            highways that exceeds 45 feet in length if the excess length  
            is caused by a folding device attached to the front of the bus  
            that is designed and used exclusively for transporting  
            bicycles; and, if its operation is on a route approved by a  
            specific route review committee.  

          2)Imposes a 40-foot limitation on the length of vehicles that  
            may be operated on the highways, with specified exemptions.   
            Exempts from this limitation an articulated bus or trolley and  
            a bus, except a school bus, that is operated by a public  
            agency or passenger stage corporation that is used in a  
            transit system if it is equipped with a folding device  
            attached to the front of the vehicle that is designed and used  
            exclusively for transporting bicycles, does not materially  
            affect efficiency or visibility of vehicle safety equipment,  
            and does not extend more than 36 inches from the front of the  
            body of the bus or trolley when fully deployed. In addition,  
            existing law prohibits a bicycle that is transported on the  
            above described device from having the bicycle handlebars  
            extend more than 42 inches from the front of the vehicle.  For  
            a bus operated by a public agency and equipped with a folding  
            device attached to the front of the bus that is designed and  
            used exclusively for transporting bicycles, the total length  
            of the bus, including the folding device or load, is not to  
            exceed 48.5 feet.  

           AS PASSED BY THE ASSEMBLY  , this bill:

          1)Authorized a folding device that extends not more than 40  
            inches from the front body of an AC Transit bus, when the  
            folding device is fully deployed, to permit the transportation  
            of a bicycle with handlebars that extend not more than 46  
            inches from the front of the vehicle.  
          2)Restricted the provisions of this bill to only AC Transit.  

          3)Required AC Transit, if any of its buses has a folding device  
            installed, to submit a report to both the Senate and Assembly  
            Transportation Committees of the Legislature on or before  
            December 31, 2014, including information that summarizes any  
            accidents where the folding device was a factor and also  
            summarizes the mobility improvements that the folding devices  
            provide.  

           FISCAL EFFECT  :  No state fiscal effect.








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           COMMENTS :  According to the author, "The California Vehicle Code  
          limits the length of vehicles that may be operated on highways,  
          including but not limited to mass transit busses.  Current  
          transit operators, such as Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District  
          (AC Transit), fit their buses with bicycle racks in order to  
          facilitate bicycle commuters.  Current bicycle racks can carry  
          up to two bicycles.  Based on increased demand, however, transit  
          operators would like to upgrade to a 3-bicycle rack.  The  
          3-bicycle rack would, when in use, cause the total length of the  
          bus to exceed the current length limit."  

          Writing in support of this bill, the California Transit  
          Association notes that "transit users often participate in  
          'mode-sharing,' meaning that their entire trip may consist of  
          using more than one mode of transportation, such as using  
          transit for part of their trip and walking and/or bicycling for  
          the remaining part.  In California, transit is more accessible  
          to many people through mode sharing.  Therefore, the ability for  
          a transit bus to provide a place to safely store a bicycle  
          during a passenger's transit trip is essential to many users.   
          California's transit agencies seek always to remain in  
          compliance with California law while still serving their  
          communities as best as possible.  Many transit systems would  
          currently benefit from the use of three-position bike racks  
          which attach to the transit bus to help accommodate more  
          bike-riding transit users.  This bill would make it possible for  
          transit agencies to incorporate these bike racks into their bus  
          service without leading them to be out-of compliance with  
          current law which regulates total bus length."  

          Existing law establishes maximum length, width, height, and  
          weight limits for a variety of vehicles that are authorized to  
          operate on the state's roadways.  These limitations have been  
          carefully considered by the Legislature and the pertinent  
          traffic safety and enforcement agencies to promote and ensure  
          public safety and the efficient movement of traffic.  The length  
          of a vehicle is one of the most important safety factors that  
          can significantly affect road performance because the longer the  
          length of the vehicle the more difficult it is for the operator  
          to negotiate turns, a condition commonly known as  
          "off-tracking," without encroaching into adjacent traffic lanes  
          and damaging street curbs and other road fixtures and possibly  
          compromising the safety of any passengers and other motorists.   
          The increase that this bill would permit in overall length may  








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          result in an increased risk to the public because the turning  
          radius of these vehicles is already pushing the limits of street  
          and road design throughout the state.  Furthermore, it should be  
          noted that due to the common use of these buses in highly  
          populated areas with a high amount of vehicle and foot traffic,  
          the added length (four inches) from the bicycle racks could  
          cause the increase in collisions with vehicles and pedestrians.   

           

          Analysis Prepared by  :    Ed Imai / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093 

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