BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    



                                                                  AB 1224
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:  August 23, 2010

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION
                               Bonnie Lowenthal, Chair
                     AB 1224 (Eng) - As Amended:  April 27, 2010
           
          SUBJECT  :  Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation  
          Authority (Metro):  congestion pricing demonstration program

           SUMMARY  :   Extends for two years, from January 15, 2013, to  
          January 15, 2015, the authority granted to the Los Angeles  
          County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) to operate  
          a value-pricing and transit development demonstration program  
          involving high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes; makes other  
          technical, non-substantive changes to report requirements.

           EXISTING LAW:   

          1)Authorizes, until January 15, 2013, a value-pricing HOT lane  
            demonstration program to test the effectiveness of  
            congestion-pricing on State Route 10 and State Route 110 in  
            Los Angeles County.  

          2)Prescribes conditions upon which the demonstration program may  
            be implemented.

          3) Requires Metro and the California Department of  
            Transportation (Caltrans) to report to the Legislature by  
            December 31, 2012, on specific aspects of the demonstration  
            program.  

           FISCAL EFFECT  :  Unknown

           COMMENTS:    Metro, the California Department of Transportation  
          (Caltrans), and others are seeking measures to increase traffic  
          flow and provide better travel options on State Route 10 and  
          State Route 110 in Los Angeles County.  To this end, Metro  
          sought and received a $210 million grant from the United State  
          Department of Transportation (U.S. D.O.T.) to develop and  
          operate a value-pricing and transit development program using  
          HOT lanes, referred to as ExpressLanes.  

          The goal of the ExpressLanes project is to improve mobility and  
          provide congestion relief on these two corridors by converting  
          high occupancy vehicle lanes to HOT lanes, implementing  








                                                                  AB 1224
                                                                  Page  2

          congestion pricing, improving transit service and other  
          alternatives to driving, improving transit facilities, and  
          implementing an intelligent parking management system in  
          downtown Los Angeles.  
          
          The demonstration program was to begin in 2010 and extend  
          through 2014. Metro is seeking a two-year extension to give it  
          adequate time to complete a full environmental impact review,  
          provide ample opportunities for public input in the process, and  
          ensure ExpressLanes are operated long enough to provide  
          sufficient data with which to evaluate the lanes' effectiveness.  
            

           REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION  :   

           Support 
           
          Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority  
          (sponsor)

           Opposition 
           
          None on file
           
          Analysis Prepared by  :    Janet Dawson / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093