BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 405
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 405 (Gatto)
As Amended April 18, 2013
Majority vote
TRANSPORTATION 15-1 APPROPRIATIONS 16-0
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|Ayes:|Gordon, Linder, |Ayes:|Gatto, Harkey, Bigelow, |
| |Achadjian, Blumenfield, | |Bocanegra, Bradford, Ian |
| |Bonta, Buchanan, Daly, | |Calderon, Campos, |
| |Frazier, Gatto, Holden, | |Donnelly, Eggman, Gomez, |
| |Logue, Morrell, Nazarian, | |Hall, Linder, Pan, Quirk, |
| |Patterson, | |Wagner, Weber |
| |Quirk-Silva | | |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
|Nays:|Ammiano | | |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Requires the conversion of high-occupancy vehicle
(HOV) lanes on State Route (SR) 134 and SR 210 from full-time to
part-time operation. Specifically, this bill :
1)Prohibits, notwithstanding any other provision of law (except
if the Department of Transportation (Caltrans) makes a
specific determination, described below), an HOV lane from
being established on SR 134 between SR 170 and SR 5 or on SR
210 between SR 134 and SR 57 unless the HOV lane is
established on a part-time basis; requires any existing HOV
lanes on these routes also to be converted to part-time
operation.
2)Requires Caltrans to report to the Legislature by January 1,
2016, on the impact to traffic by converting these HOV lane
segments to part-time operation.
3)Provides that, on or after May 1, 2015, if Caltrans determines
that part-time operation of these lanes has resulted in an
adverse impact on safety, traffic conditions, or the
environment, it may notify the Assembly Transportation
Committee and the Senate Transportation and Housing Committee
of its intent to reinstate the lanes to 24-hour operation;
thereafter specifically authorizes Caltrans to reinstate
AB 405
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full-time operation of the HOV lanes.
4)Encourages Caltrans to introduce off-peak hours on other HOV
lanes in Los Angeles County.
5)Makes provisions requiring the conversion of specific routes
to part-time HOV operation operative on July 1, 2014, and
repeals these same provisions 60 days after Caltrans notifies
the Legislature of its intent to reinstate the lanes to
24-hour operation; requires Caltrans to post the date that the
Legislature receives the notice on the department's Web site.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, one-time special fund costs to Caltrans of around
$360,000 for sign replacement-10 overhead signs at $10,000 each
and 100 ground- or barrier-mounted signs at $1,000 each.
Similar costs would be incurred if the HOV lanes had to be
reverted back to full-time operation. Costs for the legislative
report are minor and absorbable.
COMMENTS : State and regional transportation agencies are
required to ensure that federally supported highway and transit
projects do not cause new air quality violations, worsen
existing violations, or delay timely attainment of air quality
standards. Consequently, when transportation agencies identify
a need to add highway capacity, their options are limited. They
often rely on the addition of HOV lanes, which are generally
considered a viable solution to adding highway capacity in
nonattainment areas-i.e., where air quality is worse than the
national ambient air quality standards.
In northern California, HOV lanes are only operational Monday
through Friday during posted peak congestion hours, for example
between 6 a.m. - 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. - 7 p.m. All other vehicles
may use the lanes during off-peak hours. This is referred to as
"part-time" operation.
In southern California, HOV lanes are generally separated from
other lanes by a buffer zone. The HOV lanes are in effect 24
hours a day, 7 days a week--referred to as "full-time"
operation. (SR 14 is an exception. Previous legislation (AB
1871 (Runner), Chapter 337, Statutes of 2000) created a
demonstration project to evaluate part-time use of the HOV lanes
on Route 14).
AB 405
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The operational practices vary differently between northern
California versus southern California because of traffic volumes
and commuter patterns in the two regions. Northern California
highways usually experience two weekday congestion periods
during peak morning and afternoon commute hours, followed by a
long period of non-congestion. Using a full-time operation
would leave the HOV lane relatively unoccupied during off-peak
hours and would not constitute an efficient utilization of the
roadway. Southern California normally experiences very long
hours of congestion, typically between six to eleven hours per
day, with short off-peak traffic hours. Part-time operation
under these conditions is generally considered infeasible.
HOV lanes work best where significant roadway congestion during
peak periods occurs. (Optimum HOV lane usage is generally
considered to be about 1650 vehicles per hour. In contrast,
mixed-flow lanes are generally expected optimally to carry
between 1,800 and 2,000 vehicles per hour.) Experience with HOV
lanes from around the country has shown a positive relationship
between ridership and travel time savings, suggesting that, as
congestion grows, the travelers' willingness to carpool or ride
on a bus that uses an HOV lane also grows.
Caltrans reports annually on the use of its HOV system. In its
2011 HOV report, Caltrans reported that the peak-hour volume in
the SR 134 HOV lane was 860 vehicles, well below the optimum
volume of 1,650 vehicles per hour. In the SR 210 HOV lane,
Caltrans reported the peak-hour usage at 1,511 vehicles, very
near optimum capacity; data indicate, however, that the HOV lane
usage drops substantially after the 6 p.m. hour.
Analysis Prepared by : Janet Dawson / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093
FN: 0000842