BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 405
Page 1
CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
AB 405 (Gatto)
As Amended June 27, 2013
Majority vote
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|ASSEMBLY: |72-0 |(May 30, 2013) |SENATE: |38-0 |(September 9, |
| | | | | |2013) |
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Original Committee Reference: TRANS .
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.
The Senate amendments add an almost seven-mile stretch of SR
134, from SR 5 to SR 210, to be included in the part-time HOV
conversion. This amendment ensures that the bill applies to
contiguous segments of the state highway system.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Senate Appropriations
Committee, one-time Department of Transportation (Caltrans)
costs of $482,000 in 2013-14 to replace HOV lane signage to
indicate limited hours of operation. These costs reflect
replacement of 35 overhead signs, at a cost of $10,000 each, and
132 ground- or barrier-mounted signs, at a cost of $1,000 each.
Potential future one-time costs of $482,000 for signage
replacement to the extent that the lanes are converted back to
full-time operation following a Caltrans determination that
part-time operation had specified adverse impacts.
Minor and absorbable one-time costs in 2015-16 for Caltrans to
report on the impact of limiting HOV lane use to periods of
heavy commuter traffic.
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
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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, seven 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).
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
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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: 0002234