BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                  AB 755
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          ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
          AB 755 (Ammiano)
          As Introduced  February 21, 2013
          Majority vote 

           TRANSPORTATION      14-0        APPROPRIATIONS      13-2        
           
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
          |Ayes:|Gordon, Linder,           |Ayes:|Gatto, Bocanegra,         |
          |     |Achadjian, Ammiano,       |     |Bradford,                 |
          |     |Blumenfield, Bonta,       |     |Ian Calderon, Campos,     |
          |     |Buchanan, Daly, Frazier,  |     |Eggman, Gomez, Hall,      |
          |     |Gatto, Holden, Morrell,   |     |Holden, Linder, Pan,      |
          |     |Nazarian,                 |     |Quirk, Weber              |
          |     |Quirk-Silva               |     |                          |
          |     |                          |     |                          |
          |-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
          |     |                          |Nays:|Donnelly, Wagner          |
          |     |                          |     |                          |
           ----------------------------------------------------------------- 
           SUMMARY  :  Requires, as a condition of receiving federal or state  
          highway funds or toll bridge funds for a project, consideration  
          of a suicide barrier in the planning process for construction or  
          reconstruction of a bridge intended for motor vehicle crossings.  
           

           EXISTING LAW  : 

          1)Directs boards of supervisors, city councils, the California  
            Department of Transportation (Caltrans), and the California  
            Transportation Commission (CTC) do all things necessary and  
            proper in their respective jurisdictions to secure the federal  
            funds for county highways, city streets, and state highways.  

          2)Directs Caltrans to expedite bridge replacement projects so  
            that federal funds can be used fully as soon as they become  
            available.  

           FISCAL EFFECT  :  According to the Assembly Appropriations  
          Committee:

          1)Costs to Caltrans and local agencies to bring this additional  
            consideration into the planning process of all bridge projects  
            should be absorbable.  








                                                                  AB 755
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          2)Few bridges are likely to be candidates for a suicide barrier,  
            but additional planning, design and construction costs would  
            be significant for those determined to be in need of this  
            feature, where needed, into the original project may avoid a  
            more costly retrofit in the future, however.  

           COMMENTS  :  The author has introduced this bill to increase the  
          consideration for suicide barriers on the state's bridges.  His  
          office reports that this bill is as a result of the author's  
          work to secure a suicide barrier on the Golden Gate Bridge.  

          Statistics point to the iconic Golden Gate Bridge as the  
          location of more suicides than virtually any other location in  
          the world.  Since it opened in 1937, over 1,400 confirmed deaths  
          have been reported with untold others having gone undetected.   
          In 2008, directors of the Golden Gate Bridge Highway and  
          Transportation District voted to install a suicide barrier on  
          the bridge.  The planned barrier will be a stainless-steel net  
          system that will make it nearly impossible for someone to commit  
          suicide from jumping from the bridge.  The cost of the barrier  
          is estimated to be $40 million to $50 million.  These costs  
          could have undoubtedly been reduced substantially had the  
          barrier been incorporated into the initial designs of the  
          bridge.  

          Ample evidence exists to support the effectiveness of suicide  
          barriers.  For example, in a 2006 English National Institute of  
          Mental Health study, researchers analyzed all suicide prevention  
          approaches--including for example, barriers, signs, telephone  
          hotlines, and bridge patrols-and concluded that "The most  
          effective form of prevention at jumping sites is a physical  
          barrier which literally restricts access to the drop."    
          Furthermore, studies show that once people are prevented from  
          jumping, they typically do not go on to commit suicide by other  
          means.  

          This bill does not impose a specific, onerous planning process  
          on Caltrans and local agencies with regard to bridges within  
          their respective jurisdictions.  By requiring "consideration"  
          for suicide barriers in the planning stages of a bridge project,  
          project designers will have greater opportunities to incorporate  
          suicide barriers in earlier design stages, potentially reducing  
          overall costs for the barriers.  








                                                                  AB 755
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          Analysis Prepared by  :    Janet Dawson / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093 


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