BILL ANALYSIS Ó AB 1193 Page 1 Date of Hearing: January 23, 2014 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Mike Gatto, Chair AB 1193 (Ting) - As Amended: January 6, 2014 Policy Committee: TransportationVote:11-3 Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: No Reimbursable: SUMMARY This bill: 1)Requires Caltrans, by June 30, 2015, to establish minimum safety design standards for Class IV bikeways. 2)Defines Class IV bikeways as providing a right-of-way designated exclusively for bicycle travel within a roadway and protected from other vehicle traffic with devices such as grade separations, flexible posts, inflexible physical barriers, or parked cars. FISCAL EFFECT Given the short frame to establish the new standards, one-time special fund costs could exceed $150,000 if, for example, only two senior engineering staff were required full-time for the six month period. [State Highway Account] COMMENTS 1)Background . Caltrans is responsible for establishing minimum safety design criteria for the planning and construction of bikeways and roadways where bicycle travel is permitted. Caltrans additionally establishes uniform specifications and symbols for signs, markers, and traffic control devices to designate bikeways, regulate traffic, improve safety and convenience for bicyclists, and alert pedestrians and motorists of the presence of bicyclists where bicycle travel is permitted. All local agencies responsible for the development or operation of bikeways or roadways where bicycle AB 1193 Page 2 travel is permitted must utilize these design criteria and specifications. Cities and counties can apply to Caltrans for a design exception, but the process can be time-consuming. A protected bike lane, also referred to as a cycletrack, is a type of bike lane that is part of the road but physically separated from vehicle traffic in some fashion. Several California cities have installed cycletracks, including Long Beach, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. 2)Purpose . AB 1193, by requiring Caltrans to establish minimum safety design criteria for cycletracks, will enable cities and counties to create these protected bike lanes without having to seek a costly and time-consuming design exemption from Caltrans, and would ensure that all cycletracks in the state are built to the same minimum design and safety standards. Analysis Prepared by : Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916) 319-2081