BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 1193
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CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
AB 1193 (Ting)
As Amended August 21, 2014
Majority vote
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|ASSEMBLY: |58-16|(January 29, |SENATE: |29-5 |(August 25, |
| | |2014) | | |2014) |
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Original Committee Reference: TRANS.
SUMMARY : Requires the Department of Transportation (Caltrans)
to develop minimum safety design criteria for cycle tracks and
authorizes local governments to deviate from Caltrans' design
criteria for bikeways under specified conditions. Specifically,
this bill :
1)Creates a new class of bikeways, called cycle tracks or
separated bikeways, and defines them as bikeways that provide
a right-of-way designated exclusively for bicycle travel
adjacent to a roadway and that are protected from vehicular
traffic.
2)Requires Caltrans to establish minimum safety design criteria
for cycle tracks.
3)Makes changes to the process Caltrans must follow in
establishing bikeway design criteria.
4)Authorizes local agencies to utilize minimum safety design
criteria other than those established by Caltrans under
specified conditions.
The Senate amendments :
1)Authorize local agencies to utilize minimum safety design
criteria other than those established by Caltrans if all the
following conditions are met:
a) The alternative criteria have been reviewed and approved
by a qualified engineer with consideration for the unique
characteristics and features of the proposed bikeway;
b) The alternative criteria, or the description of the
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project with reference to the alternative criteria, are
adopted by resolution at a public meeting; and,
c) The alternative criteria adhere to guidelines
established by a national association of public agency
transportation officials.
2)Require Caltrans to establish design criteria for cycle tracks
by January 1, 2016.
3)Require Caltrans, in establishing minimum safety design
criteria for bikeways, to consider the safety of vulnerable
populations, such as children, seniors, persons with impaired
vision, and persons with limited mobility and to consult with
its existing advisory committee dedicated to improving access
for persons with disabilities in establishing design criteria
for bikeways.
4)Delete existing law requiring Caltrans to establish procedures
for local agencies to get an exception from utilizing
Caltrans' design criteria for bikeways for purposes of
research, experimentation, testing, evaluation, or
verification.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, one-time costs for Caltrans to develop the new
standards will be absorbable within existing resources.
COMMENTS : Under existing law, Caltrans is responsible for
establishing minimum safety design criteria for the planning and
construction of bikeways and roadways where bicycle travel is
permitted. These criteria are contained within the California
Highway Design Manual (HDM). 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. Caltrans adopts these
specifications, along with standards for all traffic control
devices, in the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control
Devices (MUTCD).
All local agencies responsible for the development or operation
of bikeways or roadways where bicycle travel is permitted must
utilize Caltrans adopted design criteria and specifications as
contained in the HDM and MUTCD. Cities and counties can apply
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for a design exception from Caltrans to install bikeways that do
not meet Caltrans' standards, but local governments complain that
the process is cumbersome and time-consuming. In contrast,
cities and counties may, but are not required to, utilize the HDM
when designing local streets and roads.
In January 2014, the Smart State Transportation Initiative
(SSTI), an independent organization composed of transportation
experts, former state transportation chief executives, and
academic researchers, released a review of Caltrans management,
operations, and organizational culture. The study was
commissioned by the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency
(the predecessor of the State Transportation Agency). A key
recommendation of the report was that the "department should
support, or propose if no bill is forthcoming, legislation to
end the archaic practice of imposing state rules on local
streets for bicycle facilities."
Cycle tracks, also referred to as protected bike lanes, are a
type of bike lane that is part of the road but physically
separated from vehicle traffic in some way. Common in some parts
of Europe, the construction of cycle tracks is on the rise in the
United States (U.S.). In 2011, there were an estimated 62 cycle
tracks across the country. That number has now risen to at least
102 in 32 U.S. cities, with over 100 more planned in 2013.
Several California cities have installed cycle tracks, including
Long Beach, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
This bill allows local governments to deviate from state criteria
when designing bikeways, but does not give them complete control.
Cities and counties that elect to use design criteria not
contained within the HDM would have to ensure that the
alternative criteria have been reviewed and approved by a
qualified engineer, are adopted by resolution at a public
meeting, and adhere to guidelines established by a national
association of public agency transportation officials, such as
the National Association of City Transportation Officials
(NACTO).
This bill also adds cycle tracks as a fourth class of bikeways
and requires Caltrans to establish minimum safety design criteria
for them by 2016. Finally, this bill requires Caltrans to
consider the safety of children, seniors and other vulnerable
populations in establishing bikeway design criteria and consult
with its advisory committee on improving access for persons with
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disabilities.
This bill was substantially amended in the Senate. Several
provisions of this bill have not been heard in an Assembly policy
committee.
Analysis Prepared by : Anya Lawler / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093
FN:
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