BILL ANALYSIS �
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 242|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: SB 242
Author: Wyland (R), et al.
Amended: 4/23/13
Vote: 21
SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMMITTEE : 10-0, 4/16/13
AYES: DeSaulnier, Gaines, Beall, Cannella, Galgiani, Hueso,
Lara, Liu, Roth, Wyland
NO VOTE RECORDED: Pavley
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
SUBJECT : Highway toll collection pilot programs
SOURCE : TransCore
DIGEST : This bill permits, until January 1, 2018, the
Department of Transportation (Caltrans) or local and regional
transportation agencies to conduct a pilot program of
alternative electronic toll collection (ETC) technologies.
ANALYSIS : Toll agencies may employ an automatic vehicle
identification system to facilitate toll operations, such as the
FasTrak transponder that is commonly used in California. These
systems allow subscribers to prepay tolls thereby eliminating
the need to stop and pay at a toll plaza.
Last summer, United States Congress passed and the President
signed the surface transportation reauthorization bill, the
Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21).
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Among MAP-21's many provisions is the requirement that all
highway toll facilities that were constructed with federal funds
implement technologies or business practices that provide for
the interoperability of ETC by October 1, 2016. The goal of
interoperability is that pre-paid toll customers are able to pay
tolls on any participating toll facility in the country using a
single account. Currently, there are roughly 10 different ETC
system standards in use around the country with varying degrees
of interoperability between states.
Existing law requires that the Caltrans and toll operators
develop functional specifications and standards for ETC systems
to ensure interoperability between systems in the state. These
specifications rely on radio-frequency identification (RFID)
technologies, which involve a transmitter in each vehicle and a
reader to process the vehicle as it enters the toll facility.
While state toll operators have achieved interoperability
between toll facilities within the state, California toll
collection devices are not currently interoperable with
out-of-state toll facilities.
In 2010, the Legislature passed SB 1268 (Simitian, Chapter 489,
Statutes of 2010) which established privacy protections for
subscribers to ETC systems and anyone else using toll
facilities. Specifically, the bill prohibited transportation
agencies from selling or otherwise providing personally
identifiable information about their subscribers, with some
minor exceptions such as for law enforcement purposes or to
comply with the state's interoperability efforts.
This bill
1. Permits, until January 1, 2018, Caltrans or local and
regional transportation agencies to conduct a pilot program
of alternative ETC technologies to the existing RFID
technology by exempting the pilot program from the state's
interoperability requirements. The pilot projects may last
up to four years.
2. Specifies the agencies are not required to post any signs
specific to the pilot program.
3. Requires any participating agency submit a summary report to
the Legislature and the Governor within four years of
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commencing the pilot program, that discusses the following:
The effectiveness of the technology,
Market performance,
Congestion management results,
Safety issues,
Implementation and related management obstacles and
opportunities, and
Other relevant factors.
1. Requires the alternative technology vendor must cover all
related costs incurred by the state or participating agency,
including the preparation of the required report.
2. Specifies an agency may only conduct a pilot program if it
does not result in a reduction in federal aid highway funds.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 5/7/13)
TransCore (source)
Smart Plate Mobile
OPPOSITION : (Verified 5/7/13)
Department of Finance
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the author's office,
encouraging alternatives to existing RFID tolling technology has
the potential to save millions of dollars in infrastructure
costs while accelerating toll revenues that can be reinvested
back into needed infrastructure. Existing law only authorizes
RFID technologies for toll collection in the state, which has
eliminated the option to apply new and advanced technologies to
toll collection. Utilizing infrastructure-free technology such
as global positioning system or existing cellular networks may
provide for lower cost tolling infrastructure and lower
operating costs. This bill creates the opportunity for regions
to create limited pilot projects to test these new technologies
and determine their feasibility, with the intention of enabling
technology to help us address our transportation challenges at
reduced costs.
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ARGUMENTS IN OPPOSITION : The Department of Finance (DOF)
states this bill is unnecessary and could lead the state away
from its current fully interoperable ETC system. This bill will
allow Caltrans, local, and regional agencies to conduct pilot
automated toll collection programs outside of established state
interoperability standards.
This bill is intended to encourage development of alternatives
to existing RFID tolling technology that may have the potential
to save infrastructure costs and accelerate revenue collection.
The MAP-21 requires that all electronic toll collection systems
in the country be interoperable by October 1, 2016. Caltrans is
concerned that this bill will jeopardize California's current
interoperable toll infrastructure and make it more difficult to
comply with planned national standards.
JA:k 5/7/13 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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