BILL ANALYSIS Ó AB 28 Page 1 Date of Hearing: May 6, 2015 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Jimmy Gomez, Chair AB 28 (Chu) - As Amended April 22, 2015 ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Policy |Transportation |Vote:|16 - 0 | |Committee: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |-------------+-------------------------------+-----+-------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |-------------+-------------------------------+-----+-------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: YesReimbursable: No SUMMARY: This bill authorizes bicycles to have a solid red or flashing red light on the rear in place of the currently-required red reflector. AB 28 Page 2 FISCAL EFFECT: Negligible fiscal impact. COMMENTS: 1)Background. Under current law, bicycles are required to be equipped with a front light and a variety of reflectors, including a red one on the rear of the bike that is visible from a distance of 500 feet when directly in front of a vehicle's headlights. The federal Consumer Products Safety Commission requires that all bicycles sold in the United States be equipped with this rear reflector, which must meet standards set by the commission. 2)Purpose. This bill authorizes a bicycle to be equipped with a solid red light or a flashing red light in place of the red reflector. If a bicyclist wishes to remove the red reflector that his or her bicycle comes with and replace it with a rear light, arguably the bicyclist is no longer in compliance with the law even though there is no sacrifice in terms of visibility, which is the purpose of the reflector requirement. The author wants to encourage bicyclists to be as visible as possible at night and believes lights are a part of the solution. This simple change to the law ensures that rear lights are authorized should a bicyclist choose to use them. Analysis Prepared by:Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916) 319-2081 AB 28 Page 3