BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 40|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
|(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | |
|327-4478 | |
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 40
Author: Ting (D) and Levine (D)
Amended: 4/15/15 in Assembly
Vote: 21
SENATE TRANS. & HOUSING COMMITTEE: 10-1, 6/23/15
AYES: Beall, Cannella, Allen, Gaines, Galgiani, Leyva,
McGuire, Mendoza, Roth, Wieckowski
NOES: Bates
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: 5-2, 8/27/15
AYES: Lara, Beall, Hill, Leyva, Mendoza
NOES: Bates, Nielsen
ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 64-13, 6/2/15 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT: Toll bridges: pedestrians and bicycles
SOURCE: Author
DIGEST: This bill prohibits the tolling of pedestrians and
bicycles on toll bridges in California that allow pedestrian and
bicycle access.
ANALYSIS:
Existing law:
1)Creates the California Transportation Commission (CTC) and
assigns it all responsibility previously assigned to the
California Toll Bridge Authority, including directing and
authorizing the Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to
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build toll bridges.
2)Creates the Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA) to administer the
base $1 auto toll for the San Francisco Bay Area's seven
state-owned toll bridges. BATA operates under the
Metropolitan Transportation Commission. In 2005, BATA's
responsibilities were expanded to include administration of
all toll revenues and joint oversight of the toll bridge
construction program along with Caltrans and the CTC.
3)Requires Caltrans and the CTC to consider the inclusion of
bicycle and pedestrian facilities on each new toll bridge
designed and constructed, including appropriate connections
thereto. These facilities are required to be included on each
new bridge if the commission finds that they are economically
and physically feasible.
4)Establishes the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway, and
Transportation District (GGBHTD), which, among other
functions, owns and operates the Golden Gate Bridge and sets
tolls.
This bill prohibits a toll from being imposed on the passage of
a pedestrian or bicycle, provided the travel of pedestrians and
bicycles is otherwise authorized, over:
1)Any bridge that is under the jurisdiction of the GGBHTD.
2)Any state-owned bridge on which tolls are imposed on the
passage of motor vehicles.
3)Any bridge that is part of the state highway system on which
tolls are imposed on the passage of motor vehicles, including
any bridge constructed pursuant to a franchise.
Comments
1)Purpose of the bill. According to the author, cyclists and
pedestrians put minimal wear and tear on bridges compared to
vehicles, so imposing a fee for their use of bridges would
disproportionately penalize these non-vehicular modes of
transportation. The author contends sidewalk access fees
would also discourage usage of public trails that are the
pride of the Bay Area. The author believes this bill promotes
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non-vehicular forms of transportation across bridges that
improve air quality, combat climate change, and encourage
physical activity.
2)Toll bridges in California. California has eight toll
bridges, all located in the San Francisco Bay Area. Seven of
those bridges - the Antioch Bridge, Benicia/Martinez Bridge,
Carquinez Bridge, Dumbarton Bridge, Richmond-San Rafael
Bridge, San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, and San Mateo
Hayward Bridge - are owned by the state. The eighth bridge is
owned and operated by GGBHTD. Of these bridges, five
currently have pedestrian and bicycle access: the Golden Gate,
Antioch, Benicia/Martinez, Carquinez, and Dumbarton bridges.
There is currently no toll for pedestrians or bicyclists on
any of the state-owned toll bridges.
3)GGBHTD. When the Golden Gate Bridge first opened in 1937,
pedestrians had to pay five cents to cross. The sidewalk toll
eventually rose to 10 cents before being abolished in 1970.
The district's board recently approved a study to determine
whether a pedestrian/bicyclist toll would be feasible and
helpful in light of the district's budget woes. According to
the district, about 6,000 cyclists and 10,000 pedestrians
cross the bridge on a good-weather day. Sidewalk access fees
are just one consideration in a 45-point plan to help GGBHTD
remain solvent, as it faces $209 million in unfunded capital
needs, in addition to a $32.9 million operating deficit over
the next five years.
4)To toll or not to toll? Is that even the question? Although
the author contends cyclists cause minimal wear and tear, the
costs for bicycle and pedestrian projects and their
maintenance are not negligible. According to the Senate
Appropriations Committee, prohibiting tolling of pedestrians
and bicyclists could have a potentially significant effect in
terms of foregone revenue, perhaps in the millions of dollars.
Supporters of this bill claim that AB 40 will preserve an
incentive for residents and visitors alike to pursue
emission-free methods of active transportation that are
beneficial for our environment and for our health. Perhaps
the larger question is whether the state should be responsible
for determining tolling restrictions/allowances or whether it
should be left to local jurisdictions.
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FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal
Com.:YesLocal: No
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee, prohibiting
the imposition of tolls on pedestrian and bicycle passage on the
Golden Gate Bridge and state-owned toll bridges would result in
foregone revenues and future cost pressures, potentially in the
millions, to the extent such tolls could otherwise be used to
pay for pedestrian and bicycle capital improvements (State
Highway Account, Bay Area Toll Account, local toll bridge
accounts). This bill will likely shift these costs to drivers
who pay tolls.
SUPPORT: (Verified8/26/15)
California Bicycle Coalition
California Travel Association
Mayor of San Francisco
San Francisco Bay Trail Project
San Francisco Bicycle Coalition
San Francisco Travel Association
Save Our Recreation
Walk San Francisco
OPPOSITION: (Verified8/26/15)
None received
ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 64-13, 6/2/15
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Travis Allen, Baker, Bloom, Bonilla,
Bonta, Brown, Burke, Calderon, Campos, Chang, Chau, Chiu, Chu,
Cooley, Cooper, Dababneh, Daly, Dodd, Eggman, Frazier,
Cristina Garcia, Eduardo Garcia, Gatto, Gipson, Gomez,
Gonzalez, Gordon, Gray, Hadley, Roger Hernández, Holden,
Irwin, Jones, Jones-Sawyer, Lackey, Levine, Linder, Lopez,
Low, Maienschein, Mathis, McCarty, Medina, Mullin, Nazarian,
O'Donnell, Olsen, Patterson, Perea, Quirk, Rendon, Rodriguez,
Salas, Santiago, Mark Stone, Thurmond, Ting, Weber, Wilk,
Williams, Wood, Atkins
NOES: Bigelow, Brough, Dahle, Beth Gaines, Grove, Harper, Kim,
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Mayes, Melendez, Obernolte, Steinorth, Wagner, Waldron
NO VOTE RECORDED: Chávez, Gallagher, Ridley-Thomas
Prepared by: Randy Chinn / T. & H. / (916) 651-4121
8/31/15 8:33:41
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