California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly BillNo. 173


Introduced by Assembly Member Holden

(Coauthor: Senator Liu)

January 22, 2015


An act to amend Section 1957 of the Streets and Highways Code, relating to golf carts.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 173, as introduced, Holden. Golf carts: City of La Verne.

Existing law authorizes a local agency to designate a highway under its jurisdiction, generally not to exceed one mile in length, that is located adjacent to, or provides access to, a golf course and related facilities, for the combined use of regular vehicular traffic and golf carts. Existing law also authorizes a city or county to adopt a golf cart transportation plan, under which separated golf cart lanes are to be developed and constructed in the plan area. Existing law, until January 1, 2016, provides an exemption from the separated golf cart lane requirement for street and highway segments in the City of La Verne that, among other requirements, have a speed limit of 25 miles per hour or less and are immediately adjacent to or surrounded by the campus of a university or a retirement community, if the city council makes specified findings.

This bill would delete the January 1, 2016, termination date applicable to the provisions relating to the City of La Verne, thereby making those provisions operative indefinitely.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

P2    1

SECTION 1.  

Section 1957 of the Streets and Highways Code
2 is amended to read:

3

1957.  

(a) If a city or county adopts a golf cart transportation
4plan, it shall do both of the following:

5(1) Establish minimum general design criteria for the
6development, planning, and construction of separated golf cart
7lanes, including, but not limited to, the design speed of the facility,
8the space requirements of the golf cart, and roadway design criteria.

9(2) In cooperation with the department, establish uniform
10specifications and symbols for signs, markers, and traffic control
11devices to control golf cart traffic; to warn of dangerous conditions,
12obstacles, or hazards; to designate the right-of-way as between
13golf carts, other vehicles, and bicycles; to state the nature and
14destination of the golf cart lane; and to warn pedestrians, bicyclists,
15and motorists of the presence of golf cart traffic.

16(b) The construction of separated golf cart lanes, as required
17under paragraph (1) of subdivision (a), does not apply in any of
18the following locations:

19(1) A residence district, as defined in Section 515 of the Vehicle
20Code, located within any city containing a population of less than
2150,000 residents with a geographical area of more than 20 square
22miles in which city there are at least 20 golf courses, if the speed
23limit in that district is 25 miles per hour or less.

24(2) (A) The City of La Verne, on those street and highway
25segments for which the city council makes a finding that the street
26or highway segment is suitable to safely permit the use of regular
27 vehicular traffic and also the driving of golf carts, and makes a
28separate finding that the construction of separated golf cart lanes
29is infeasible given the physical space limitations of the street or
30highway segment. In addition, these street or highway segments
31shall meet all of the following requirements:

32(i) Have speed limits of 25 miles per hour or less, as established
33by an engineering and traffic survey.

34(ii) Be immediately adjacent to or surrounded by the campus
35of a university or a retirement community.

36(iii) Provide a route between unconnected portions of the campus
37of a university or the real property of a retirement community, or
38provide direct access to an otherwise inaccessible portion of the
P3    1campus of a university or the real property of a retirement
2community.

3(iv) Be approved for purposes of this paragraph by the law
4enforcement agency with primary traffic jurisdiction over the street
5or highway segments.

6(v) Accommodate golf carts without adversely impacting traffic
7safety or the travel needs of commuters and other users, according
8to a safety determination made by a traffic engineer.

9(vi) Be limited to golf carts owned by the university or
10retirement community and equipped with a windshield, headlights,
11brake lights, and seatbelts.

12(vii) Limit the use of golf carts to employees of the university
13or retirement community acting within the scope and course of
14employment for the maintenance or security of the university or
15the retirement community.

16(B) For purposes of this paragraph, “golf cart” includes, but is
17not limited to, a utility style golf cart, used for transporting
18maintenance equipment, and a shuttle style golf cart.

begin delete

19(C) This paragraph shall become inoperative on January 1, 2016.

end delete


O

    99