BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 210
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Date of Hearing: April 15, 2015
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Jimmy Gomez, Chair
AB
210 (Gatto) - As Introduced February 2, 2015
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Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: NoReimbursable: No
SUMMARY:
This bill requires conversion of high-occupancy vehicle (HOV)
lanes from full-time to part-time operation on sections of two
freeways in Los Angeles County. Specifically, this bill:
AB 210
Page 2
1)Requires, effective July 1, 2016, that the existing HOV lanes
on State Route (SR) 134 between SR 170 and SR 210, and on SR
210 between SR 134 and SR 57, be converted to part-time
operation during hours of heavy commuter traffic, as
determined by Caltrans.
2)Requires Caltrans to report to the Legislature by January 2018
on the impact of this conversion.
3)Authorizes Caltrans, if after May 1, 2017, it determines the
conversion has an adverse impact on safety, traffic
conditions, or the environment, to reinstate full-time HOV
operation after providing notice to the transportation policy
committees in each house.
4)Encourages Caltrans to make similar conversions to other HOV
lanes in Los Angeles County to provide greater mobility
benefits.
5)Makes all of the above inoperative 60 days following receipt
by the Legislature of the notification per (3).
FISCAL EFFECT:
One-time special fund costs to Caltrans of around $482,000 for
sign replacement-35 overhead signs at $10,000 each and132
ground- or barrier-mounted signs at $1,000 each. Similar costs
would be incurred if the HOV lanes had to be reverted back to
full-time operation. Costs for the legislative report are minor
and absorbable [State Highway Account].
COMMENTS:
AB 210
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1)Purpose. According to the author, motorists not qualifying for
the carpool lane are frequently caught in bumper-to-bumper
traffic at odd hours of the night while carpool lanes may be
underutilized. AB 210 is intended to offer flexibility in HOV
operations, especially in areas where people drive the
freeways at all hours of the day. The author indicates, for
example, that SR 134, which connects SR 101 to Pasadena and
the surrounding communities, is utilized by commuters who work
non-traditional work hours and often look upon the empty
carpool lanes while sitting in midnight traffic.
2)Background. The primary purpose of an HOV lane is to increase
the total number of people moved through a congested corridor
by offering two kinds of incentives: a savings in travel time,
and a reliable and predictable travel time. Because HOV lanes
carry vehicles with a higher number of occupants, they may
move significantly more people during congested periods, even
when the number of vehicles that use the HOV lane is lower
than on the adjoining general-purpose lanes.
In northern California, HOV lanes are only operational Monday
through Friday during posted peak congestion hours, such as 6
a.m. - 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. - 7 p.m. All other vehicles may use
the lanes during off-peak hours. In southern California, HOV
lanes are generally separated from other lanes by a buffer
zone, and these lanes are in effect 24 hours per day, 7 days
per week. These distinct operational practices are due to
different traffic volumes and commuter patterns in the two
regions. Northern California highways usually experience
congestion only during weekdays at peak morning and afternoon
commute hours. Using a full-time operation would leave the HOV
lane relatively unoccupied during off-peak hours and thus not
constitute efficient use of the roadway. Southern California
normally experiences very long hours of congestion, typically
between six to eleven hours per day, with short off-peak
traffic hours. Part-time operation of HOV lanes under these
conditions is generally considered infeasible.
AB 210
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In its annual HOV report for 2014, Caltrans indicates that the
peak-hour volume in the SR 134 HOV lane was 1,157 vehicles,
well below the optimum volume of 1,650 vehicles per hour. In
the SR 210 HOV lane, the peak-hour usage was 1,281 vehicles.
Data for both freeways indicate that usage drops substantially
after the 6:00 p.m. hour.
3)Prior Legislation . In 2013, AB 405 (Gatto), an identical bill,
was vetoed, with the Governor arguing for maintaining the
current 24/7 carpool lane control.
In 2012, AB 2200 (Ma), which suspended the HOV lane on
eastbound Interstate 80 in the San Francisco Bay Area during
the morning commute, was vetoed, with the Governor stating,
"Encouraging carpooling is important to reduce pollution and
make more efficient use of our highways. This bill goes in a
wrong direction."
Analysis Prepared by:Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916)
319-2081