BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular Session
AB 210 (Gatto) - High-occupancy vehicle lanes: County of Los
Angeles
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|Version: February 2, 2015 |Policy Vote: T. & H. 11 - 0 |
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|Urgency: No |Mandate: No |
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|Hearing Date: July 6, 2015 |Consultant: Mark McKenzie |
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This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File.
Bill
Summary: AB 210 would prohibit the establishment or continued
operation of high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes on specified
segments of state highway route (SR) 134 and SR 210 in Los
Angeles County, unless the hours of operation are restricted to
hours of heavy commuter traffic.
Fiscal
Impact:
One-time Department of Transportation (Caltrans) costs of
approximately $500,000 in 2015-16 to replace HOV lane signage
to indicate limited hours of operation (State Highway
Account).
AB 210 (Gatto) Page 1 of
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Potential future one-time costs of $500,000 for signage
replacement to the extent that the lanes are converted back to
full-time operation following a Caltrans determination that
part-time operation had specified adverse impacts (State
Highway Account).
Minor and absorbable one-time costs in 2017-18 for Caltrans to
report on the impact of limiting HOV lane use to periods of
heavy commuter traffic (State Highway Account).
Background: Existing law authorizes Caltrans and local authorities to
permit preferential use of highway lanes for HOVs under
specified conditions, which grants access to vehicles with more
than one occupant. Prior to establishing an HOV lane, Caltrans
or the local entity must perform engineering studies to evaluate
the impacts of the lane designation on safety, congestion, and
highway capacity.
In northern California, HOV lanes are only operational Monday
through Friday during posted peak congestion hours when commuter
traffic is heaviest. 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 are
operational at all times. 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 weekday peak commute hours, so
full 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.
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
indicates that usage of HOV lanes in both corridors drops
substantially after the 6:00 p.m. hour.
AB 210 (Gatto) Page 2 of
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Proposed Law:
AB 210 would prohibit the establishment or operation of HOV
lanes, effective July 1, 2016, on SR 134 between SR 170 and SR
210, or on SR 210 between SR 134 and SR 57, unless the operation
is limited to hours of heavy commuter traffic, as determined by
Caltrans. The bill would allow Caltrans to reinstate 24-hour
HOV lanes on or after May 1, 2017, if it determines that the
restricting the hours of operation has an adverse impact on
safety, traffic conditions, or the environment, and submits a
specified notice to the Legislature. The bill would also
require Caltrans to submit a report to the Legislature by
January 1, 2018 on the traffic impact of limiting the use of HOV
lanes on SR 210 and SR 134 to hours of heavy commuter traffic.
Related
Legislation: AB 405 (Gatto) is an identical bill, except for
the specified dates, was vetoed by Governor Brown in 2013. The
veto message stated the following:
This bill limits the 24/7 carpool lane controls on about 13
miles of the 134 freeway in Los Angeles to the hours of
heavy commuter traffic.
Carpool lanes are especially important in Los Angeles
County to reduce pollution and maximize use of freeways. We
should retain the current 24/7 carpool lane control.
Staff
Comments: The restriction of HOV-lane use to commute hours in
the SR 134 and SR 210 corridors would require replacement of 35
overhead signs, at a cost of $10,350 each, and 132 ground- or
barrier-mounted signs, at a cost of $1,035 each, for a total
cost of approximately $500,000 in the 2015-16 fiscal year.
Similar costs would be incurred as early as 2017-18, if Caltrans
makes a specified determination and reinstates 24-hour
restrictions. These costs reflect fabrication and installation
costs, as well as costs associated with any necessary lane
closures and traffic control measures. There could be
additional Caltrans costs, to the extent that public relations
and outreach efforts are necessary.
AB 210 (Gatto) Page 3 of
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