AB 726, as amended, Nazarian. Vehicles: Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
Existing law imposes a 40-foot limitation on the length of vehicles that may be operated on the highways, with specified exemptions. Existing law exempts from this limitation, among other things, an articulated bus or articulated trolley coach that does not exceed a length of 60 feet.
This bill would authorize the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority to operate articulated buses that do not exceed a length of 82 feet on the route designated as the Orange Line in the County of Los Angeles. The bill would require the authority to establish a route review committee prior to operation of those buses, as specified. The bill wouldbegin delete requireend deletebegin insert provideend insert
that implementation of those articulated bus operations would be contingent uponbegin delete a determination by a majority of the route review committee that the Orange Line and routes between the Orange
Line, maintenance facilities, and storage yards are suitable for the safe operation of those busesend deletebegin insert specified conditions, including, among other things, determinations by the Department of the California Highway Patrol and the Department of Transportation that those portions of the proposed routes on state highways, if any, are suitable for the operation of those buses, as specifiedend insert. The bill would also make implementation of those articulated bus operations contingent upon specified collective bargaining requirements.
This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
Vote: majority.
Appropriation: no.
Fiscal committee: begin deleteno end deletebegin insertyesend insert.
State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Section 35400.75 is added to the Vehicle Code, 2immediately following Section 35400.7, to read:
(a) Notwithstanding Section 35400, the Los Angeles
4County Metropolitan Transportation Authority created pursuant
5to Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 130050) of Division 12
6of the Public Utilities Code may operate articulated buses that do
7not exceed a length of 82 feet on the route designated as the Orange
8Line in the County of Los Angeles, and between that route,
9terminals, and maintenance facilities.
10(b) (1) The authority shall establish a route review committee
11prior to the operation of any bus, pursuant to subdivision (a), that
12is greater than 60 feet in length.
13(2) The committee
shall perform a review of the Orange Line
14route and any necessary routes from the Orange Line to
15maintenance and storage yards upon which the authority proposes
16to operate a bus greater than 60 feet in length, pursuant to
17subdivision (a), prior to the operation of those buses. The reviews
18shall include field reviews of the Orange Line and proposed routes.
19The field reviews shall include both of the following:
20 (A) Consultation with traffic engineers from public agencies
21that have jurisdiction over the routes where the buses are proposed
P3 1to be operated pursuant to subdivision (a), to ensure coordination
2with the affected state and local public agencies for purposes of
3public safety.
4(B) Consultation with pavement engineers from public agencies
5that have jurisdiction over the
routes where the buses are proposed
6to be operated pursuant to subdivision (a), to ensure that any
7impacts of the weight of the vehicles upon any streets and roads
8that are used to access the right-of-way or are crossed by the
9right-of-way are considered.
10(3) The route review committee shall be comprised of four
11members, as follows:
12(A) A member representing the authority who shall be appointed
13by the authority’s general manager.
14(B) A member who is a traffic engineer who shall be appointed
15by the authority’s general manager.
16(C) A member appointed by the labor organization that is the
17exclusive representative of the bus drivers of the authority.
18(D) A member representing law enforcement appointed by the
19law enforcement agency having authority over the proposed routes.
20(4) The route review committee shall determine, by majority
21vote, whether the Orange Line is suitable for the safe operation of
22a bus exceeding 60 feet in length, but not exceeding 82 feet in
23length, and shall determine, by majority vote, routes that are
24
suitable for the safe operation of those buses between the Orange
25Line, maintenance facilities, and storage yards.
26(c) Implementation of this section is subject tobegin delete bothend deletebegin insert allend insert of the
27following:
28(1) The collective bargaining requirements under Article 10
29(commencing with Section 30750) of Chapter 5 of Part 3 of
30Division 10 of the Public Utilities Code and the Los Angeles
31County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Transit
32Employer-Employee Relations Act (Chapter 7 (commencing with
33Section 99560) of Part 11 of Division 10 of the Public Utilities
34Code).
35(2) Determination by a majority vote of the route review
36committee that the Orange Line and the routes between the Orange
37Line, maintenance facilities, and storage yards are suitable for the
38safe operation of buses pursuant to subdivision (a).
39(3) If portions of the proposed routes are on highways under
40the jurisdiction of the Department of Transportation, a
P4 1determination by the Department of the California Highway Patrol
2and a determination by the Department of Transportation that
3those portions of the routes are suitable for the operation of buses
4pursuant to subdivision (a).
The Legislature finds and declares that a special law
6is necessary and that a general law cannot be made applicable
7within the meaning of Section 16 of Article IV of the California
8Constitution because of the unique circumstances of a large number
9of riders using buses operated by the Los Angeles County
10Metropolitan Transportation Authority on the Orange Line and
11the need to reduce overcrowding on those buses.
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