BILL ANALYSIS Ó SENATE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND HOUSING Senator Jim Beall, Chair 2015 - 2016 Regular Bill No: AB 726 Hearing Date: 6/30/2015 ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Author: |Nazarian | |----------+------------------------------------------------------| |Version: |6/16/2015 | ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Urgency: |No |Fiscal: |No | ----------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Consultant|Randy Chinn | |: | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- SUBJECT: Vehicles: Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority DIGEST: This bill authorizes the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) to operate articulated buses that do not exceed a length of 82 feet on the Orange Line in the County of Los Angeles under specified conditions. ANALYSIS: Existing law generally limits vehicle length to 40 feet, with a specific limit for articulated buses of 60 feet. The Orange Line in the County of Los Angeles is a two-lane, 18-mile, dedicated busway. It crosses more than 34 streets and has several mid-block pedestrian crosswalks, with loop detectors installed at each of the signalized intersections to give Orange Line vehicles traffic signal priority. According to the author, Orange Line ridership is almost double initial predictions, making it one of the most successful bus rapid transit projects in the country. This bill authorizes the LACMTA 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, subject to: 1)a safety review of the use of such buses by a route review committee, and 2)the collective bargaining agreements between LACMTA and its AB 726 (Nazarian) Page 2 of ? employee unions. COMMENTS: Purpose of the bill. The author notes that ridership on the Orange Line is almost double initial estimates and continues to grow rapidly each year. Headway restrictions limit the number of standard articulated buses that can operate on the line. In order to increase capacity to meet the demand, LACMTA needs to allow bi-articulated buses, increasing carrying capacity by 20-30%, according to the author. These buses are enormous, up to 82 feet long, more than 1/3 longer than standard articulated buses, with three segments and four axles. A little heavy. There is an ongoing concern with the damage that overweight vehicles, and in particular overweight buses, impart on streets, highways, and bridges. At a time when California's transportation infrastructure is declining rapidly and revenue sources are shrinking, it is more important than ever to ensure that only vehicles that comply with California's maximum weight standards be allowed on our roads. These larger articulated buses operate in South America and Europe, but not in North America. It will take several years for these buses to be designed, approved, and built for service in California. They will need to comply with the weight limitations in place at that time, or else seek a waiver which will require legislation. The author has agreed to accept amendments in the committee requiring consultation with pavement engineers in the effected local jurisdictions before authorizing the use of these vehicles. Assembly Votes: Floor: 77-0 Trans: 16-0 LGov: 9-0 FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: No Local: No POSITIONS: (Communicated to the committee before noon on Wednesday, June 24, 2015.) AB 726 (Nazarian) Page 3 of ? SUPPORT: Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Mayor Eric Garcetti, Los Angeles OPPOSITION: None reported -- END --