BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 1115|
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CONSENT
Bill No: AB 1115
Author: Salas (D)
Amended: 1/13/16 in Assembly
Vote: 21
SENATE TRANS. & HOUSING COMMITTEE: 11-0, 6/14/16
AYES: Beall, Cannella, Allen, Bates, Gaines, Galgiani, Leyva,
McGuire, Mendoza, Roth, Wieckowski
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: Senate Rule 28.8
ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 78-0, 1/27/16 (Consent) - See last page for
vote
SUBJECT: School zones: state highways
SOURCE: Author
DIGEST: This bill designates a portion of State Highway Route
(SR) 184 in Kern County as a school zone.
ANALYSIS:
Existing law:
1)Provides that the state Department of Transportation
(Caltrans) owns and operates all state highways in California.
2)Designates SR 184, from Route 223 near Weed Patch to Route 178
in Bakersfield, as a state highway.
3)Establishes a speed limit of 25 mph when approaching or
AB 1115
Page 2
passing a school building or school grounds, where the highway
is posted with a standard "SCHOOL" warning sign at any
distance up to 500 feet away from school grounds.
4)Authorizes a local authority to establish a prima facie speed
limit of less than 25 mph in a residence district, on a
highway with a posted speed limit of 30 mph or slower, or
under specified circumstances including within 500 feet of, or
passing, a school building or grounds where the building or
grounds are contiguous to a highway. Requires the local
authority to base the new speed limit on an engineering and
travel survey.
This bill:
1)Designates the portion of SR 184 at the intersection of Sunset
Boulevard and adjacent to Sunset Middle School, in Kern
County, as a school zone.
2)Requires Caltrans to identify this school zone with standard
"SCHOOL" warning signs and to establish prima facie speed
limits within the zone, pursuant to existing law.
Comments
1)Purpose. The author states that in the past few years,
several tragic fatalities have occurred at the intersection of
SR 184 and Sunset Boulevard, the main access point to Sunset
Middle School, due to lack of adequate safety measures. Two
stop signs control traffic traveling east and west on Sunset
Boulevard, but there are no measures to slow traffic traveling
north and south on SR 184, which is a state highway and thus
controlled by Caltrans. The author states that this bill will
help make the intersection safe for parents and students
entering and exiting the school grounds.
2)Why do we need a bill to designate a school zone? In general,
Caltrans has authority over state highways. Local
authorities, however, may establish a school zone on a
highway, but only if the school building or grounds are
contiguous to the highway. In the case of Sunset Middle
School, the school is adjacent to, but not contiguous with, SR
AB 1115
Page 3
184, and therefore state law does not allow that portion of
the highway to be designated as a school zone. This bill
creates an exception to existing law by designating the
intersection as a school zone.
3)Can the problem be solved without a bill? Caltrans committed
to installing advisory signs, an advisory speed limit, and
flashing lights on SR 184 approaching Sunset Middle School by
the beginning of the new school year (August 1), as well as
eventually installing a roundabout at the intersection. The
Senate Transportation and Housing Committee understand that
thus far, interim stop signs with LED lights around the edges
have been installed; in addition, a 25 mph advisory speed
plate is being added below the existing intersection (cross)
sign on SR 184. Additional signs with yellow LED lights are
being purchased to replace the intersection signs on SR 184,
and eventually solar-powered flashing beacons will be added.
Because another accident occurred at this intersection in July
2016, the author wishes to continue moving this bill to help
ensure that all possible safety measures are fully executed.
FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal
Com.:YesLocal: No
SUPPORT: (Verified8/1/16)
Clinica Sierra Vista Behavioral Health Center
Vineland School District
OPPOSITION: (Verified8/1/16)
None received
ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 78-0, 1/27/16
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Travis Allen, Baker, Bigelow, Bloom,
Bonilla, Bonta, Brough, Brown, Burke, Calderon, Campos, Chang,
AB 1115
Page 4
Chau, Chávez, Chiu, Chu, Cooley, Cooper, Dababneh, Dahle,
Daly, Dodd, Eggman, Frazier, Beth Gaines, Gallagher, Cristina
Garcia, Eduardo Garcia, Gatto, Gipson, Gomez, Gonzalez,
Gordon, Gray, Grove, Hadley, Harper, Roger Hernández, Holden,
Irwin, Jones, Jones-Sawyer, Kim, Lackey, Levine, Linder,
Lopez, Low, Maienschein, Mayes, McCarty, Medina, Melendez,
Mullin, Nazarian, Obernolte, O'Donnell, Olsen, Patterson,
Quirk, Rendon, Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez, Salas, Santiago,
Steinorth, Mark Stone, Thurmond, Ting, Wagner, Waldron, Weber,
Wilk, Williams, Wood, Atkins
NO VOTE RECORDED: Mathis
Prepared by:Erin Riches / T. & H. / (916) 651-4121
8/3/16 18:40:21
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