BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 1746
Page 1
Date of Hearing: March 14, 2016
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION
Jim Frazier, Chair
AB 1746
(Mark Stone) - As Amended March 9, 2016
SUBJECT: Transit buses
SUMMARY: Extends the authority to operate transit buses on
highway shoulders to additional transit operators.
Specifically, this bill:
1)Authorizes Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District, the Central
Contra Costa Transit Authority, the North County Transit
District, the San Diego Association of Governments, the San
Diego Metropolitan Transit System, and the Santa Clara Valley
Transportation Authority to conduct a transit bus-only program
using the shoulders of certain highways.
2)Requires the transit entities to issue a report after two
years of bus on shoulder service to the Legislature and
publish on their agency website for the public. The report
shall include geographic scope of the program, guidelines and
requirements adopted, any highway modifications made, the
costs associated with the program, and performance measures
used to evaluate success of the project, such as safety,
freeway operations and transit travel time reliability and
savings.
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EXISTING LAW:
1)Creates the Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District, Central
Contra Costa Transit Authority, the North County Transit
District, San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), San
Diego Metropolitan Transit System, and Santa Clara Valley
Transportation Authority with various powers and duties
relative to the planning and operation of public transit
systems in those counties.
2)Authorizes the Monterey-Salinas Transit District and the Santa
Cruz Metropolitan Transit District, with the approval of the
California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and the
California Highway Patrol (CHP), to designate highway
shoulders that may be used as bus-only traffic corridors
during peak congestion hours.
3)Requires that the participating transit districts actively
work with Caltrans and CHP to develop guidelines that ensure
driver and vehicle safety and infrastructure integrity for the
bus on shoulder program.
4)Requires that the guidelines for the bus on shoulder program
be developed with transparency which includes the opportunity
for public comment.
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5)Requires Caltrans and participating transit districts to
monitor the state of repair of the highway shoulders including
needed repairs that may be attributable to the bus on shoulder
program.
6)Requires participating transit districts to be responsible for
all costs attributable to the bus on shoulder program,
including repairs attributable to the operation of transit
buses on the shoulders.
7)Specifies that the bus on shoulder program may commence as
soon as guidelines are agreed to by the participating transit
districts, Caltrans, and CHP.
8)Defines a "highway" for the purposes of this bill as including
a "freeway."
9)Authorizes the operation of a transit bus on the shoulder of a
state highway in conjunction with the implementation of the
bus on shoulder program within the areas served by
Monterey-Salinas Transit District and Santa Cruz Metropolitan
Transit District.
FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown
COMMENTS: This bill would expand the number of transit entities
authorized to operate a bus on shoulder program in California.
Previous legislation, AB 946 (Stone), Chapter 426, Statutes of
2013, authorized a bus on shoulder program specifically for
Monterey-Salinas Transit District and Santa Cruz Metropolitan
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Transit District. To date, these agencies have not initiated a
bus on shoulder program due to a lack of resources for planning
and evaluating potential projects. According to
Monterey-Salinas Transit District, they anticipate initiating a
feasibility study this summer. Expanding the amount of transit
agencies that, with the approval of Caltrans and CHP, can
utilize a bus on shoulder option will help demonstrate the
concept in different metropolitan regions of California. In
fact, the Central Contra Costa Transit Authority, in writing in
support of the bill, noted that the Contra Costa Transportation
Authority completed an I-680 Transit Investment and Congestion
Relief Study and one of the recommendations of the study is a
bus on shoulder transit service along the corridor to link the
Martinez Amtrak station with BART, Bishop Ranch and ACE Train
service in Pleasanton.
As noted by the author, as traffic congestion continues to be a
critical issue for the state's transit systems and funding is
limited, agencies are looking for low-cost, safe, and innovative
ways to improve ridership and provide good, reliable service for
their customers. Expanding the program to an additional three
major metropolitan areas could help demonstrate the concept and
identify any problems or concerns.
Overall, a number of bus on shoulder programs have been
implemented throughout the country and these programs have been
successful in shortening commute times and increasing transit
ridership without increasing the number of collisions. In fact,
in 2006, the Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP)
conducted a comprehensive study which examined jurisdictions
that allow buses to use highway shoulders. The study concluded
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that bus on shoulder programs have been proven successful but
that success has largely resulted from tailoring the programs to
the corridors where they will be used. The study specifically
pointed out that transit, highway, and safety agencies must
partner together to produce safe and effective programs.
Additionally, in 2012, TCRP developed a guide for implementing
bus on shoulder programs, which included operating, design and
traffic guidelines.
In California, SANDAG conducted successful bus on shoulder
demonstration program in partnership with the San Diego
Metropolitan Transit System, Caltrans, and CHP in 2005.
According to SANDAG, the bus on shoulder program achieved
positive results for the region, especially for bus travel time
and reliability that remains a top concern for transit riders.
In fact, an October 2007 Technical Report issued jointly by
Caltrans and SANDAG noted that a time savings of one mile per
minute was realized over four mile section of highway, which
would equate to an annually operational savings of $13,000 for
the transit operator. Overall, the Caltrans - SANDAG report
noted that the demonstration project was successful, yielding
positive results with strong benefits for transit operations,
receiving positive perceptions of transit drivers and transit
passengers, while maintaining safety on the highway.
Caltrans and CHP worked with SANDAG on the bus on shoulder
demonstration program in San Diego. This bill retains the
provisions from AB 946 (Stone), to require Caltrans and CHP to
review and approve any new bus on shoulder program and develop
guidelines for the specific areas to ensure that safety,
operation, and integrity of highway facilities are maintained,
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including the continued priority use of highway shoulders for
emergencies and traffic law enforcement.
This bill also requires a report be developed by the local
transit entity, in conjunction with Caltrans and CHP, after two
years of operating a bus on shoulder program in their
jurisdiction. The reports will be submitted to the Legislature
and posted on the transit entity's website to help keep the
Legislature, other transit entities, and the traveling public
informed of the outcomes of this new program.
Previous legislation: AB 946 (Stone), Chapter 426, Statutes of
2013, authorized Monterey-Salinas Transit District and Santa
Cruz Metropolitan Transit District to operate a bus on the
shoulder program with approval from Caltrans and CHP.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (Sponsor)
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Alameda-Contra Contra Transit District
California Transit Association
Central Contra Costa Transit Authority
Monterey-Salinas Transit
North County Transit District
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by:Melissa White / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093