BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 2491
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CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
AB
2491 (Nazarian)
As Amended August 8, 2016
Majority vote
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|ASSEMBLY: | 76-0 |(April 28, |SENATE: |38-0 |(August 15, |
| | |2016) | | |2016) |
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Original Committee Reference: TRANS.
SUMMARY: Authorizes local jurisdictions to restrict parking,
stopping, and standing of vehicles in the vicinity of driveways
used by certain emergency vehicles.
The Senate amendments:
1)Clarify that "KEEP CLEAR" pavement markings shall be used to
denote restricted zones where no stopping and standing of
vehicles is allowed.
2)Makes related, conforming changes.
EXISTING LAW:
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1)Prohibits, with certain exceptions, persons from stopping,
parking, or leaving a vehicle standing within 15 feet of a
fire station driveway unless the vehicle is owned or operated
by the fire station entities and is clearly marked, as
specified.
2)Authorizes a local jurisdiction to provide appropriate curb
markings and to post signs delineating the zone 15 feet zone
adjacent to the fire station driveway entrance, as specified.
AS PASSED BY THE ASSEMBLY, this bill:
1)Authorized a local authority, by ordinance, to prohibit
parking, stopping, or leaving a vehicle standing, as
specified, within 15 feet of a driveway used by emergency
vehicles owned or operated by a fire department, police
department, ambulance service care provider, and acute care
hospital.
2)Provided that the no parking, standing, and stopping
restriction does not apply to any vehicle owned or operated by
the fire department, police department, ambulance service
provider, or acute care hospital provided that the vehicles
are clearly marked as belonging to the respective entity.
3)Required the local jurisdiction to post signs and provide
appropriate curb markings that clearly delineate the no
parking, standing, and stopping zones.
FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown. This bill is keyed non-fiscal by the
Legislative Counsel.
COMMENTS: According to the author, emergency service vehicles
entering or exiting driveways of police stations, ambulance
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service providers, and general acute care hospitals are often
blocked by cars that are parked around or stopped in from of the
driveway entrance. He notes that when emergency vehicles cannot
enter or exit their facilities, critical response time is lost
and important services are delayed.
The author points to statistics provided by the Los Angeles
County Department of Health Services that approximately 295,000
patients are transported to emergency rooms each year and that
over 2.2 million people received ambulatory care visits in Los
Angeles County alone. The author also points out that, in
particular, ambulance transport companies, who respond to
millions of calls across the state annually, report frequently
experiencing problems entering and exiting their facilities on
emergency response calls. Unlike fire stations, there is no
prohibition against vehicles stopping or standing in close
proximity or in front of driveways of the emergency response
providers identified in this bill.
To address this issue, the author introduced this bill, which
would authorize a local jurisdiction to, after the passage of an
ordinance, prohibit stopping, parking, or leaving a vehicle
standing within 15 feet of a driveway to a police station,
ambulance service provider, or general acute care hospital
provided that appropriate signs and curb markings delineate the
restricted zones.
Writing in support of this bill, the California Sheriffs'
Association asserts that existing law rightly prohibits the
stopping, parking, or standing of any vehicle within 15 feet of
a fire station driveway entrance. They contend that it stands
to reason that this prohibition be expanded to other facilities,
such as police stations and hospitals, where clear access is
needed to ensure timely response of emergency vehicles.
Analysis Prepared by:
Victoria Alvarez / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093 FN:
0004024
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