BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                     SB 719


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          Date of Hearing:   June 22, 2015


                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION


                                 Jim Frazier, Chair


          SB  
          719 (Hernandez) - As Amended April 21, 2015


          SENATE VOTE:  35-0


          SUBJECT:  Department of Transportation: motor vehicle  
          technologies testing.




          SUMMARY:  Authorizes the Department of Transportation (Caltrans)  
          to test technologies that involve motor vehicles being operated  
          within less than 100 feet between each vehicle.  Requires the  
          vehicles and routes used in the testing process to be approved  
          by the California Highway Patrol (CHP).  Specifies the  
          authorized testing period will end on January 1, 2018.


           
          EXISTING LAW:   





          1)Provides that Caltrans has full possession and control of the  
            state highway system. 








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          2)Prohibits a driver of a motor vehicle from following another  
            vehicle more closely than is resonable and prudent contingent  
            on various factors such as vehicle traffic and weather  
            conditions. 



          3)Prohibits motor vehicles being driven outside of a business or  
            residence district traveling in a caravan or motorcade to  
            travel less than 100 feet between each vehicle or combination  
            of vehicles, as specified.     
           


          FISCAL EFFECT:  Unknown 


          


          COMMENTS:  The study of intelligent transportation systems (ITS)  
          by the federal government, state agencies, and research  
          institutions has significantly increased over the past five  
          years.  At the federal level, the Federal Highway  
          Administration's (FHWA) Exploratory Advance Research Program is  
          currently researching advanced transportation tools such as  
          vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) technology, vehicle-to-infrastructure  
          (V2I) technology, and automated highway systems (AHS).  
          Additionally, FHWA also allocates federal grants to state  
          transportation agencies to further advance ITS research efforts  
          in their respective states.  


          
          These studies aim to identify transportation solutions that will  
          improve traffic effectiveness and improve road safety.   For  








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          example, AHS holds great promise in improving traffic flow on  
          congested roadways and producing significant improvements in  
          capacity.  AHS is a vehicle- and road-based system that can  
          drive a vehicle automatically.  This is done using sensors that  
          determine a vehicle's lane position and the speed and location  
          of other vehicles.  Actuators on the throttle, brake, and  
          steering wheel give the vehicle the necessary commands to safely  
          navigate on the roadway.  AHS vehicles often also have equipment  
          to communicate with other AHS vehicles.  Automated highways can  
          be safer, more efficient, and produce lower emissions compared  
          to the traffic flow on conventional highways.



          Currently, Caltrans has received federal funds to research and  
          conduct demonstrations on partially automated trucks in closely  
          spaced operations, also known as "truck platooning."   





          This demonstration program is in partnership with the University  
          of California at Berkeley, private truck manufacturers, and a  
          number of other stakeholders and will study the technical  
          feasibility and benefits of partially automated truck platooning  
          with the end goal of developing a policy framework that will  
          allow for the general use of this technology.  Ultimately,  
          Caltrans and program partners will focus on two specific  
          research areas: 1) testing truck driver preferences using truck  
          platooning technology in different environments; and, 2) testing  
          energy consumption savings associated with this technology.  The  
          $2 million demonstration program is funded primarily through a  
          $1.6 million federal grant coupled with $460,000 from state and  
          local sources and will run until December 2016.  



          The author introduced SB 719 to provide a temporary exemption  








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          from existing law in order to allow Caltrans to carry out truck  
          platoon testing throughout the demonstration program.  The  
          author notes SB 719 will ensure that federal grant money is  
          utilized and will allow Caltrans and stakeholders the  
          opportunity to identify trucking efficiencies, improve traffic  
          congestion, and reduce pollution.  
          


          REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:


          


          Support


          Department of Transportation (Caltrans) 





          Opposition


          None on file 




          Analysis Prepared by:Manny Leon / TRANS. / (916)  
          319-2093













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