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
SB 719
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