BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SB 998
Page 1
SENATE THIRD READING
SB
998 (Wieckowski)
As Amended May 3, 2016
Majority vote
SENATE VOTE: 35-0
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|Committee |Votes|Ayes |Noes |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
|----------------+-----+----------------------+--------------------|
|Transportation |15-0 |Frazier, Linder, | |
| | |Baker, Bloom, Brown, | |
| | |Chu, Daly, Dodd, | |
| | |Eduardo Garcia, | |
| | |Gomez, Kim, Mathis, | |
| | |Melendez, Nazarian, | |
| | |O'Donnell | |
| | | | |
|----------------+-----+----------------------+--------------------|
|Appropriations |20-0 |Gonzalez, Bigelow, | |
| | |Bloom, Bonilla, | |
| | |Bonta, Calderon, | |
| | |Chang, Daly, Eggman, | |
| | |Gallagher, Eduardo | |
| | |Garcia, Holden, | |
| | |Jones, Obernolte, | |
| | |Quirk, Santiago, | |
SB 998
Page 2
| | |Wagner, Weber, Wood, | |
| | |Chau | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY: Prohibits an individual from operating, stopping,
parking or leaving a motor vehicle in a portion of the highway
designated exclusively for public transit buses. Specifically,
this bill:
1)Prohibits a person from operating a motor vehicle on a portion
of the highway designated for the exclusive use of public
transit buses, except in compliance with the directions of a
peace officer or official traffic control device.
2)Prohibits a person from stopping, parking, or leaving a
vehicle standing in a portion of the highway designated for
the exclusive use of public transit buses, except when
necessary to avoid conflict with other traffic or in
compliance with directions of a peace officer or official
traffic control device.
EXISTING LAW: Prohibits a person from stopping, parking, or
leaving a vehicle, except when necessary to avoid conflict with
other traffic or in compliance with directions of a peace
officer or official traffic control device, in any of the
following places: an intersection, on a crosswalk, between a
safety zone and the adjacent right-hand curb, within 15 feet of
the driveway entrance to a fire station, in front of a driveway,
a portion of a sidewalk, on the roadway side of a parked
vehicle, in a tunnel, on a bridge, and in passenger loading
zones, including bus stops.
SB 998
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FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, minor non-reimbursable costs for enforcement, offset
to some extent by fine revenues.
COMMENTS: Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is a high-capacity,
lower-cost public transit service intended to effectively
accommodate longer-distance passenger trips in transit-intensive
corridors in urbanized areas. By operating in bus-only lanes in
these corridors, public transit agencies are able to decrease
travel times, increase reliability, and make their bus service a
more attractive transportation alternative to driving. BRT is
gaining popularity as a solution to buses stuck in regular
traffic congestion. Additionally, BRT is less expensive than
constructing a fixed guideway rail line and is flexible to meet
community needs.
Several public transit agencies in California are currently
operating or constructing BRT projects utilizing exclusive
bus-only lanes, including the Alameda-Contra Costa Transit
District (AC Transit), the Los Angeles County Metropolitan
Transportation Authority, Omnitrans in San Bernardino County,
the Sacramento Regional Transit District, the San Diego
Metropolitan Transit System, and the Santa Clara Valley
Transportation Authority (VTA).
For example, in 2014 the San Bernardino Associated Governments
(SANBAG) opened the sbX Green line, the county's first-ever
express passenger service, offering alternative transportation
to major destinations in the cities of San Bernardino and Loma
Linda. The 16-mile corridor provides service every 10 minutes
during peak hours. In writing in support of this bill, SANBAG
noted that they have included more express bus routes in their
2016 regional transportation plan and that in addition to
providing new transit options, the future corridors will reduce
congestion and improve air quality in the valley. SANBAG goes
on to state that enforcement of current and future dedicated
SB 998
Page 4
transit lanes is critical to the safety and efficiency of BRT
operations in San Bernardino County. As to new systems, the
co-sponsors of the bill, AC Transit, will launch service on a
BRT corridor from downtown Oakland to the San Leandro Bay Area
Rapid Transit (BART) station in late 2017.
Current law prohibits motorists from stopping, parking or
leaving a vehicle in a bus stop area; however there is no
comparable state law relating to bus-only lanes. As noted by
VTA, the co-sponsor of this bill, because there is no state
prohibition of this activity, public transit agencies cannot
ticket motorists who are inappropriately using bus-only lanes
and obstructing the operation of BRT service.
California continues to encourage and support the expansion of
public transportation options and operations to meet the needs
of the traveling public and the state's air quality goals.
Updating the state's traffic laws to match these innovations is
important for their success.
Analysis Prepared by:
Melissa White / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093 FN: 0003898