BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                  AB 819
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   January 19, 2012

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Felipe Fuentes, Chair

                 AB 819 (Wieckowski) - As Amended:  January 11, 2012 

          Policy Committee:                              
          TransportationVote:10-3

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program: 
          No     Reimbursable:               

           SUMMARY  

          This bill requires Caltrans to establish procedures for local 
          agencies to request approval to use non-standard designs, 
          signage, and traffic control devices on bikeways and roadways 
          where bicycle travel is permitted, for purposes of research, 
          experimentation, and verification.

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          Depending on the amount of requests received to use non-standard 
          designs, Caltrans could require up to two positions, at an 
          annual special fund cost of around $240,000, to first develop 
          and then implement the procedures, including reviewing and 
          accepting, rejecting, or revising requests for non-standard 
          applications, and then evaluating the efficacy of these 
          non-standard features for statewide application. �State Highway 
          Account]

           COMMENTS  

           Purpose  . The author is seeking "to expedite the development of 
          bikeways that have proved to safely accommodate and attract many 
          more people to bicycling for transportation?More bicycling is a 
          very effective way to achieve many of our state's goals: 
          healthier people, fewer traffic injuries, stronger economy, and 
          reduced greenhouse gases." 

          The prior version of this bill would have allowed local 
          agencies, in addition to using design criteria, signage, and 
          traffic control devices specified by Caltrans, to also use 
          bicycle safety guidelines develop by specified national 








                                                                  AB 819
                                                                  Page  2

          transportation associations. Due in part to concerns that some 
          of these guidelines were developed without adequate peer review, 
          the bill was amended, as described above, in the Assembly 
          Transportation Committee with agreement from the author and 
          sponsor (California Bicycle Coalition).

           Analysis Prepared by  :    Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916) 319-2081