BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 1915
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 1915 (Alejo)
As Amended March 26, 2012
Majority vote
TRANSPORTATION 13-0 APPROPRIATIONS 17-0
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|Ayes:|Bonnie Lowenthal, |Ayes:|Fuentes, Harkey, |
| |Jeffries, Achadjian, | |Blumenfield, Bradford, |
| |Blumenfield, Bonilla, | |Charles Calderon, Campos, |
| |Buchanan, Eng, Carter, | |Davis, Donnelly, Gatto, |
| |Galgaini, Miller, Norby, | |Hall, Hill, Lara, |
| |Portantino, Solorio | |Mitchell, Nielsen, Norby, |
| | | |Solorio, Wagner |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Permits up to 10% of the state's Safe Routes to School
(SR2S) program funds to be used to assist eligible recipients in
making infrastructure improvements, other than school bus shelters,
that create safe routes to bus stops that are located outside the
vicinity of schools.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Provides two separate and distinct SR2S programs- one federally
funded and one state funded. The federal program provides grants
for infrastructure and non-infrastructure projects (such as
education and enforcement). The state program provides grants
only for infrastructure projects. (This bill affects the state
SR2S program only; hence, any further reference to the "SR2S"
program will be to the state program.)
2)Establishes the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans)
as the multi-modal department responsible for the statewide
mobility of people, goods, and services. Requires Caltrans to
administer an SR2S program for construction of bicycle and
pedestrian safety and traffic calming projects.
3)Requires Caltrans to award grants to local governmental agencies
on a statewide, competitive basis using various factors, as
specified, including:
AB 1915
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a) Demonstrated need of an applicant;
b) Potential to reduce child injuries and fatalities;
c) Potential to encourage increased walking and bicycling among
students;
d) Identification of safety hazards;
e) Identification of current and potential walking and
bicycling routes to school;
f) Use of a public participation process; and,
g) Benefits to a low-income school.
4)Requires Caltrans, prior to awarding a construction grant for
construction that encompasses a freeway, highway, or county road,
to consult with and obtain approval from the California Highway
Patrol (CHP) to ensure the proposal complements the CHP's
Pedestrian Corridor Safety Program.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee,
minor absorbable costs for Caltrans to modify program guidelines.
This bill could result in a reallocation of SR2S funding, and may
alter the proximity of some funded projects with respect to a school
site, but will not change the purpose of these funds in providing
infrastructure improvements along roadways used by students in their
travel to school.
COMMENTS : The goal of the SR2S programs administered by Caltrans is
to increase the number of children that walk or bicycle to school by
funding projects that remove barriers that prevent or discourage
them from doing so. In 1999, California was the first state in the
country to legislate its own state SR2S program with dedicated
funding (from the State Highway Account) on the premise that
encouraging more children to walk and bicycle to school would result
in healthier children, improved air quality, reduced fuel
consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, and less traffic
congestion near schools. This year, the SR2S program was funded at
$24.25 million. Funds are distributed on a statewide, competitive
basis. Typical projects in these programs include installing curbs,
sidewalks, traffic signals, crosswalks, warning signs, and bicycle
paths.
AB 1915
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The author has introduced this bill to serve the safety needs of
low-income rural school children who often depend on buses to
transport them to school, often walking along busy roads with
insufficient or poor quality walking infrastructure.
Supporters of this bill argue that current law does not specify that
the SR2S program can support infrastructure improvements to increase
pedestrian safety for children walking to school bus stops. As a
result, rural communities that must use buses to get their children
to school cannot enjoy the benefits of the SR2S program. By
allowing the SR2S program funds to be used to support infrastructure
improvements that might not necessarily be in the proximity of a
school, the program can more effectively serve the needs of
low-income rural children.
Opponents of this bill argue that allowing SR2S funds to be used for
bus stops that are not close to a school is in complete opposition
to the policy goals of both the state and federal SR2S programs.
Previous legislation:
AB 1475 (Soto), Chapter 663, Statutes of 1999, first enacted the
SR2S program until 2002. Subsequent legislation, SB 10 (Soto),
Chapter 600, Statutes of 2001, extended the program until 2005, and
SB 1987 (Soto), Chapter 392, Statutes of 2004, extended again until
2008. Finally, AB 57 (Soto), Chapter 673, Statutes of 2007,
eliminated the sunset date, thereby extending the program
indefinitely.
AB 516 (V. Manuel P�rez), Chapter 277, Statutes of 2011, modified
the SR2S program to facilitate increased participation from
socio-economically disadvantaged schools and communities.
Analysis Prepared by : Janet Dawson / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093
FN: 0003550