BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 1984
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Date of Hearing: April 16, 2012
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION
Bonnie Lowenthal, Chair
AB 1984 (Wagner) - As Introduced: February 23, 2012
SUBJECT : Illuminated signs on public transit buses
SUMMARY : Establishes a pilot program for the University of
California at Irvine (Irvine), allowing their transit buses to
advertise on their side-mounted illuminated signs until January
1, 2018. Specifically, this bill :
1)Authorizes, until January 1, 2018, Irvine to establish a pilot
program allowing their publicly-owned transit buses to be
equipped with illuminated signs that display advertisements.
2)Establishes conditions governing the use of illuminated
display advertising signs including:
a) Signs shall emit diffused non-glaring light.
b) Signs shall not be greater than 4,464 square inches in
area.
c) Signs shall not be installed in a position that
interferes with the visibility of required lamps,
reflectors, or other devices.
d) Signs shall not be forward or backward facing (i.e., not
on the front or rear of the bus).
e) Light emitting diodes for illumination may include red
provided the colored formed by the mixing of light from the
diodes in the advertising is not red.
1)Prohibits buses from using the streaming or paging mode for
the illuminated signs when the vehicles are operated on state
freeways.
2)Requires Irvine to submit a specified report to the
Legislature by July 1, 2017, on the incidence of adverse
impacts due to the use of the illuminated signs, if any.
3)Limits the number of buses with illuminated signs to 25 for
AB 1984
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two years, after which Irvine may increase the total number to
30.
4)Sunsets the provisions of this bill on January 1, 2018.
EXISTING LAW:
1)Establishes, until January 1, 2017, a pilot program for the
City of Santa Monica (Santa Monica) allowing their transit
buses to advertise on their side-mounted illuminated signs.
Establishes the specifications and prohibitions of the
illuminated signs. Prohibits the buses from using the
streaming or paging mode for the illuminated signs when the
vehicles are operated on state freeways. Requires Santa
Monica to submit a report to the Legislature by July 1, 2016,
on the incidence of adverse impacts, if any.
2)Authorizes buses, operated by a publicly-owned transit system
on regularly scheduled service to be equipped with illuminated
destination signs.
3)Authorizes dynamic messaging on all illuminated signs if the
practice adheres to prescribed requirements.
4)Defines "lighting equipment" as an illuminated sign installed
on a bus that utilizes an electronic display to convey the
route designation, route number, run number, or any
combination thereof.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS : Public transit agencies have long used static signs
placed on the sides of buses to display advertising. Transit
agencies receive revenue from firms that use the signs for
advertising. A project sponsored by the Transit Cooperative
Research Program, a joint venture of the Federal Transit
Administration and the Transportation Research Board, identified
the emerging media of digital bus advertising as a revenue
stream for transit agencies.
The digital signs are ultra-thin, lightweight, light emitting
diode screens that can easily be mounted on the sides of buses.
Digital advertising allows for customize advertising, including
a rate structure that varies by the time of day, because the
advertising being displayed can be managed remotely. It is,
AB 1984
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therefore, possible to render the advertising static when the
buses are operating on freeways.
According to the author, due to the budget cuts of the
University of California system over the years, there is a need
for Irvine to raise revenues in order to maintain needed student
services for their campus. Their intention is to raise funds by
selling advertisements on their school shuttle buses that would
be displayed on the side-mounted illuminated signs. The author
contends that "this is a unique way to approach the financial
deficit in funding for student services. With student service
budgets participating in the overall campus reduction, units
that have a way to raise revenue to augment are doing so like
the shuttle service."
Legislation was enacted last year (see following "Related bills"
section) that allows the City of Santa Monica (Santa Monica) to
use illuminated advertising on the sides of their public transit
buses for a limited, five-year period. This bill is modeled
after that legislation and provides Irvine with the
authorization to implement a digital advertising pilot program
for their campus and surrounding areas. Further, it is believed
that since the two locations are sufficiently apart and the
localized transit routes do not overlap, the selling of ads for
the digital displays will not be affected.
Related bills : AB 607 (Brownley), Chapter , Statutes of 2011,
establishes a pilot program for the City of Santa Monica
allowing their transit buses to use illuminated signs for
purposes of advertising.
AB 2375 (Knight), of 2012, a similar bill, would authorize,
until January 1, 2018, a pilot program for Antelope Valley
Transit Authority to use illuminated signs for advertising on
their public transit buses. That bill will heard in this
committee next week.
SB 1295 (Huff), of 2012, would allow local school districts to
advertise on the exterior of the yellow school buses. That bill
passed the Senate Transportation and Housing Committee and is to
be heard in the Senate Education Committee.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
AB 1984
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California Communities United Institute
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by : Ed Imai / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093