BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                  AB 1193
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   January 23, 2014

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                  Mike Gatto, Chair

                    AB 1193 (Ting) - As Amended:  January 6, 2014 

          Policy Committee:                               
          TransportationVote:11-3

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program:  
          No     Reimbursable:               

           SUMMARY  

          This bill:

          1)Requires Caltrans, by June 30, 2015, to establish minimum  
            safety design standards for Class IV bikeways.

          2)Defines Class IV bikeways as providing a right-of-way  
            designated exclusively for bicycle travel within a roadway and  
            protected from other vehicle traffic with devices such as  
            grade separations, flexible posts, inflexible physical  
            barriers, or parked cars.  

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          Given the short frame to establish the new standards, one-time  
          special fund costs could exceed $150,000 if, for example, only  
          two senior engineering staff were required full-time for the six  
          month period. [State Highway Account]

           COMMENTS  

          1)Background  . Caltrans is responsible for establishing minimum  
            safety design criteria for the planning and construction of  
            bikeways and roadways where bicycle travel is permitted.  
            Caltrans additionally establishes uniform specifications and  
            symbols for signs, markers, and traffic control devices to  
            designate bikeways, regulate traffic, improve safety and  
            convenience for bicyclists, and alert pedestrians and  
            motorists of the presence of bicyclists where bicycle travel  
            is permitted. All local agencies responsible for the  
            development or operation of bikeways or roadways where bicycle  








                                                                  AB 1193
                                                                  Page  2

            travel is permitted must utilize these design criteria and  
            specifications. Cities and counties can apply to Caltrans for  
            a design exception, but the process can be time-consuming.   

            A protected bike lane, also referred to as a cycletrack, is a  
            type of bike lane that is part of the road but physically  
            separated from vehicle traffic in some fashion. Several  
            California cities have installed cycletracks, including Long  
            Beach, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

           2)Purpose  . AB 1193, by requiring Caltrans to establish minimum  
            safety design criteria for cycletracks, will enable cities and  
            counties to create these protected bike lanes without having to  
            seek a costly and time-consuming design exemption from  
            Caltrans, and would ensure that all cycletracks in the state  
            are built to the same minimum design and safety standards.   
           Analysis Prepared by  :    Chuck Nicol / APPR. / (916) 319-2081