BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 1194
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Date of Hearing: April 15, 2013
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION
Bonnie Lowenthal, Chair
AB 1194 (Ammiano) - As Amended: April 1, 2013
SUBJECT : Safe Routes to School Program
SUMMARY : Provides that the Safe Routes to School (SR2S) program
is to be funded by an annual appropriation of at least $46
million. Specifically, this bill :
1)Adds a non-infrastructure element to the state SR2S program,
including public awareness campaigns and outreach to press and
community leaders, traffic education and enforcement in the
vicinity of schools, student sessions on bicycle and
pedestrian safety, health, and environment, and funding for
training, volunteers, and managers of SR2S programs.
2)Repeals provisions that reference federal funding for the SR2S
program. These provisions were made obsolete by enactment of
the federal Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act
(MAP-21), the federal transportation reauthorization
legislation passed and signed into law in July 2012.
3)Provides that the SR2S program is to be funded by an annual
appropriation of at least
$46 million in eligible federal and state funds.
4)Specifies that 20% of the program funds are to be used for
non-infrastructure-related activities and up to 20% of these
funds are to be used for a statewide technical assistance
resource center.
5)Provides the Transportation Agency discretion to transfer the
responsibility to administer the SR2S program from the
California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to the
California Transportation Commission.
6)Requires Caltrans to employ a full-time SR2S coordinator to
administer the program.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Requires Caltrans, in consultation with the California Highway
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Patrol, to establish and administer the SR2S construction
program for the construction of bicycle and pedestrian safety
and traffic calming projects.
2)Directs Caltrans to award SR2S grants to local government
agencies based on a statewide competition that rates proposals
on the following factors:
a) Demonstrated need;
b) Potential to reduce child injuries and fatalities;
c) Potential to encourage increased walking and biking
among students;
d) Identification of safety hazards;
e) Identification of current and potential walking and
bicycling routes to school;
f) Use of a public process; and,
g) Benefits to low-income schools.
3)Provides that any annual state budget allocation to fund SR2S
grants is to be in addition to federal funding received for
the program.
4)Allows up to 10% of SR2S funds to be used to make
infrastructure improvements that create safe routes to school
bus stops that are located away from schools.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS : Until last summer, existing law provided for two
separate and distinct SR2S programs-one federally funded and
one state funded. The federal program provided grants for
infrastructure and non-infrastructure projects (such as
education and enforcement) and was typically funded at about
$21 million annually. With enactment of MAP-21, the federal
SR2S program was collapsed along with an array of other
existing programs into a more simplified, substantially
consolidated program, referred to as the federal
Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP). California
anticipates receiving $72 million in TAP funds over the
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two-year life cycle of MAP-21.
California was the first state to establish a state-level SR2S
program in 1999 with the passage of AB 1475 (Soto), Chapter
663. The state program differs slightly from the previous
federal program in that the state program provides grants only
for infrastructure projects. It is typically funded at around
$24 million annually. Like the federal program, the state
SR2S program is administered by Caltrans and grants are
awarded on a statewide competitive basis.
The goal of the SR2S program 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.
The program places particular emphasis on reducing crashes,
injuries, and fatalities involving children in the vicinity of
schools. The SR2S program has been very popular, with
applications exceeding available funds by a ratio of about 5:1.
Supporters of the program point to a 2007 study commissioned by
Caltrans to tout the success of the program. That report
determined that the SR2S program was successful in achieving its
goals of improving safety and increasing bicycling and walking.
The report concluded:
"The Safe Routes to School program has captured the
attention of traffic engineers, public health advocates,
schools, communities and families. Anecdotally it has been
a resounding success. Through the quantitative and
qualitative analyses conducted as part of the legislative
mandate, the SR2S program has been effective in achieving
its goals of increasing walking/bicycling and improving
safety."
The author introduced AB 1194 in response to a budget proposal
put forward this year by the Administration that many suggest
threatens the success of the SR2S program. The Administration's
proposal consolidates existing programs and creates an Active
Transportation Program (ATP) within Caltrans. The intent of the
ATP is to fund projects and programs that encourage increased
use of active modes of transportation to achieve one or more of
the following goals:
1)Increase the proportion of trips accomplished by biking and
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walking;
2)Increase safety and mobility for non-motorized users;
3)Advance regional agencies' efforts to achieve greenhouse gas
reduction goals;
4)Enhance public; and,
5)Provide environmental mitigation that supports and encourages
active transportation.
To the extent that the Administration's proposed ATP combines
several programs into one, the proposal is consistent with
MAP-21, the hallmark of which is a substantially consolidated
program with a handful of broad core programs to provide maximum
flexibility to states. Programs to be included in the proposed
ATP include the state bicycle program, state and federal SR2S
programs, the federal recreational trails program, the federal
transportation enhancement program, and the state environmental
enhancement and mitigation program. The Administration proposes
to fund the ATP at a level of at least $134 million annually.
In response to the proposed ATP, SR2S advocates have voiced a
number of concerns, namely that:
1)The ATP proposes no minimum guarantee for SR2S funding:
2)The ATP would be established after existing programs are
repealed (thereby impeding continuity of the program);
3)Non-profit organizations are not adequately represented in the
ATP guideline development process;
4)The proposed ATP process does not provide sufficient
transparency with regard to project awards; and,
5)The proposed program would not adequately ensure lower-income
communities are appropriately considered in the program's
application process.
The Assembly Budget Subcommittee #3-Resources and Transportation
is set to discuss the Administration's budget proposal relative
to the ATP later this month. Should this committee pass AB
1194, there may be a need to subsequently reconcile the bill
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with whatever actions are taken on the budget.
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Previous legislation: AB 1475 (Soto), Chapter 663, Statutes of
1999, established the SR2S program on a limited-time basis and
designated a portion of federal transportation safety funding
apportioned to the state under the federal Hazard Elimination
Safety program to fund the new program. The program was
extended twice: SB 10 (Soto), Chapter 600, Statutes of 2001,
and SB 1087 (Soto), Chapter 392, Statutes of 2004. The statute
was finally amended to strike the sunset date and continue the
program indefinitely by AB 57 (Soto), Chapter 673, Statutes of
2007.
AB 1915 (Alejo), Chapter 640, Statutes of 2012, permits up to
10% of the state's SR2S program funds to be used to assist
eligible recipients in making infrastructure improvements (other
than school bus shelters) that create safe routes to school bus
stops that are located outside the vicinity of schools.
AB 516 (V. Manuel Perez), Chapter 277, Statutes of 2011,
modified the SR2S program to result in increased participation
from socio-economically disadvantaged schools and communities.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
American Heart Association
California Center for Public Health Advocacy
California Medical Association
California Pan-Ethic Health Network
ChangeLab Solutions
City of Corning
Environmental Sustainability Advisory Committee to Culver City
Unified School District
Latino Coalition for a Health California
Public Health Institute
Marin County Bicycle Coalition
Town of Windsor
WalkSanDiego
Opposition
None on file
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Analysis Prepared by : Janet Dawson / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093