BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 1811
Page 1
Date of Hearing: April 21, 2014
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION
Bonnie Lowenthal, Chair
AB 1811 (Buchanan) - As Amended: April 8, 2014
SUBJECT : High-occupancy toll lanes: Alameda and Santa Clara
counties
SUMMARY : Authorizes the Sunol Smart Carpool Lane Joint Powers
Authority (SSCLJPA) and the Alameda County Transportation
Commission (Alameda CTC) to require high-occupancy vehicle (HOV)
lane drivers to use electronic tolling equipment for enforcement
purposes in high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Authorizes SCCLJPA to conduct, administer, and operate a HOT
lane program on the Sunol Grade segment of Interstate 680
(I-680) in Alameda and Santa Clara counties.
2)Authorizes Alameda CTC to conduct, administer, and operate a
HOT lane program on a separate, unspecified corridor in
Alameda County.
3)Requires HOVs to have unrestricted access to the HOT lanes
operated under these provisions.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown
COMMENTS: This bill's sponsor, Alameda CTC, operates HOT lanes
in the southbound direction of I-680. It is also developing HOT
lanes on northbound I-680 and on I-580. These facilities will
eventually be part of a much larger network of HOT lanes
currently being developed throughout the Bay Area.
In anticipation of this development, the Bay Area Toll Authority
(BATA), the tolling arm of the Metropolitan Transportation
Commission (MTC), commissioned a study to assess the feasibility
of implementing self-declare switchable toll tags. These toll
tags allow a driver to self-declare up to three occupancy
settings (such as HOV or solo driver) for each trip using a
switching mechanism (e.g., slide, dial, push button, etc.) on
the toll tag. The study found that switchable toll tags will
have many operational benefits including enhanced automated
AB 1811
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enforcement, consistency for users on corridors where carpool
requirements vary, and reduced revenue leakage due to toll
evasion and misread toll tags.
One potential drawback of using a switchable toll tag system is
that it requires all HOV users to use a toll tag. Currently,
carpool vehicles are not required to have a toll tag when using
the I-680 express lanes. If the carpool vehicle is equipped
with a FasTrak toll tag in the windshield, the driver must
remove the toll tag and place it in a Mylar bag for that trip to
avoid being charged as a single-occupant vehicle. Alameda CTC
and SSCLJPA are concerned that the existing statutory
requirement to provide HOV drivers unrestricted access to HOT
lanes could impede their ability to require HOV drivers to use a
switchable toll tag. AB 1811 remedies this concern by
specifically declaring that these agencies may require HOV
drivers to use the tolling equipment for enforcement purposes.
Writing in support of this bill, MTC notes that while requiring
a FasTrak account and toll tag in the vehicle as a condition
of access to an express lane for carpools is a change from the
current approach on existing HOT lanes in the region, it is not
without precedent in the Bay Area. In 2010, BATA instituted a
reduced toll rate for carpool vehicles and required payment via
FasTrak. The change resulted in a decline in the number of
carpool vehicles, but a significant portion of that reduction
was attributed to a reduced number of carpool cheaters once the
FasTrak requirement was imposed.
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority
(Metro) is the only entity currently using switchable toll tags
in California. In conjunction with this technology, Metro uses
license plate recognition (LPR) technology to capture vehicle
identification information for vehicles without toll tags. For
these vehicles, Metro issues either a bill for the toll (and an
offer to purchase a toll tag) or a fine (for repeat offenders).
Related legislation : AB 2090 (Fong), includes provisions
similar to this bill (in addition to other provisions related to
performance measures in HOT lanes). AB 2090 passed out of
Assembly Transportation on a vote of 14-1 on March 24, 2014.
Previous legislation : AB 2032 (Dutra), Chapter 418, Statutes of
2004, originally authorized Alameda CTC and SSCLJPA to develop
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HOT lanes for demonstration purposes, not to exceed four years.
Other HOT lane facilities were also specifically authorized.
AB 574 (Torrico), Chapter 498, Statutes of 2007, authorized the
HOT lanes indefinitely.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION :
Support
Alameda County Transportation Commission (sponsor)
Metropolitan Transportation Commission
Opposition
None on file
Analysis Prepared by : Janet Dawson / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093