Today's Law As Amended


Bill PDF |Add To My Favorites | print page

SB-1283 Department of Transportation: state highways: transit bus pilot program.(2019-2020)



As Amends the Law Today


SECTION 1.

 Section 148.2 is added to the Streets and Highways Code, to read:

148.2.
 (a) For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:
(1) “Operator” has the same meaning as defined in Section 99210 of the Public Utilities Code.
(2) “Regional transportation agency” has the same meaning as defined in subdivision (k) of Section 149.7.
(b) Notwithstanding any other law, the department may establish a pilot program to authorize an operator or operators to operate transit buses on the shoulders of state highways or segments of state highways under a project selected pursuant to subdivision (e). The department may authorize no more than four projects under the program on state highways located in the counties comprising Group No. 1, as specified in Section 187, and no more than four projects on state highways located in the counties comprising Group No. 2, as specified in Section 187.
(c) (1) The department, with input from the Department of the California Highway Patrol and the public, shall develop guidelines for the selection and operation of projects under the pilot program that ensure driver and vehicle safety and the integrity of state highway infrastructure.
(2) The guidelines shall establish a speed limit for the operation of transit buses participating in the program of no more than 35 miles per hour.
(d) An operator or operators, in partnership with a regional transportation agency responsible for programming regional transportation improvement program funds or that collects a countywide special tax dedicated for transportation purposes, may submit an application to the department to establish and operate a project.
(e) (1) The department shall evaluate and select applications for projects submitted pursuant to subdivision (d) using the guidelines developed pursuant to subdivision (c).
(2) The department, the Department of the California Highway Patrol, and the operator or operators and regional transportation agency that submitted the application shall jointly determine the state highways, or segment of state highways, that will be used in a project.
(f) The department and the applicable regional transportation agency shall monitor the state of repair of highway shoulders used in the project, including necessary repairs resulting from the operation of transit buses on the shoulders.
(g) The regional transportation agency shall be responsible for all costs attributable to its project, including costs related to necessary repairs resulting from the operation of transit buses on shoulders.
(h) (1) Two years after commencing the operation of a project, an operator or operators, in conjunction with the regional transportation agency, shall submit a report to the Legislature that includes all of the following:
(A) Information regarding the geographic scope of the project.
(B) Information about any highway modification necessary to support the project.
(C) Information regarding the costs associated with the project.
(D) The performance measures used to evaluate the success of the project, such as safety, freeway operations, and transit travel time reliability and savings.
(2) The regional transportation agency shall post the report required by this subdivision on its internet website to enable the public to access the report.
(3) The report to be submitted pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.

SEC. 2.

 Section 21650 of the Vehicle Code is amended to read:

21650.
 Upon all highways, a vehicle shall be driven upon the right half of the roadway, except as follows:
(a) When overtaking and passing another vehicle proceeding in the same direction under the rules governing that movement.
(b) When placing a vehicle in a lawful position for, and when the vehicle is lawfully making, a left turn.
(c) When the right half of a roadway is closed to traffic under construction or repair.
(d) Upon a roadway restricted to one-way traffic.
(e) When the roadway is not of sufficient width.
(f) When the vehicle is necessarily traveling so slowly as to impede the normal movement of traffic, that portion of the highway adjacent to the right edge of the roadway may be utilized temporarily when in a condition permitting safe operation.
(g) This section does not prohibit the operation of bicycles on any shoulder of a highway, on any sidewalk, on any bicycle path within a highway, or along any crosswalk or bicycle path crossing, where the operation is not otherwise prohibited by this code or local ordinance.
(h) This section does not prohibit the operation of a transit bus on the shoulder of a state highway in conjunction with the implementation of a program authorized pursuant to Section 148.1 or 148.2  of the Streets and Highways Code on state highways within the areas served by the transit services of the Monterey-Salinas Transit District or the Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District. Code.