Any passenger common carrier motor vehicle manufactured prior to January 1, 1968, may be equipped with green identification lamps. Any bus may be equipped with an illuminated termini sign, an illuminated identification sign, or any combination thereof, which shall not project any glaring light. Internally illuminated termini signs, identification signs, or any combination thereof, meeting the requirements of Section 25400 may be mounted inside a bus. Any commercial vehicle, other than a passenger common carrier motor vehicle, may be equipped with an illuminated identification sign upon the front thereof which shall not exceed 24 inches in length or 8
inches in width and which emits diffused white light without glare.
(Amended by Stats. 1981, Ch. 813, Sec. 18.)
(a) A commercial vehicle and any other vehicle 80 or more inches in width may be equipped with identification lamps mounted on the front or rear.
(b) Identification lamps on vehicles
described in subdivision (a) manufactured prior to January 1, 1968, may exhibit either amber, green, or white light to the front and red light to the rear.
(c) Identification lamps on vehicles described in subdivision (a) manufactured on or after January 1, 1968, may exhibit only amber light to the front and red light to the rear.
(Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 311, Sec. 6. (SB 814) Effective January 1, 2022.)
Any bus operated by a publicly owned transit system on regularly scheduled service may be equipped with a device capable of sending a signal that interrupts or changes the sequence patterns of an official traffic control signal, under the following conditions:
(a) If such a device is a flashing gaseous discharge lamp, such lamp shall not emit a visible light exceeding an average of 0.0003 candela per flash of any color measured at a distance of 10 feet.
(b) Such device shall not be installed or used
unless and until authorized on specific routes by either the Department of Transportation pursuant to Section 21350 or local authorities pursuant to Section 21351.
(c) Any bus or system operating under the conditions specified herein shall allow emergency vehicles operating pursuant to Section 25258 or 21055 to have priority in changing the sequence patterns of an official traffic control signal.
(Amended by Stats. 1980, Ch. 399, Sec. 6. Effective July 11, 1980.)
(a) Notwithstanding Sections 25400 and 25950, a bus operated by a publicly owned transit system on regularly scheduled service may be equipped with illuminated signs that include destination signs, route-number signs, run-number signs, public service announcement signs, or a combination thereof, visible from any direction of the vehicle, that emit any light color, other than the color red emitted from forward-facing signs, pursuant to the following conditions:
(1) Each
illuminated sign shall emit diffused nonglaring light.
(2) Each illuminated sign shall be limited in size to a display area of not greater than 720 square inches.
(3) Each illuminated sign shall not resemble nor be installed in a position that interferes with the visibility or effectiveness of a required lamp, reflector, or other device upon the vehicle.
(4) Each illuminated sign shall display information directly related to public transit service, including, but not limited to, route number, destination description, run number, and public service announcements.
(5) The mixing of individually colored light emitting diode elements, including red, is allowed as long as the emitted color formed by the combination of light emitting diode elements is not
red.
(b) (1) An illuminated sign may be operated as a dynamic message sign in a paging or streaming mode.
(2) The following definitions shall govern the construction of paragraph (1):
(A) “Paging,” meaning character elements or other information presented for a period of time and then disappearing all at once before the same or new elements are presented, is permitted if the display time of each message is between 2.7 and 10 seconds. Blanking times between each message shall be between 0.5 and 25 seconds.
(B) “Streaming,” meaning character elements or other information moving smoothly and continuously across the display, is permitted if the character movement time, from one end of the display to the other, is at least 2.7 seconds,
and the movement time of the entire message does not exceed 10 seconds.
(c) A regulation adopted pursuant to this section shall comply with applicable federal law, including, but not limited to, the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. Sec. 12101 et seq.).
(Added by Stats. 2006, Ch. 881, Sec. 2. Effective January 1, 2007.)