Here is Streetsblog’s weekly highlight of California legislation related to sustainable transportation.
A substantial crop of bills relating to safe and sustainable streets successfully wended its way through this year's legislative session. Governor Jerry Brown has until September 30 to sign the following bills so they become law in January 2015. Alternatively, he can veto them--or ignore them. If he lets them languish until after the deadline, they will die on their own.
A.B. 47, Mike Gatto (D-Los Angeles): Would create a statewide Yellow Alert system for hit-and-run crimes.
A.B. 1532, also from Gatto: Would require an automatic license suspension for hit-and-run convictions in which a person was hit, no matter how light the injury.
A.B. 2673, Assemblymember Steven Bradford (D-Gardena): A civil compromise with the victim would no longer release a driver from criminal prosecution for hit-and-run crimes.
A.B. 2337, Assemblymember Eric Linder (R-Corona): Would extend license suspension for felony and misdemeanor hit-and-run convictions from one to two years.
Bicycles:
AB 1193, Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco): Would require Caltrans to create standards for protected bike lanes and would allow local jurisdictions to follow other standards.
SB 1183, Senator Mark DeSaulnier (D-Concord): Would allow cities, counties, and park districts to submit a ballot measure for a local vehicle registration surcharge to pay for bicycle paths; would require passage by 2/3 of voters.
Pedestrians and cyclists:
A.B. 2398, Assemblymember Marc Levine (D-San Rafael): Would define “vulnerable road users” and raise fines for causing them bodily injury.
Other forms of transportation:
S.B. 1275, Senator Kevin De Leon (D-Los Angeles): Would add a “mobility option” (public transit or car sharing vouchers) to existing monetary incentives for retiring older polluting vehicles, and addresses the fact that electric vehicle incentive programs largely benefit the rich - by providing higher incentives to low-income buyers of electric vehicles.
A.B. 1646, Assemblymember Jim Frazier (D-Oakley): Would add a question to the driver's license exam about the dangers of distracted driving associated with cell phones and texting, and assess a point against a driver's record for cell phone infractions.
A.B. 2293, Assemblymember Susan Bonilla (D-Concord): Would require drivers for rideshare app companies like Uber and Lyft to carry more insurance. The companies raised a stink about the proposed bill but ultimately came to an agreement with the author over the amount of insurance required ($200,000) and when it is required (while logged on and carrying passengers).
S.B. 1077, Senator Mark DeSaulnier (D-Concord): Would create a pilot program to test the concept of replacing gasoline taxes with a Road User Charge, which could more closely reflect actual road costs caused by individual drivers than a tax on fuel.
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