California Assembly Bill AB1298 Introduced / Bill

 BILL NUMBER: AB 1298INTRODUCED BILL TEXT INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Blumenfield FEBRUARY 18, 2011 An act to amend Section 149 of the Streets and Highways Code, relating to high-occupancy vehicle lanes. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 1298, as introduced, Blumenfield. High-occupancy vehicle lanes. Existing law authorizes the Department of Transportation to construct exclusive or preferential lanes for buses only or for buses and other high-occupancy vehicles and requires that, prior to constructing those lanes, the department conduct competent engineering estimates of the effect of those lanes on safety, congestion, and highway capacity. This bill would require the department to conduct those engineering estimates with respect to the effect on congestion mitigation and would make grammatical, nonsubstantive changes to those provisions. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 149 of the Streets and Highways Code is amended to read: 149. The department may construct exclusive or preferential lanes for buses only or for buses and other high-occupancy vehicles, and may authorize or permit  such   that  exclusive or preferential use of designated lanes on existing highways that are part of the State Highway System. Prior to constructing  such   those  lanes, the department shall conduct competent engineering estimates of the effect of  such   those  lanes on safety, congestion  mitigation  , and highway capacity. To the extent they are available, the department may apply for and use federal aid funds appropriated for the design, construction, and use of  such   those  exclusive or preferential lanes, but may also use other State Highway Account funds, including other federal aid funds, for those purposes where proper and desirable. This section shall be known and may be cited as the Carrell Act.