The Federal Highway Administration publishes the national Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, which is incorporated by reference into federal law, to set the national standard for all traffic control devices installed on any street, highway, or bicycle trail open to public travel. Federal law authorizes the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices as a supplement to the federal manual, and requires it to be in substantial conformance with the federal manual. Existing law requires the Department of Transportation to place and maintain, or cause to be placed and maintained, directional signs on freeways indicating the location of the freeway off ramp which may be used to reach a public or private postsecondary education institution having an enrollment of either 1,000 or more full-time students or the equivalent in part-time students, at the request of the institution.

Existing law establishes the California School for the Deaf, Northern California, and the California School for the Deaf, Southern California, known collectively as the California School for the Deaf, and the California School for the Blind, as the state special schools, under the administration of the State Department of Education.

This bill would require the Department of Transportation, in the next revision of the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, to allow supplemental destination signs for a state special school that is located within 5 miles of the highway, regardless of whether the state special school is located in a major metropolitan area, urbanized area, or rural area.

The Federal Highway Administration publishes the national Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, which is incorporated by reference into federal law, to set the national standard for all traffic control devices installed on any street, highway, or bicycle trail open to public travel. Federal law authorizes the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices as a supplement to the federal manual, and requires it to be in substantial conformance with the federal manual. Existing law requires the Department of Transportation to place and maintain, or cause to be placed and maintained, directional signs on freeways indicating the location of the freeway off ramp which may be used to reach a public or private postsecondary education institution having an enrollment of either 1,000 or more full-time students or the equivalent in part-time students, at the request of the institution.

Existing law establishes the California School for the Deaf, Northern California, and the California School for the Deaf, Southern California, known collectively as the California School for the Deaf, and the California School for the Blind, as the state special schools, under the administration of the State Department of Education.

This bill would require the Department of Transportation, in the next revision of the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, to allow supplemental destination signs for a state special school that is located within 5 miles of the highway, regardless of whether the state special school is located in a major metropolitan area, urbanized area, or rural area.

The Federal Highway Administration publishes the national Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, which is incorporated by reference into federal law, to set the national standard for all traffic control devices installed on any street, highway, or bicycle trail open to public travel. Federal law authorizes the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices as a supplement to the federal manual, and requires it to be in substantial conformance with the federal manual. Existing law requires the Department of Transportation to place and maintain, or cause to be placed and maintained, directional signs on freeways indicating the location of the freeway off ramp which may be used to reach a public or private postsecondary education institution having an enrollment of either 1,000 or more full-time students or the equivalent in part-time students, at the request of the institution.

Existing law establishes the California School for the Deaf, Northern California, and the California School for the Deaf, Southern California, known collectively as the California School for the Deaf, and the California School for the Blind, as the state special schools, under the administration of the State Department of Education.

This bill would require the department, in the next revision of the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, to allow supplemental destination signs for a state special school that has a minimum enrollment of 300 pupils and is located within 5 miles of the highway, regardless of whether the state special school is located in a major metropolitan area, urbanized area, or rural area.

Existing law establishes the California School for the Deaf, Northern California, and the California School for the Deaf, Southern California, as 2 state special schools for the deaf, known collectively as the California School for the Deaf, and the California School for the Blind, as the state special schools, under the administration of the State Department of Education.

This bill would require the department to erect, at appropriate locations on highways in the state highway system, generic directional signs to the California School for the Deaf, Northern California, that is located in the City of Fremont. department, in the next revision of the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, to allow supplemental destination signs for a state special school that has a minimum enrollment of 300 pupils and is located within 5 miles of the highway, regardless of whether the state special school is located in a major metropolitan area, urbanized area, or rural area.

Existing law provides that the Department of Transportation is in full possession and control of the state highway system. Existing law provides for placement of signs on state highways, as specified.

Existing law establishes the California School for the Deaf, Northern California, and the California School for the Deaf, Southern California, as 2 state special schools for the deaf, known collectively as the California School for the Deaf, under the administration of the State Department of Education.

This bill would require the department to erect, at appropriate locations on highways in the state highway system, generic directional signs to the California School for the Deaf, Northern California, that is located in the City of Fremont.

CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS

CSA1 Bill Id:AB 2367

Author:(Lee)

As Amended Ver:June 3, 2024

Majority vote

SUMMARY

Requires the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) in the next revision of the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) to allow supplemental destination signs for state special schools located within five miles of the highway.

Senate Amendments

Make non-substantive and technical changes as follows:

1. Strikes the requirement that state special school must have a minimum enrollment of 300 pupils;
2. Moves the code section from Streets and Highways Code (SHC) 101.20, to SHC 101.21.

COMMENTS

According to the MUTCD, the purpose of traffic control devices is to promote highway safety and efficiency by providing for the orderly movement of all road users on streets, highways, bikeways, and private roads open to public travel throughout the nation.

According to the most recent update to the MUTCD, general information signs are of interest to the traveler, though not directly necessary for guidance. They include such items as state lines, city limits, other political boundaries, time zones, stream names, elevations, landmarks, and similar items of geographical interest, and safety and transportation-related messages. General information signs should not be installed within a series of guide signs or at other equally critical locations, unless there are specific reasons for orienting the road user or identifying control points for activities that are clearly in the public interest. On all such signs, the designs should be simple and dignified, devoid of any advertising, and in general compliance with other guide signing.

There is currently no criteria for signs for special schools in the MUTCD.

State Special Schools: The California Department of Education provides administrative oversight and support to three State Special Schools and three Diagnostic Centers in California. State run schools for the deaf and schools for the blind also provide intensive, disability-specific educational services for pupils who are blind, visually impaired, deaf and hard of hearing pupils, or deaf-blind, ages three to 22.

The author of this bill represents the California School for the Deaf in Fremont, California.

The school's mission includes ensuring that its students have healthy deaf identities through shared experiences, language, culture, history, and society; achieve language competency in American Sign Language and English; be independent critical thinkers committed to lifelong learning; contribute to their community as advocates for rights and social justice; be literate and responsible with technology; and lead active healthy lives. Students have the opportunity to participate in athletics and the full-range of extracurricular activities. Education is provided without charge to the parents of students, with the state and the child's home school district covering the costs.

By providing signage for these three schools on the highway this bill may increase awareness and attendance of these schools. It should be noted that an enactment of a piece of legislation is not the only way to achieve the goal of creating a designation for these schools, as Caltrans regularly facilitates a working group process for amendments to the MUTCD.

According to the Author

"AB 2367 requires Caltrans to construct and maintain generic directional highway signs for the California School for the Deaf in Fremont. By placing directional highway signs for the Fremont school, the state reaffirms its commitment to this state school and recognizes the invaluable work provided to and by the state's Deaf and Hard of Hearing communities."

Arguments in Support

Disability Rights California writes, "This bill will require directional signage to be installed on roadways adjacent to the California School for the Deaf and the California School for the Blind. These historic schools serve a vital role in the education and societal inclusion of students with these disabilities and the public should have a greater understanding of how to get there…Given the importance of these schools to the State of California, DRC urges your support of AB 2367."

Arguments in Opposition

None on file.

FISCAL COMMENTS

According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee:

"Minor and absorbable cost to Caltrans."

VOTES:

ASM TRANSPORTATION: 15-0-0

YES: Wilson, Vince Fong, Aguiar-Curry, Berman, Juan Carrillo, Davies, Hart, Jackson, Lowenthal, Papan, Sanchez, Ting, Wallis, Ward, Wicks

ASM APPROPRIATIONS: 15-0-0

YES: Wicks, Sanchez, Arambula, Bryan, Calderon, Wendy Carrillo, Dixon, Mike Fong, Friedman, Haney, Hart, Jim Patterson, Pellerin, Ta, Villapudua

ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 71-0-9

YES: Aguiar-Curry, Alanis, Arambula, Bains, Bauer-Kahan, Bennett, Berman, Boerner, Bonta, Bryan, Calderon, Juan Carrillo, Wendy Carrillo, Chen, Connolly, Davies, Dixon, Essayli, Mike Fong, Friedman, Gabriel, Gallagher, Garcia, Grayson, Haney, Hart, Holden, Hoover, Jackson, Jones-Sawyer, Kalra, Lackey, Lee, Low, Lowenthal, Maienschein, McCarty, McKinnor, Muratsuchi, Stephanie Nguyen, Ortega, Pacheco, Papan, Jim Patterson, Joe Patterson, Pellerin, Petrie-Norris, Quirk-Silva, Ramos, Rendon, Reyes, Luz Rivas, Rodriguez, Blanca Rubio, Sanchez, Santiago, Schiavo, Soria, Ta, Ting, Valencia, Villapudua, Waldron, Wallis, Ward, Weber, Wicks, Wilson, Wood, Zbur, Robert Rivas

ABS, ABST OR NV: Addis, Alvarez, Cervantes, Megan Dahle, Flora, Vince Fong, Gipson, Irwin, Mathis

SENATE FLOOR: 40-0-0

YES: Allen, Alvarado-Gil, Archuleta, Ashby, Atkins, Becker, Blakespear, Bradford, Caballero, Cortese, Dahle, Dodd, Durazo, Eggman, Glazer, Gonzalez, Grove, Hurtado, Jones, Laird, Limón, McGuire, Menjivar, Min, Newman, Nguyen, Niello, Ochoa Bogh, Padilla, Portantino, Roth, Rubio, Seyarto, Skinner, Smallwood-Cuevas, Stern, Umberg, Wahab, Wiener, Wilk

UPDATED

VERSION: June 3, 2024

CONSULTANT: Julia Kingsley / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093 FN: 0003663

Date of Hearing: May 8, 2024

ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS

Buffy Wicks, Chair

ABPCA Bill Id:AB 2367

Author:(Lee) – As Amended Ver:March 19, 2024

Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: No Reimbursable: No

SUMMARY:

This bill requires the Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to allow highway signs that indicate the proximity of a state special school, such as a school for the deaf or a school for the blind.

Specifically, this bill directs Caltrans, in the next revision of the California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (CMUTCD), to allow supplemental destination signs for a state special school that has a minimum enrollment of 300 pupils and is located within five miles of the highway, regardless of whether the state special school is located in a major metropolitan area, urbanized area or rural area.

FISCAL EFFECT:

Minor and absorbable cost to Caltrans.

COMMENTS:

Current law tasks Caltrans with adopting rules and regulations prescribing uniform standards and specifications for all official traffic control devices placed on, alongside, above or generally near California roadways. Caltrans publishes the standards for all such traffic control devices in its CMUTCD.

Three are three state special schools in California. Two of the state special schools provide intensive, specialized education to students who are deaf: the California School for the Deaf, Northern California, located in Fremont, and the California School for the Deaf, Southern California, located in Riverside. Collectively, the two schools are known as the California Schools for the Deaf. The third state special school—the California School for the Blind—is located in Fremont and provides services to blind and visually impaired children and young adults across the state. 

This bill is supported by Disability Rights California, which asserts “These historic schools [California Schools for the Deaf and the California School for the Blind] serve a vital role in the education and societal inclusion of students with these disabilities and the public should have a greater understanding of how to get there.”

Analysis Prepared by: Jay Dickenson / APPR. / (916) 319-2081