AB 2744: Vehicles: pedestrian, bicycle, and vehicle safety.

(1)Existing law authorizes the legislative body of a city to do any and all things necessary to lay out, acquire, and construct a section or portion of a street or highway within its jurisdiction as a freeway and to make an existing street or highway a freeway. Existing law authorizes a legislative body of a city, whenever this legislative body determines that it is necessary for the more efficient maintenance, construction, or repair of streets and roads within the city, to contract with the board of supervisors of any county for the rental of the countys equipment, as specified.

This bill would, beginning on January 1, 2025, prohibit the addition of a right-turn or travel lane within 20 feet of a marked or unmarked crosswalk where there is not already a dedicated and marked right-turn or travel lane, and would prohibit vehicles from using this 20-foot area for right turns unless the area is already marked as a dedicated right-turn lane before January 1, 2025. construction of slip lanes, as defined.

(2)Existing law prohibits the stopping, standing, or parking of a vehicle within 20 feet of the vehicle approach side of any unmarked or marked crosswalk or 15 feet of any crosswalk where a curb extension is present, as specified, except a local authority may permit commercial vehicle loading or unloading within 20 feet of the vehicle approach side of any marked or unmarked crosswalk or within 15 feet of any crosswalk, as specified, and permit parking for bicycles or motorized scooters within 20 feet of a crosswalk. A violation of the Vehicle Code is an infraction.

This bill would also authorize a local authority to install a bicycle lane within 20 feet of a crosswalk. The bill would prohibit the stopping, standing, or parking of a vehicle on a median, traffic island, or median divider, as defined.

By creating a new infraction, this bill would create a state-mandated local program.

(3)Upon the first placement or replacement of a traffic-actuated signal, as specified, existing law requires the traffic-actuated signal to be installed and maintained to detect bicycle or motorcycle traffic on the roadway. Existing law requires cities, counties, and cities and counties to comply with this provision when the Department of Transportation has established uniform standards, specifications, and guidelines for the detection of bicycles and motorcycles by traffic-actuated signals and related signal timing. Existing law requires a traffic-actuated signal to be installed and maintained to have a leading pedestrian interval, and to include the installation, activation, and maintenance of an accessible pedestrian signal and detector, upon the first placement or replacement of a state-owned or -operated traffic-actuated signal.

This bill would require these requirements to be met by January 1, 2030. Additionally, the bill would no longer make compliance by cities, counties, and cities and counties contingent upon the department establishing standards, specifications, and guidelines. The bill would prohibit official traffic control signals from being timed to pedestrian control signals, as defined. The bill would require traffic signal synchronization be implemented with all road users safety in mind, not just cars, and not induce driving above the posted speed limit.

By requiring local jurisdiction to update their traffic-actuated signals, this bill would create a state-mandated local program.

(4)The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that with regard to certain mandates no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

With regard to any other mandates, this bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs so mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.