Bill Text: CA AB1560 | 2019-2020 | Regular Session | Amended

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: California Environmental Quality Act: transportation: major transit stop.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Passed) 2019-10-08 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 631, Statutes of 2019. [AB1560 Detail]

Download: California-2019-AB1560-Amended.html

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Amended  IN  Assembly  April 11, 2019

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2019–2020 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 1560

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Introduced by Assembly Member Friedman
(Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Gabriel)

February 22, 2019

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An act to amend Section 21064.3 of, and to add Sections 21060.2, 21062.5, and 21062.10 Section 21060.2 to, the Public Resources Code, relating to environmental quality.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 1560, as amended, Friedman. California Environmental Quality Act: transportation: major transit stop.

The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a lead agency, as defined, to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of, an environmental impact report on a project that it proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect. CEQA also requires a lead agency to prepare a mitigated negative declaration for a project that may have a significant effect on the environment if revisions in the project would avoid or mitigate that effect and there is no substantial evidence that the project, as revised, would have a significant effect on the environment. CEQA exempts from its requirements residential projects on infill sites that meet certain requirements, including a requirement that the projects are located within ¹/₂ mile of a major transit stop. CEQA defines “major transit stop” to include, among other things, the intersection of 2 or more major bus routes with a frequency of service interval of 15 minutes or less during the morning and afternoon peak commute periods.

CEQA requires the Office of Planning and Research to prepare and propose guidelines for the implementation of CEQA by public agencies and the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency to certify and adopt the guidelines. CEQA requires the office to propose revisions to the guidelines establishing criteria for determining the significance of transportation impacts of projects within transit priority areas to meet certain objectives. CEQA defines “transit priority area” as an area within ¹/₂ mile of a major transit stop.

This bill would revise the definition of “major transit stop” to include a bus rapid transit station, as defined, that is served by a local circulator or a local serving on-demand transit program. with a frequency of service interval of 20 minutes or less during the morning and afternoon peak commute periods. The bill would increase the frequency of service interval to 20 minutes. minutes with respect to the intersection of 2 or more major bus routes.

Digest Key

Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

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Bill Text

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

 Section 21060.2 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:

21060.2.

 (a) “Bus rapid transit line” means a bus line public mass transit service provided by a public agency or by a public-private partnership that includes at least two of the following features:

(1) Peak period or full-time dedicated bus lanes.

(2) Transit signal priority.

(3)Branded vehicles or stations.

(4)

(3) All-door boarding.

(b) “Bus rapid transit station” means either of the following:

(1) A bus stop served by a bus rapid transit line.

(2) A bus stop served by a bus line that meets both of the following:

(A) The bus line has a full-time dedicated bus lane extending one-half mile in each direction of the bus stop or in the case of a terminus stop one-half mile of the terminus stop in the direction of the bus line.

(B) The bus line has all-door boarding at the bus or terminus stop.

SEC. 2.Section 21062.5 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:

21062.5.

“Local circulator” means a bus route that provides transportation service to and from a major transit stop.

SEC. 3.Section 21062.10 is added to the Public Resources Code, to read:

21062.10.

“Local serving on-demand transit program” means an on-demand transportation service provided by a public agency or by a public-private partnership.

SEC. 4.SEC. 2.

 Section 21064.3 of the Public Resources Code is amended to read:

21064.3.

 “Major transit stop” means a site containing any of the following:

(a) An existing rail transit station.

(b) A ferry terminal served by either a bus or rail transit service.

(c) The intersection of two or more major bus routes with a frequency of service interval of 20 minutes or less during the morning and afternoon peak commute periods.

(d) A bus rapid transit station that is served by a local circulator or a local serving on-demand transit program. with a frequency of service interval of 20 minutes or less during the morning and afternoon peak commute periods.