AB 2307

AB2307:v98#DOCUMENT

Bill Start

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 2307

An act to add and repeal Section 101.16 of the Streets and Highways Code, relating to transportation.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 2307, as amended, Sanchez. Transportation: traffic signal synchronization pilot program. program: Western Riverside Council of Governments.

Existing law vests the Department of Transportation with possession and control of all state highways, and authorizes the department to do any act necessary, convenient, or proper for the construction, improvement, maintenance, or use of all highways that are under its jurisdiction, possession, or control.

This bill would, until January 1, 2032, require the department authorize the Western Riverside Council of Governments, in required coordination with the department, to establish and administer a traffic signal synchronization pilot program for the its member local agencies constituting the Western Riverside Council of Governments to evaluate a regional model for coordinating traffic signal timing between state highways and local street and road systems, as specified. The bill would require the department, Western Riverside Council of Governments, in coordination with participating agencies, the department, to evaluate the effectiveness of the pilot program, including measurable assessing its impacts on congestion, travel time reliability, operational efficiency, and vehicle emissions, emissions and to submit, on or before January 1, 2028, to submit a specified report to the Legislature relating to the pilot program. If the department determines, based on the evaluation, that the pilot program has demonstrated measurable transportation and operational benefits, the bill would authorize department to expand the pilot program, as provided.

This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the local agencies that constitute the Western Riverside Council of Governments.

Digest Key

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

Bill Text

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

SECTION 1. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:(a) The efficient operation of the state highway system and local street and road systems can support housing development, economic activity, and the effective use of public infrastructure.(b) Traffic congestion and unmanaged vehicle idling on existing roadways adversely affect travel time reliability, system efficiency, air quality, and greenhouse gas emissions.(c) Expansion of state highways and major roadways can be constrained by fiscal, environmental, and community considerations and, as a result, transportation strategies that optimize the performance of existing infrastructure are necessary.(d) Coordinated traffic signal timing and operational management between state highways and local streets can improve traffic flow, reduce delay and vehicle idling, enhance safety, and increase the effectiveness of existing transportation infrastructure.

SECTION 1.SEC. 2.

Section 101.16 is added to the Streets and Highways Code, to read:

101.16.

(a) The department shall Western Riverside Council of Governments, in coordination with the department, may establish and administer a traffic signal synchronization pilot program for the local agencies constituting the Western Riverside Council of Governments its member local agencies to evaluate a regional model for coordinating traffic signal timing between state highways and local street and road systems.

(b) The pilot program shall be implemented in voluntary coordination with the Western Riverside Council of Governments and its member local agencies. The department shall retain oversight authority over participate in the pilot program, including approval the review of work plans, data standards, and evaluation methodologies.

(c) The participating member local agencies, at their own cost, and through voluntary in coordination with the regional transportation planning agency, Western Riverside Council of Governments, may conduct studies, implement coordinated signal timing plans, and deploy technology or communication upgrades necessary to improve traffic signal synchronization and operational coordination between state highways and local arterials.

(d) Eligible activities under the pilot program may include, but are not necessarily limited to, traffic signal synchronization studies, corridor-level operational analyses, implementation of coordinated and adaptive signal timing plans, upgrades to traffic signal hardware or software, deployment of detection and communications infrastructure, and data collection and performance monitoring related to travel time reliability, congestion reduction, safety, and emissions outcomes.

(e) The department, Western Riverside Council of Governments, in coordination with participating agencies, the department, shall evaluate the effectiveness of the pilot program, including measurable assessing its impacts on congestion, travel time reliability, operational efficiency, and vehicle emissions.

(f) On or before January 1, 2028, the department Western Riverside Council of Governments shall submit a report to the Legislature in accordance Legislature, consistent with Section 9795 of the Government Code Code, describing the pilot program, summarizing outcomes and performance data, identifying best practices and implementation challenges, and making recommendations regarding the feasibility of statewide application of the traffic signal synchronization model. applicability of the pilot program statewide.

(g)If the department determines, based on the evaluation required by subdivision (e), that the pilot program has demonstrated measurable transportation and operational benefits, the department may expand the traffic signal synchronization pilot program in voluntary coordination with other local agencies, prioritizing corridors with high traffic volumes, significant congestion, or multimodal transportation activity.

(g) For purposes of this section, “member local agencies” means the local agencies constituting the Western Riverside Council of Governments.

(h) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2032, and as of that date is repealed.

SEC. 2.SEC. 3.

The Legislature finds and declares that a special statute is necessary and that a general statute cannot be made applicable within the meaning of Section 16 of Article IV of the California Constitution because of the unique traffic needs of the local agencies that constitute the Western Riverside Council of Governments.