(a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Monterey-Salinas Transit District and the Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District may conduct a transit bus-only program using the shoulders of certain highways in the state highway system within the areas served by the transit services of the districts, with the approval of the department and the Department of the California Highway Patrol. The department, the Department of the California Highway Patrol, and participating transit districts shall jointly determine the segments of each highway where it is appropriate to designate the shoulders as transit bus-only traffic corridors, based upon factors that shall include, but not be limited to, right-of-way availability and capacity, peak congestion hours, and the most heavily congested areas. Under the program, the participating transit districts shall actively work with the department and the Department of the California Highway Patrol to develop guidelines that ensure driver and vehicle safety and the integrity of the infrastructure.
(b) The development of the guidelines shall be done with transparency, including the opportunity for public comment.
(c) The department and the participating transit districts shall monitor the state of repair of highway shoulders used in the program, including repairs attributable to the operation of transit buses on the shoulders.
(d) The participating transit districts shall be responsible for all costs attributable to this program, including costs related to repairs attributable to the operation of transit buses on shoulders.
(e) The program may commence operation as soon as guidelines are agreed to by the transit districts, the department, and the Department of the California Highway Patrol.
(f) As used in this section, “highway” includes “freeway.”
(Added by Stats. 2013, Ch. 426, Sec. 1. (AB 946) Effective January 1, 2014.)