(a) Notwithstanding Section 35400, Gold Coast Transit (GCT), created pursuant to Article 1 (commencing with Section 6500) of Chapter 5 of Division 7 of Title 1 of the Government Code as a joint powers agency, may install a folding device attached to the front of a bus that is designed and used exclusively for transporting bicycles if all of the following conditions are met:
(1) The device does not extend more than 40 inches from the front body of the bus when fully deployed.
(2) The device, including all bicycles transported on the device, is mounted in a manner that does not materially affect efficiency or visibility of vehicle safety equipment.
(3) The handlebars of a bicycle that is transported on a device described in this subdivision do not extend more than 46 inches from the front of the bus.
(b) (1) GCT shall establish a route review committee prior to the installation of the initial folding device, pursuant to subdivision (a), on a bus that is 45 feet in length. The purpose of the committee is to ensure the safe operation of a 45-foot bus that is equipped with a front-mounted bicycle rack.
(2) The committee established pursuant to this subdivision shall perform an initial review of the routes on which GCT proposes to operate a 45-foot bus equipped with a front-mounted bicycle rack. The review shall include a field review of the proposed routes. It is the intent of the Legislature that the field review required under this paragraph include consultation with licensed traffic engineers from affected public agencies that have jurisdiction over segments of the route or routes under review, to ensure coordination with all affected state and local public road agencies that may potentially be impacted due to the operation of a 45-foot bus with a front-mounted bicycle rack.
(3) (A) By unanimous vote of all voting members, the committee shall make a determination of the routes that are suitable for the safe operation of a 45-foot bus that is equipped with a front-mounted bicycle rack.
(B) Before conducting a vote pursuant to subparagraph (A), the committee shall obtain certification approved by a licensed traffic engineer that all proposed routes are safe for travel by 45 foot buses equipped with the bicycle racks specified in subdivision (a).
(4) Upon any proposal to make substantive changes or additions to approved routes, those changes shall be subject to review and certification pursuant to paragraph (2) prior to being approved by the committee.
(5) The members of the committee shall be selected not more than 30 days after receipt of the GCT proposal to equip a 45-foot bus with a front-mounted bicycle rack and shall be comprised of the following members:
(A) One member from GCT who shall be appointed by GCT’s general manager and who shall be a voting member of the committee.
(B) One member who is a licensed traffic engineer selected by the governing board of GCT and who shall be a voting member of the committee.
(C) One member appointed by the labor organization that is the exclusive representative of the busdrivers of GCT. If there is no exclusive representative of the busdrivers, a busdriver member shall be chosen by a majority vote of the busdrivers employed by GCT. This member shall be a voting member of the committee.
(D) One member appointed by the governing board of GCT who shall be a representative of the bicycling community and who shall reside within the area of GCT’s jurisdiction. This member shall be a nonvoting member of the committee.
(c) If a folding device is installed pursuant to subdivision (a), GCT shall submit a report in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code to the Assembly Committee on Transportation and the Senate Committee on Transportation and Housing on or before December 31, 2017. The report shall include a summary of any vehicular or traffic incidents where the size of the folding devices was a factor, and a summary of the mobility improvements that these folding devices provide.
(Added by Stats. 2012, Ch. 376, Sec. 1. (AB 2488) Effective January 1, 2013.)