BILL ANALYSIS 1
1
SENATE ENERGY, UTILITIES AND COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE
DEBRA BOWEN, CHAIRWOMAN
SB 62 - Morrow Hearing Date: June 12,
2001 S
As Amended: June 11, 2001 FISCAL/URGENCY
B
6
2
DESCRIPTION
Current law requires the sounding of a locomotive bell or
whistle at least 1,320 feet from the place where the
railroad crosses any street. An exception is made where
the railroad crossing has a permanently installed audible
warning device authorized by the California Public
Utilities Commission (CPUC) that automatically sounds when
an approaching train is at least 1,320 feet from the
crossing.
Current law authorizes the CPUC to conduct pilot projects
for the purpose of evaluating proposed railroad crossing
warning devices and declares legislative intent that the
CPUC authorize pilot projects in Roseville and Lathrop.
This bill changes the exception to apply when the audible
warning device automatically sounds when an approaching
train is at least 20 seconds from the intersection, rather
than when it's 1,320 feet from the intersection.
BACKGROUND
The City of Roseville has asked the CPUC for permission to
create a pilot project to install an automated horn system
at two railroad crossings as an alternative to having
trains sound their whistles as they approach the crossings.
This automated horn system, known as a "wayside horn," has
the potential to reduce noise pollution because the horns
are stationary, located at the crossing, and can be
directed down the street - as opposed to a train whistle,
which sounds for about a quarter mile as a train approaches
a crossing.
SB 1491 (Leslie), Chapter 263, Statutes of 2000, was
enacted to authorize a test of the wayside horn . It
permitted the use of the horn as long as it sounded when
the train was within 1,320 feet of the intersection. If
the train were moving slowly, the horn would sound for an
unnecessarily long time, which would likely annoy residents
and defeat one of the purposes of the wayside horn, which
is to reduce, not increase, noise pollution. Modern grade
crossings employ gate and light systems which use motion
sensing technology to activate when the train is within
about 25 seconds, but not less than 20 seconds, of an
intersection, taking into account the speed of the train.
The CPUC wants to tie the wayside horn activation to the
gate and light system activation, and needs to change the
law in order to accomplish that goal. Without this bill
the wayside horn pilot projects authorized by last year's
bill cannot proceed.
For train buffs, this 20 second warning provides adequate
time for the horn to sound two long whistles, one short,
then one long, and to repeat that sequence at least once.
(Once the train occupies the intersection the horn stops.)
This is the same sound sequence that engineers on the train
sound.
COMMENTS
1)Author's Amendments . The author will propose an
amendment in committee to add the city of Fremont to the
list of cities cited in the codified intent language as
potential test cities for the wayside horn and to add
Assemblyman Dutra as a co-author of the measure.
2)Last Year's Opponents . The United Transportation Union,
which last year opposed an earlier version of the measure
creating the pilot project that's modified by this
measure, is neutral on the bill.
POSITIONS
Sponsor:
The California Railroad Industry
Support:
None on file
Oppose:
None on file
Randy Chinn
SB 62 Analysis
Hearing Date: June 12, 2001