BILL ANALYSIS
SB 1491
Page 1
SENATE THIRD READING
SB 1491 (Leslie)
As Amended May 24, 2000
2/3 vote. Urgency
SENATE VOTE :39-0
TRANSPORTATION 16-1 APPROPRIATIONS 21-0
-----------------------------------------------------------------
|Ayes:|Torlakson, Baldwin, |Ayes:|Migden, Campbell, |
| |Bates, Correa, Dutra, | |Ackerman, Alquist, |
| |Firebaugh, House, Leach, | |Aroner, Ashburn, Brewer, |
| |Longville, Maldonado, | |Cedillo, Corbett, Davis, |
| |Margett, Nakano, Scott, | |Kuehl, Maldonado, Papan, |
| |Strom-Martin, | |Romero, Runner, Shelley, |
| |Villaraigosa, Zettel | |Thomson, Wesson, Wiggins, |
| | | |Wright, Zettel |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
|Nays:|Havice | | |
| | | | |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY : Authorizes the California Public Utility Commission
(CPUC) to supervise the operation of pilot projects to evaluate
proposed railroad crossing warning devices at designated
crossings, with the consent of specified parties. CPUC would
evaluate each pilot project on a case-by-case basis.
Specifically, this bill :
1)Declares the intent of the Legislature that CPUC authorize
pilot projects, after an application is filed and approved, in
at least the communities of Roseville and Lathrop to test the
utility and safety of stationary, automated audible warning
devices as an alternative to trains having to sound their
horns as they approach railroad crossings.
2)Exempts train operators from the requirement to sound horns
within 1,320 feet from an at-grade crossing, if the railroad
crossing has a permanently installed audible warning device
that automatically sounds when a train is approaching the
crossing.
3)Authorizes, on an application by application basis, CPUC to
supervise the operation of pilot projects for the purpose of
evaluating proposed railroad crossing warning devices or new
SB 1491
Page 2
technology at designated crossings, with the consent of the
local jurisdiction, the affected railroad, and other
interested parties.
EXISTING LAW requires the sounding of a locomotive bell or
whistle at least 1,320 feet from the place where the railroad
crosses any street, with certain exceptions.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
committee analysis, minor costs, if any, to CPUC to authorize
the testing of automated warning devices at a small number of
railroad crossings.
COMMENTS : The author indicates that he was prompted to
introduce this measure after the City of Roseville failed in its
attempt gain permission from CPUC to create a pilot project to
install an automated horn system at two railroad crossings. The
intent of the pilot project is to provide an alternative to the
current practice of trains sounding their whistles as they
approach the crossings.
The pilot project would employ an automated horn system, known
as a "wayside horn. " These stationary horns have the
potential to reduce noise pollution because the horns are
located at railroad crossings, and can be directed down a
street. Train whistles, however, sound for about a quarter mile
as a train approaches a crossing dispersing its sound in every
direction.
CPUC found the project that was proposed by the City of
Roseville ran contrary to state law. Some cities, including
Sacramento, have established "quiet zones" in which train
whistles are either banned or restricted. The Federal Railroad
Administration (FRA) is formulating draft regulations to limit
"quiet zones" to areas only where supplementary safety measures
are installed, such as four quadrant gates.
FRA has evaluated the wayside horns proposed in this bill by
commissioning a study of such a system that is deployed in
Nebraska. That study noted that using a wayside horn in lieu of
the train whistle reduced net community noise impacts, but the
report questions how effective that particular system was in
alerting motorists. The study itself, however, notes "the
wayside horn shows promise as a warning device that can reduce
community noise impact without adversely affecting safety."
SB 1491
Page 3
This bill proposes to evaluate the effectiveness of wayside
horns by conducting pilot projects and in turn providing the
analysis of those projects to FRA in the hope that the wayside
horn can provide for adequate safety and less nuisance than
sounding the train whistle in the more traditional fashion.
Analysis Prepared by : Andrew Antwih / TRANS. / (916) 319-2093
FN: 0005584