SECTIONS 25480-25486 - California Statutes

PUBLIC RESOURCES CODE

SECTION 25480-25486

25480. As used in this chapter, "department" means the Department
of Transportation.

25481. The Legislature hereby finds and declares that:
(a) Due to the projected rapid growth in demand for energy,
coupled with the mounting difficulties in providing energy supplies,
a continuing energy shortage exists, posing a significant danger to
public health and welfare.
(b) The use of the automobile represents the single largest use of
energy in this state and, therefore, the growing use of energy by
automobiles is a major factor contributing to such shortage.
(c) Heavy automobile traffic in our major cities has resulted in
serious problems of air pollution and traffic congestion.
(d) Increased ridesharing by commuters would aid in lowering air
pollution levels, conserving energy, and reducing urban traffic
congestion.
It is, therefore, the purpose of this chapter to provide
incentives for the wider use of ridesharing by commuters in
metropolitan areas.

25482. All state agencies shall provide assistance to their
employees living in metropolitan areas in establishing carpools and
locating potential carpool participants. The department shall be
responsible for coordinating these efforts.

25483. In order to perform its new function of promoting and
assisting ridesharing, the department is authorized to establish
ridesharing programs in metropolitan areas for public and private
employees with funds made available for such purpose from any source.
The ridesharing programs may be established and maintained entirely
by the department or by the department in cooperation with public or
private parties pursuant to contract.

25484. The ridesharing programs established by the department may
include, but are not limited to, computer or manual matching systems,
promotional efforts to encourage carpooling, vanpooling, buspooling,
and flexible work hours, and preferential treatment on highways.

25485. The department shall develop programs and undertake any
necessary construction to establish, for the use of carpool vehicles
carrying at least three persons, preferential lanes on major freeways
in metropolitan areas where the total benefits to the carpool
vehicles will bear a reasonable relationship to the total adverse
effects on the remaining vehicles, as established on the basis of an
engineering study. The department shall also permit such carpool
vehicles to have access to preferential bus lanes established on
major freeways, unless congestion seriously impeding the travel of
buses will result or will present a serious traffic hazard.

25486. The department is encouraged to establish as soon as
possible preferential lanes for the use of buses and three-passenger
carpool vehicles in both directions on State Highway Route 10, the
Santa Monica Freeway, at least from Centinela Avenue to Vermont
Avenue in Los Angeles County. Due to the high-density traffic flow on
such a highway, it is necessary that the department establish such
preferential lanes as a pilot project so that data can be developed
for implementation of similar projects in other areas of the state.