Transportation: traffic signal synchronization pilot program.

Existing law vests the Department of Transportation with possession and control of all state highways, and authorizes the department to do any act necessary, convenient, or proper for the construction, improvement, maintenance, or use of all highways that are under its jurisdiction, possession, or control. This bill would, until January 1, 2032, require the department to establish and administer a traffic signal synchronization pilot program for the local agencies constituting the Western Riverside Council of Governments to evaluate a regional model for coordinating traffic signal timing between state highways and local street and road systems, as specified. The bill would require the department, in coordination with participating agencies, to evaluate the effectiveness of the pilot program, including measurable impacts on congestion, travel time reliability, operational efficiency, and vehicle emissions, and on or before January 1, 2028, to submit a specified report to the Legislature relating to the pilot program. If the department determines, based on the evaluation, that the pilot program has demonstrated measurable transportation and operational benefits, the bill would authorize department to expand the pilot program, as provided. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the local agencies that constitute the Western Riverside Council of Governments.