Regional transportation plan: Active Transportation Program.

(1) Existing law requires the Strategic Growth Council, by January 31, 2022, to complete an overview of the California Transportation Plan and all sustainable communities strategies and alternative planning strategies, an assessment of how implementation of the California Transportation Plan, sustainable communities strategies, and alternative planning strategies will influence the configuration of the statewide integrated multimodal transportation system, and a review of the potential impacts and opportunities for coordination of specified funding programs. This bill would require the council to convene key state agencies, metropolitan planning agencies, regional transportation agencies, and local governments to assist the council in completing the report. The bill would require that the report be completed by July 1, 2023, and additionally assess, among other things, barriers to the achievement of, and recommend actions at the state, regional, and local levels to achieve, state and regional greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets related to the California Transportation Plan and all sustainable communities strategies and alternative planning strategies, as specified. Existing law requires certain transportation planning agencies to prepare and adopt a regional transportation plan directed at achieving a coordinated and balanced regional transportation system. Existing law requires each regional transportation plan to also include a sustainable communities strategy prepared by each metropolitan planning organization. Existing law requires the State Air Resources Board to provide each affected region with greenhouse gas emission reduction targets for the automobile and light truck sector for 2020 and 2035, as specified. Existing law requires the state board to regularly prepare reports that assesses the progress made by each metropolitan planning organization in meeting those targets. This bill would require that the state board's reports include specified information, be developed in consultation with metropolitan planning organizations, the California Transportation Commission, and affected stakeholders, and be submitted to specified committees of the Legislature. The bill would authorize the state board to request data necessary to develop the reports and require metropolitan planning organizations, the California Transportation Commission, and affected stakeholders to provide that data. Existing law requires each regional transportation plan to also include an action element that describes the programs and actions necessary to implement the plan and assigns implementation responsibilities. This bill would require that a local agency consult with a metropolitan planning organization if the metropolitan planning organization reasonably concludes that the local agency's land use decisions and transportation projects will interfere with the region's achievement of those targets, as specified. Existing law requires a metropolitan planning organization to submit a sustainable communities strategy or alternative planning strategy to the state board, and requires the state board to either accept or reject the strategy based on its determination of whether the strategy submitted would achieve the greenhouse gas emission reduction targets established by the state board. This bill would require each city, county, and city and county, not later than one year after the state board's acceptance of a region's strategy, to submit a report to the applicable metropolitan planning organization that describes the actions the local agency has taken to implement, and that are consistent with, the strategy and identifies the barriers to further implementation of the strategy. This bill would require the Office of Planning and Research, on or before July 1, 2023, to develop a guidance document to provide best practices for establishing a 15-minute community, as defined, to support the planning and development of sustainable communities. By imposing additional requirements on local government, including metropolitan planning organizations, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) Existing law establishes the Active Transportation Program to encourage increased use of active modes of transportation. Existing law provides that it is the intent of the Legislature that the program advance the active transportation efforts of regional agencies to achieve specified greenhouse gas reduction goals. Existing law requires the California Transportation Commission to develop guidelines and project selection criteria for the program in consultation with the Active Transportation Program Workgroup. This bill would require the Department of Transportation, on or before January 1, 2023, to submit a proposal for the development, including the selection, of sites for a pilot program establishing branded networks of bicycle highways that are numbered and signed within 2 of California's major metropolitan areas. The bill would require the department to present the proposal to the California Transportation Commission for review and comment, including making recommendations for potential funding sources for constructing the bicycle highways. The bill would require the department, on or before July 1, 2026, to report to the relevant policy committees of the Legislature on the status of the pilot program and recommendations for the development of additional networks of bicycle highways. (3) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.