Traffic safety: speed limits.

Assembly Member Rogers proposes expanding the California Department of Transportation's authority to regulate speed limits on state highways, particularly in areas with high pedestrian activity near recreational zones. The legislation allows Caltrans to lower speed limits up to 12.4 miles per hour below the 85th percentile speed when supported by engineering studies, matching powers currently held by local authorities.

The bill establishes specific criteria for speed reductions, including designation of safety corridors limited to one-fifth of affected roadways and areas adjacent to facilities generating substantial bicycle and pedestrian traffic. In business districts meeting defined commercial use and infrastructure requirements, Caltrans may set 20 or 25 mile-per-hour limits on qualifying non-freeway segments. The department must document justifications for any reductions through traffic surveys and engineering assessments.

When implementing lower speed limits, peace officers must issue only warning citations for violations within 10 miles per hour of the new limit during the first 30 days. The bill requires Caltrans to formally define safety corridors and high-pedestrian areas in its next traffic control manual update, incorporating collision data and infrastructure considerations. These changes aim to address safety concerns in recreation areas while maintaining consistent statewide standards for speed limit modifications.