25354
. (a) Notwithstanding Sections 25400 and 25950, and except as
provided in subdivision (c), a bus operated by the University of
California, Irvine's public transport system on regularly scheduled
service, in addition to the illuminated signs described in Section
25353, may also be equipped with illuminated signs that display
advertising and that emit any light color, if all of the following
conditions are met:
(1) Each illuminated sign displaying advertising emits diffused
nonglaring light.
(2) Each illuminated sign displaying advertising is limited in
size to a display area of not greater than 4,464 square inches.
(3) Each illuminated sign displaying advertising does not
resemble, and is not installed in a position that interferes with the
visibility or effectiveness of, a required lamp, reflector, or other
device upon the vehicle.
(4) Each illuminated sign displaying advertising is only placed on
one or both sides of the vehicle, and is not placed in a
forward-facing or rear-facing position, and no more than one such
sign is placed on either side of any single vehicle.
(5) The mixing of individually colored light emitting diode
elements, including red, is allowed in each illuminated sign
displaying advertising as long as the emitted color formed by the
combination of light emitting diode elements is not red.
(b) (1) An illuminated sign displaying advertising may be operated
as a dynamic message sign in a paging or streaming mode. However,
the electronic message sign display shall remain static while a bus
is operating on a freeway, as that term is defined in Section 257 of
the Streets and Highways Code.
(2) The following definitions shall govern the construction of
paragraph (1):
(A) "Paging," meaning character elements or other information that
is presented for a period of time and then disappears all at once
before the same or new elements are presented, is permitted if the
display time of each message is between 2.7 and 10 seconds. Blanking
times between each message shall be between 0.5 and 25 seconds.
(B) "Streaming," meaning character elements or other information
moving smoothly and continuously across the display, is permitted if
the character movement time, from one end of the display to the
other, is at least 2.7 seconds, and the movement time of the entire
message does not exceed 10 seconds.
(c) On or before March 1, 2014, the University of California,
Irvine, if it elects to implement a pilot program pursuant to this
section, shall determine whether the City of Santa Monica has at
least 12 transit buses equipped with illuminated signs that are
operational pursuant to Section 25353.1. The University of
California, Irvine, may implement the pilot program authorized by
this section only if it determines that the City of Santa Monica has
less than 12 transit buses equipped with illuminated signs that are
operational pursuant to Section 25353.1.
(d) If the University of California, Irvine implements the pilot
program pursuant to this section, it shall submit a report to the
Legislature and the department on the incidence of adverse impacts on
roadway and pedestrian safety due to the utilization of illuminated
signs on transit buses displaying advertising pursuant to this
section, if any, by July 1, 2018. The report shall be the product of
a collaborative effort between university law enforcement and transit
officials, other law enforcement officials in whose jurisdictions
the university's transit vehicles operate, and the department. The
report shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the
Government Code.
(e) The University of California, Irvine's public transport system
may, pursuant to subdivision (a), operate up to 25 buses with
illuminated signs displaying advertising for two years, after which
time the city may increase the number of buses with the signs to up
to 30.
(f) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1,
2019, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted
statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2019, deletes or extends
that date.