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                       ENGROSSED SUBSTITUTE HOUSE BILL 1172

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State of Washington              52nd Legislature             1991 Regular Session

By House Committee on Education (originally sponsored by Representatives Holland, Cole, Peery, Brumsickle, G. Fisher, Valle, Brough, Phillips, Rasmussen, Jones, Dorn, P. Johnson, Jacobsen, Winsley, R. King, Pruitt, H. Myers, Ogden, Wood, Vance, Sheldon, Day, Spanel, Leonard, Paris, Rust, Scott, Haugen, Mitchell, Hine, Cantwell, Wynne, Nealey, Miller, Bowman, Moyer, Fraser, O'Brien, Sprenkle, Orr and Tate; by request of Task Force on Student Transp. Safety).

Read first time February 18, 1991.  Creating the school pathway and bus stop improvement program.

     AN ACT Relating to student pedestrian safety; adding new sections to chapter 28A.160 RCW; creating a new section; and providing an expiration date.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.      The legislature finds that the number of motor vehicles on the roads of the state has increased dramatically in recent years, and that this increase has created unsafe conditions for many of our children as they travel to and from school.  The legislature further finds that responsibility to ensure safe walking conditions and bus stops for our children is fragmented, and that inadequate resources have been devoted to improving pedestrian safety.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.      The school pathway and bus stop improvement program is hereby created.  The purpose of the program is to identify roads, streets, and bus stops that are hazardous to school children as they travel to school, and develop a program for making safety improvements.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.      The school pathway and bus stop improvement program council is established.  Membership on the council shall include two members of the senate, two members of the house of representatives, and representatives from the department of transportation, the office of the superintendent of public instruction, school district administrators, school board members, counties, cities, the traffic safety commission, and parents.  The president of the senate shall select the senate members and the speaker of the house of representatives shall select the house of representatives members.  Representatives of state agencies shall be selected by the respective agency.  Other representatives shall be selected by appropriate state-wide organizations.  The council shall select a chair from among its members.  Staffing and administrative support shall be provided by the Washington traffic safety commission.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4.      (1) The council established in section 3 of this act shall: 

     (a)  Formulate criteria for identifying the minimum acceptable walkways, bikeways, and school bus stops, and establish minimum design standards for constructing and reconstructing walkways, bikeways, and school bus stops for elementary students;

     (b)  Based on the identification criteria established in (a) of this subsection:  (i) Conduct an inventory of existing walkways and bikeways within a two-mile radius of elementary schools that do not meet the criteria; (ii) conduct an inventory of school bus stops; and (iii) identify priority safety improvement projects for those facilities that do not meet the criteria;

     (c) For priority safety improvement projects, the council shall identify which governmental jurisdictions or other parties should be responsible for the improvements and develop an implementation plan designed to ensure that the projects are funded and constructed;

     (d)  Based on the criteria and standards in (a) of this subsection, formulate recommended guidelines that should be followed to ensure student pedestrian safety within a two-mile radius of new elementary schools.  At a minimum, consideration shall be given to school siting guidelines for new schools that incorporate pedestrian safety considerations, construction of pedestrian safety infrastructure improvements within a specified time after new elementary schools are opened, and proposed incentives and enforcement measures to ensure that the safety improvements are completed; and

     (e)  Estimate the cost of implementing state-wide sidewalk crossing rules.

     (2)  By June 30, 1992, the council shall submit its recommendations and findings required in subsection (1) of this section to the appropriate committees of the house of representatives and the senate, the governor, local governments, school districts, and other appropriate agencies and organizations.  After July 1, 1992, the council shall provide general oversight, coordination, and assistance to local governments, state agencies, and private parties in the consideration and implementation of the recommendations.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5.      Sections 2 through 4 of this act are each added to chapter 28A.160 RCW.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 6.      Sections 1 through 4 of this act shall expire June 30, 1996.