HOUSE BILL REPORT

                 ESSB 6348

             As Reported By House Committee On:

                       Transportation

Title:  An act relating to proper lane travel for heavy vehicles.

Brief Description:  Facilitating smoother flow of traffic.

Sponsors:  Senate Committee on Transportation (originally sponsored by Senators Oke, Owen, Prince, Wood, Loveland, McCaslin, Moyer, Hochstatter, Johnson and Hale).

Brief History:

  Committee Activity:

Transportation:  2/26/96 [DP].

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION

Majority Report:  Do pass.  Signed by 17 members:  Representatives K. Schmidt, Chairman; Mitchell, Vice Chairman; R. Fisher, Ranking Minority Member; Hatfield, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Backlund; Blanton; Buck; Cairnes; Chopp; Horn; Johnson; McMahan; Patterson; Romero; D. Schmidt; Scott and Tokuda.

Staff:  Mary McLaughlin (786-7309).

Background:  On any highway with two or more lanes in one direction, all vehicles must remain in the right lane except when overtaking another vehicle, traveling at a speed greater than the traffic flow, when moving to the left to allow for merging traffic, or when preparing to make a left-hand  turn.

In the state of California certain vehicles are restricted from using the left lane(s) on a multi-lane facility.  On a highway with two lanes in the same direction trucks must stay in the right lane except to pass.  On a three-lane facility a truck must remain in the right lane and use the center lane to pass.  On a highway with four or more lanes in the same direction, a truck must stay in the first two right lanes and can pass only in the third lane.  The restrictions apply not only to trucks, but also to vehicles pulling a trailer, school buses, farm vehicles transporting passengers, and vehicles transporting explosives, etc.

Summary of Bill:  Vehicles over 10,000 pounds are prohibited from driving in the left lane on a highway with three or more lanes in the same direction.  The exceptions are (1) vehicles preparing to turn left; (2) vehicles lawfully using a high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane; (3) emergency vehicles (fire trucks, ambulances, police); and (4) tow trucks responding to law enforcement calls.  An HOV lane is not considered the left-hand lane of a roadway.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  Prohibiting heavier vehicles from using the left lane may help ease the traffic congestion in the left-hand lane.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Dave Peach, Department of Transportation.