HOUSE BILL REPORT
HB 2548
As Reported by House Committee On:
Transportation
Title: An act relating to signs on bus shelters.
Brief Description: Allowing advertising on bus shelters.
Sponsors: Representatives Sullivan, Fisher, Mitchell, Hurst, Bush, Darneille, Jarrett, Rockefeller, Ogden, Edwards, Simpson, Haigh, Nixon, Anderson, Kenney, Kirby and Jackley.
Brief History:
Committee Activity:
Transportation: 1/29/02, 2/7/02 [DPS].
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Brief Summary of Substitute Bill |
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$Allows local transit agencies to include advertising as part of a bus shelter along a state highway right of way. |
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$Requires the Department of Transportation to grant leases for bus shelters unless there are significant safety concerns.
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HOUSE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION
Majority Report: The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass. Signed by 26 members: Representatives Fisher, Chair; Cooper, Vice Chair; Lovick, Vice Chair; Mitchell, Ranking Minority Member; Anderson, Armstrong, Edwards, Haigh, Hankins, Hatfield, Holmquist, Jackley, Jarrett, Mielke, Morell, Murray, Ogden, Reardon, Rockefeller, Romero, Schindler, Simpson, Skinner, Sullivan, Wood and Woods.
Staff: Paul Neal (786‑7315).
Background:
Local transit agencies, often formed as public transportation benefit areas (PTBAs), sometimes seek private partners for assistance in building and maintaining bus shelters. The private partners are allowed to post advertising in exchange for this financial assistance. This most often takes place within city limits, where municipalities currently have authority to allow advertising shelters within public rights of way that adjoin state highways.
In unincorporated county areas, however, current law prohibits placing advertising along state highway right of way. To the extent that state land managed by the Department of Transportation (DOT) may be used for private purposes, the department is required to charge for use of air space above those lands. This inhibits transit agencies from seeking private partners to help with the expense of building and maintaining bus shelters in those areas.
Summary of Substitute Bill:
Local transit systems are authorized to include commercial advertising on bus shelters located on state highway right of way. The DOT is directed to grant air space leases for this purpose, unless there are significant safety concerns. The advertising is limited to back-to-back panels not to exceed 24 square feet per side. One back-to-back panel is allowed on the downstream side of the shelter.
Substitute Bill Compared to Original Bill:
The exemption from an air space lease charge to transit systems for advertising shelters is removed. Different sections of law are amended to accomplish the bill=s purpose of allowing transit shelters with commercial advertising on state highway right of way.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Available.
Effective Date of Substitute Bill: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.
Testimony For: The bill would authorize bus shelters with commercial advertising along state highway right of way. This enables public-private partnerships wherein private parties build and maintain the shelters in exchange for the advertising rights. This allows local transit agencies to provide public bus shelters that they may not otherwise be able to afford.
Testimony Against: None.
Testified: (In support) Representative Sullivan, prime sponsor; and Scott Morris, Pierce Transit.
(In support with concerns) Scott Hazlegrove, AK Media.