Title
Staff Report for Adoption of Ordinances Relating to Transportation Permits and Overweight Vehicle Permits, Adoption of Fees, and Repeal of Conflicting Administrative Code Provisions Relating to Same
Staffreport
SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
On February 17, 2015, the City Council introduced two ordinances to regulate vehicles that exceed statutory limitations on size, weight and loading and to regulate overweight vehicles.
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt the Ordinances adding Chapter 6.8 and Chapter 6.9 to Title 6 of the San Leandro Municipal Code to regulate these vehicles. Staff also recommends that the City Council conduct a public hearing to adopt a resolution amending the fee schedule related to the issuance of the transportation and overweight vehicle permits. Staff recommends that the City Council adopt a resolution repealing Chapter 4 of Title 8 of the San Leandro Administrative Code so that it is not inconsistent with the new ordinances when they go into effect.
BACKGROUND
Historically, oversized vehicles have travelled in and through the City with little regulation or control.
Hundreds of commercial vehicles travel through San Leandro daily. Some of these vehicles exceed statutory limitations on the size, weight and loading of vehicles permitted by the California Vehicle Code. Oversized vehicles may be overweight and the increased weight can affect the safe starting, stopping and handling of the vehicle. Increased weight may cause stress on a vehicle that could potentially cause a critical item component to fail, leading to a traffic collision. The increased weight can add extreme pressure to the roadway which could cause the roadway and underlying infrastructure to fail. Transportation permits would allow for the regulation and control of these vehicles. Vehicles that are found out of compliance would be cited and in some cases taken out-of-service. The California Vehicle Code regulates maximum vehicle size and weight for safety and allows cities to issue special permits to regulate and control oversized vehicles.
Oversized vehicles also on occasion travel outside of posted truck routes through residential City streets that are not designed to accommodate them. These vehicles require greater stopping distances and impact the wear on roadway surfaces due to their weight. The greater stopping distances can be a safety factor when they are travelling outside truck routes in residential areas. Vehicles found traveling off of the designated truck routes would be cited and re-routed.
In the past twelve (12) months, several local businesses have expressed interest in operating overweight vehicles within the City, specifically vehicles hauling intermodal shipping containers. These businesses would like to operate vehicles with a gross weight of 95,000 lbs. The maximum allowable gross weight in California is 80,000 lbs. The California Vehicle Code allows cities to permit the moving of vehicles and loads at a maximum gross weight in excess of 80,000 lbs.
Operating overweight vehicles allows local businesses to be more efficient and reduce the impact on the environment by taking less trips. Additionally, permitting overweight vehicles could reduce the number of trucks on the roadways, leading to less congestion, less fuel consumption and less diesel exhaust (greenhouse gases) emitted into the atmosphere.
Overweight vehicles require additional regulation because the increased weight can affect the safe starting, stopping and handling of such vehicles. Increased weight may cause stress on a vehicle that could potentially cause a critical item component to fail, leading to a traffic collision. The increased weight can add extreme pressure to a roadway, which could cause the roadway and underlying infrastructure to fail.
Staff from the Engineering and Transportation Department and the Police Department met with requesting businesses and San Leandro Chamber of Commerce officials to discuss risks associated with permitting overweight vehicles. After that meeting, staff believes that the benefits of allowing such vehicles, especially with regards to increased economic development and reduction in greenhouse gases, out-weigh the risks, such that with proper regulation and control the City can allow vehicles to operate within the City with an increased weight of not greater than 95,000 lbs.
Regulations on the operation of overweight vehicles include proper driver training, approval of a designated overweight route by the Engineering and Transportation Department, and proof that the overweight vehicle has undergone proper safety inspections. Vehicles found out of compliance with these conditions will be cited and in some cases taken out-of-service.
In 2010, the San Leandro Police Department created a full time commercial enforcement officer position. This commercial enforcement officer is an expert in commercial vehicle matters and drives a specialized vehicle equipped with inspection tools including portable truck scales. This specially trained commercial enforcement officer patrols, locates and inspects commercial vehicles. This officer is trained by the California Highway Patrol and holds the title of M.R.E. (Mobile Road Enforcement).
The attached Ordinances will provide clear guidelines for overweight vehicle operators and will allow the commercial enforcement officer and other peace officers to appropriately regulate overweight vehicles.
San Leandro Administrative Code Title 8, Chapter 4 provides that the City will not issue permits for any vehicle or load that exceeds the maximum specified in the California Vehicle Code. Thus, staff recommends that the City Council repeal this provision of the Administrative Code, with the repeal taking effect upon the effective date of the attached Ordinances.
Pursuant to California Vehicle Code Section 35795, the City Council must conduct a public hearing prior to the adoption of the transportation and overweight vehicle permit fees. Staff recommends that following the public hearing the City Council adopt the attached resolution amending the fee schedule to include the associated overweight vehicle permit fees.
Previous Actions
On February 17, 2015, the City Council passed to print Ordinance No. 2015-002 to regulate vehicles that exceed statutory limitations on size, weight and loading, and Ordinance No. 2015-003 to regulate overweight vehicles.
Summary of Public Outreach Efforts
A Notice of Public Hearing was published in The Daily Review once a week for four successive weeks prior to the hearing.
Fiscal Impacts
The infrastructure to start and maintain these programs are in place, so there would be no cost to implement these programs.
ATTACHMENT
Attachment to Resolution
ยท San Leandro Administrative Code Title 8, Chapter 4
PREPARED BY: Jeff Bouillerce, Commercial Enforcement Officer, Police Department
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