Legislature(2001 - 2002)
04/09/2002 01:34 PM Senate TRA
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
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= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
SB 100-PERSONAL MOTOR VEHICLES/ REGISTRATION
MS. KELLY HUBER, staff to Senator Halford, sponsor of SB 100,
informed members that a proposed committee substitute was in
members' packets. She noted the sponsor has requested that
members adopt the proposed committee substitute and that she
would address that version (Version L). She described the bill as
follows.
This bill was introduced because of new technology. A new device,
called the electric personal motor vehicle assistive device, was
unveiled in the fall of 2001. It is a clean fuel, quiet, upright,
two-wheel tandem device that can travel at 15 mph, that was
designed for use in pedestrian areas. Senator Halford introduced
this legislation to make sure that use of those vehicles is not
prohibited in certain areas and so that registration licensure is
not required. The proposed committee substitute addresses changes
in statute concerning farm and construction vehicles. That
provision was removed from Version L. Another provision that was
removed from Version L prohibited departments from writing
regulations concerning the assistive mobility device. The
departments will be able to write regulations but they cannot
prohibit use of the device. She said she believes the
Administration supports the legislation.
CHAIRMAN COWDERY asked if the legislation also applies to
electric wheelchairs.
MS. HUBER said she does not believe there are any problems
associated with electric wheelchairs right now. The sponsor
statement refers to wheelchairs as an example of an assistive
mobility device that is useful to senior citizens. She said the
sponsor wants the electric personal motor vehicle to be treated
similar to an electric wheelchair rather than any other type of
transportation.
CHAIRMAN COWDERY asked if the electric personal motor vehicle is
a two-wheeled vehicle.
MS. HUBER said it is and that the rider stands on it.
CHAIRMAN COWDERY noted the presence of Senator Taylor.
There being no further questions, SENATOR WARD moved to adopt
Version L of SSSB 100 as the working document of the committee.
CHAIRMAN COWDERY announced that without objection, Version L was
adopted.
SENATOR ELTON asked Ms. Huber if enactment of this bill would
preclude any municipality from regulating the use of these
devices on city sidewalks.
MS. HUBER said the bill does not contain a municipal exemption
area, based on the idea that this technology is new and there
will not be many of these devices on the streets for a while.
Should an issue arise later on, the matter can be addressed at
that time.
SENATOR ELTON said he hates to sound like the only conservative
in the room, but it seems to him that the legislature would not
want government to mandate rules until a problem arises. He
stated, "That almost seems backward to me - that you're saying
well, there may or may not be a problem but we're going to allow
it anyway." He said his concern is that negotiating the sidewalks
in downtown Juneau during the cruise ship season is difficult.
Juneau has banned the use of skateboards on sidewalks. The
electric personal motor vehicles travel five times faster than a
normal person walks and probably 10 times faster than a tourist
ambles through the community. He repeated that he is having a
difficult time with the concept that state government is going to
tell communities how to regulate traffic in highly congested
areas.
MS. HUBER responded that it is not that the sponsor disagrees,
but he does not foresee any problems at this time. She pointed
out that electric wheelchairs travel on sidewalks.
SENATOR ELTON said if, in fact, there is a problem,
municipalities will have to come to the legislature to request
that the statute be amended so that they can deal with the
problem.
CHAIRMAN COWDERY asked if the state has jurisdiction over
municipal rights-of-way.
SENATOR TAYLOR said it does. He asked if electric personal motor
vehicles could travel on bike paths and whether the sponsor would
object to a friendly amendment allowing snow machines to use the
bike paths also.
MS. HUBER said they would be allowed to travel on bike paths.
CHAIRMAN COWDERY took public testimony.
MR. DENNIS HARRIS informed members that he is very active in
Juneau's cycling community. He is very concerned about this
legislation for several reasons, one being that there are already
many conflicts on multiple-use paths. Those paths are already
congested, particularly sidewalks in downtown Juneau. He pointed
out there is a good reason why state law and most city codes
don't allow the use of bicycles on sidewalks by anyone over 12
years old - because bicycles move at a much greater speed than
pedestrians; the same reason skateboards are prohibited in a good
part of the downtown area of Juneau. Many elderly people with
osteoporosis fear bicycles and skateboards on sidewalks because
if they fall, their injuries are slow to heal. He said his
biggest concern about this bill is that the first orders will be
delivered to businesses such as UPS and FedEx for commercial use
in the next six months. The manufacturer does not expect them to
be in general use for at least two years and the manufacturer is
engaged in a giant lobbying effort across the country to exempt
these vehicles from regulation. He stated:
That's what this bill does and it's wrong. Quite
frankly, we should allow some experience with these
vehicles before we decide what kind of regulation to do
but in my opinion they should not be - this bill
essentially prohibits cities from prohibiting their use
on a sidewalk. I can just see the situation between
here and the Governor's Mansion on Calhoun Avenue - on
that very narrow sidewalk - where someone is trying to
zip along and get to work on their segue at 15 miles an
hour and it's crowded with pedestrians in the morning
trying to walk to work and there's heavy traffic in the
street. This is just not a good idea. I think we need
to wait and see what kind of experience we can have
with these vehicles.
MR. HARRIS said his other concern is that people are not aware of
the mass of these vehicles. They weigh 80 pounds and can travel
at 20 mph. The delivery devices will be set at 12.5 mph. He
expressed concern that the promotion of these devices has been
disingenuous because they are referred to as personal assistive
mobility devices, which sounds like something for use by the
handicapped. However, they will not work for many handicapped
people because passengers must stand to ride them. He also
expressed concern that this bill will take away local control
over these devices. He indicated that most bicycle paths and
pedestrian walkways alongside federal aid highways in Alaska were
financed by a federal law. Under that federal law, this bill
would not be legal because the federal law prohibits the use of
any kind of motorized device on a sidewalk or pedestrian way that
was built with federal aid dollars. He offered to submit the
correct citation to members.
CHAIRMAN COWDERY asked Mr. Harris to describe a multiple use
path.
MR. HARRIS said that multiple use paths were designed for non-
motorized use, which is what is stated in federal law. He added
that in doing research for a proposed Juneau ordinance to allow
the use of motorized skooters, he found they were prohibited by
the same federal law. He urged members to move slowly on this
legislation as it needs further research, particularly in the
pedestrian conflict area.
SENATOR TAYLOR pointed out that, according to the sponsor
statement, "the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
ruled this device is not a motor vehicle and should not be under
their jurisdiction." He also pointed out that 12 states have
enacted similar legislation.
MR. HARRIS said as far as he is aware, the only activity at the
federal level regarding use of these devices is a bill sponsored
by Senator Bob Smith of New Hampshire. He said use of these
devices is still prohibited by the U.S. Code unless it has been
changed in the last six months and that maybe those states are
ignoring the federal law. He repeated the manufacturer has made
an aggressive lobbying effort in every state. He said he believes
they could be a great idea for commercial use for package
delivery as long as the vehicles are not running on sidewalks.
MR. DENNIS POSHARD, Special Assistant at the Department of
Transportation and Public Facilities (DOTPF), told members that
DOTPF has taken no position on this bill. He clarified that the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has made a ruling
that classifies this particular device as a non-motorized
vehicle. He pointed out that Section 1 of this bill applies to
the state and says that regulations adopted may not prohibit the
use of an electric personal motor vehicle; however, DOTPF could
adopt regulations that limit their use. He assumed the same
provisions under the Alaska Uniform Traffic Act would apply to
local governments so they could regulate the use of electric
personal vehicles but not prohibit their use.
SENATOR ELTON asked if he is correct in assuming that the city of
Juneau could not prohibit the use of electric personal vehicles
on sidewalks in the core downtown area during the tourist season.
MR. POSHARD said he is not qualified to make a legal analysis,
but his initial reaction is that a local government may be able
to further restrict them. He is aware of certain traffic laws
that local governments have adopted, particularly in Anchorage,
that are more restrictive than those contained in the state's
Uniform Traffic Act. He did not know whether any local laws have
been challenged. He said the Department of Law recently pointed
out that Sec. 28.01.010 of the Alaska Uniform Traffic Act reads,
"The provisions of this title and the regulations adopted under
this title are applicable within all municipalities of this
state." He indicated that could be legally interpreted either
way.
CHAIRMAN COWDERY asked Mr. Poshard if he was referring to the
restriction on truck routes in Anchorage and whether that
restriction was made because certain roads were not built to
withstand heavy truck traffic.
MR. POSHARD said he believes that is true but noted that other
provisions adopted by the local government in Anchorage are more
restrictive than the Uniform Traffic Act.
SENATOR TAYLOR said one could shoot a cannon down the main street
of Wrangell in the summer and not hurt anyone. He suggested if
pedestrian traffic is a problem in Juneau in the summertime, that
some of the pedestrians be sent to other communities.
CHAIRMAN COWDERY continued to take public testimony.
MS. MARY MARSHBURN, Director of the Division of Motor Vehicles
(DMV) in the Department of Administration, said she assumes
members are aware of a glitch in current law that requires a
driver's license to operate a snow machine and HB 397, which
seeks to fix that glitch for snow machines and other vehicles
that are not designed for road use. She noted that under current
law, electronic personal vehicles would be defined as motor
vehicles and because they do not meet federal safety standards,
they could not be used on the roadway. Passage of HB 397 would
resolve that problem.
CHAIRMAN COWDERY asked if any licensing requirements apply to
bicycles.
MS. MARSHBURN said none do.
SENATOR WARD asked Ms. Marshburn if it is her opinion that
drivers' licenses would be required to drive an electric personal
motor vehicle.
MS. MARSHBURN replied, "Mr. Chairman, very, very technically
because of a glitch in the law, yes."
SENATOR WARD said her interpretation is different than his. He
asked her to forward her opinion to the committee in writing so
that he could take a closer look at the issue.
CHAIRMAN COWDERY asked Ms. Marshburn if she would consider an
electric personal motor vehicle to be a motor vehicle.
MS. MARSHBURN said they are motor vehicles by state definition
because they are self-propelled devices. Because they do not meet
the federal safety equipment standards required under 13AAC 04,
they cannot be operated on a roadway.
SENATOR WARD asked Ms. Marshburn if she has read the latest
committee substitute (Version L) and whether it is her impression
that this version will allow electric personal motor vehicles to
be operated on roadways.
MS. MARSHBURN said she has the original bill.
SENATOR WARD said a previous witness mentioned skateboards with
motors and asked if DMV requires skateboards to be licensed.
MS. MARSHBURN said DMV does not.
SENATOR WARD asked why not.
MS. MARSHBURN said a motorized skateboard does not meet the
definition of a motor vehicle.
SENATOR WARD asked if an electric personal motor vehicle does
even though the federal government has ruled otherwise.
MS. MARSHBURN said that is correct. It is her understanding that
the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration makes rulings
based on the role that agency will play in developing standards
for vehicles. The rulings have nothing to do with the operation
of the vehicles.
SENATOR WARD asked why a skateboard with a small gas engine and a
steering device would not be considered to be a licensable
vehicle while an electric personal motor vehicle would be.
MS. MARSHBURN said she did not know that she could give Senator
Ward an answer to the technicalities. She stated, "And I would
emphasize - you know, emphasize, that in the strict
interpretation of the definition of motor vehicle is what we're
talking about for the segue or the IT just as it was a very
strict interpretation of the driver license law, which said it's
required for a snow machine. That certainly was not the intent of
the law." She pointed out this refers to a vehicle license as
opposed to a driver license.
CHAIRMAN COWDERY said he believes Senator Ward is concerned
because Mr. Poshard just said that an electronic personal motor
vehicle is not considered to be a motor vehicle under the federal
guidelines. He asked Ms. Marshburn if she has actually seen an
electronic personal motor vehicle.
MS. MARSHBURN said she has seen pictures of them.
SENATOR WARD asked Ms. Marshburn to send a written explanation to
members of how she arrived at her opinion that a driver's license
would be required to operate an electric personal motor vehicle.
MS. MARSHBURN agreed to do so.
There being no further testimony, SENATOR WARD moved CSSSSB
100(TRA) from committee with individual recommendations.
SENATOR ELTON objected for the purpose of addressing a proposed
amendment. He proposed that on page 1, line 12, following
"personal motor vehicle on a," the words "state owned and
maintained" be inserted. He explained with that amendment the
state could mandate that electric personal motorized devices
could be used on state sidewalks, vehicular ways and bike paths,
but it would preserve the point of view that the best government
is the government closest to the people and allow local
governments to implement their own rules.
SENATOR WARD objected.
SENATOR TAYLOR said he was taken with Mr. Harris's testimony, as
he believes these vehicles will be difficult to navigate. He said
he does not know that Senator Elton's amendment accomplishes his
goal because he does not know that the state does much
maintenance on any of those paths.
MS. HUBER said she understands Senator Elton's intent, but she
believes his amendment would be difficult to enforce because
state roads are within cities and could cause confusion. She
asked the Chairman if he would be willing to hold the bill until
Thursday so that she could work with members on a local option.
She said she would also look at what other states that have
passed similar legislation have done.
SENATOR ELTON said that would be great.
CHAIRMAN COWDERY said the committee has a full calendar on
Thursday so he will reschedule it on Thursday or Tuesday.
SENATOR WARD reminded the Chairman that his motion to move the
bill from committee was still active. He said he does not want
the Anchorage coastal trail exempted from this bill.
SENATOR ELTON stated, "Mr. Chair, what I would suggest is that I
don't have a problem with that - I think it's very generous of
the sponsor's office to make the offer and if, in fact, we can't
come to some kind of an agreement, I might vote against moving it
but I certainly wouldn't try to get in the way of moving it. I
would think that moving the bill, either amended or in its
present form, will take a matter of less than a minute." He noted
he maintained his objection.
SENATOR WARD repeated his motion to move CSSSSB 100(TRA) from
committee with individual recommendations.
SENATOR ELTON objected and said this bill imposes big government
rules that the municipalities will have to live under. He said
electric personal motor vehicles would create a big problem in
his community.
SENATOR WARD stated this legislation says that electronic
personal motor vehicles cannot be prohibited; it does not say
they cannot be regulated.
CHAIRMAN COWDERY announced the motion carried with Senators Ward,
Taylor and Cowdery in favor and Senator Elton opposed.
SENATOR TAYLOR noted for the record that he would work with
Senator Elton and the sponsor's staff to try to create a local
option.
SENATOR WARD said he would do likewise.
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