HB4759 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB104 19857 LNS 33307 b

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
HB4759

Introduced , by Rep. Theresa Mah

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

New Act

Creates the Green Light for Buses Act. Establishes the Committee on Efficient Arterial Signal Infrastructure to make recommendations to improve public transit efficiency via improvements to traffic signal infrastructure. Publishes a report to the Department of Transportation for inclusion in the Public Transportation Plan. Grants implementing authority. Defines terms. Effective immediately.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning transportation.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Green Light for Buses Act.

Section 5. Definitions. As used in this Act:

"Authority" means the Northern Illinois Transit Authority.

"Committee" means the Committee on Efficient Arterial Signal Infrastructure established under this Act.

"Department" means the Department of Transportation.

"Secretary" means the Secretary of Transportation.

"Service Board" means the Board of the Commuter Rail Division of the Authority, the Board of the Suburban Bus Division of the Authority, and the Board of the Chicago Transit Authority established pursuant to the Chicago Transit Authority Act.

"Traffic capacity" means the designed capacity for traffic volume on a roadway facility.

"Traffic volume" means the number of persons moved through a corridor in a given period of time, across all travel modes.

"Transit signal priority" or "TSP" means the operational strategies and associated equipment, software, communications, and timing changes that improve the movement of public transportation vehicles through signalized intersections.

"Vehicle traffic capacity" means the designed capacity for vehicle traffic volume on a roadway facility.

"Vehicle traffic volume" means the number of motor vehicles traveling through a corridor in a given period.

Section 10. Establishment of the Committee.

(a) The Committee on Efficient Arterial Signal Infrastructure shall be established to advise the Department on strategies and initiatives to improve public transit service efficiency and reliability through roadway and signalization infrastructure improvements in a metropolitan region.

(b) The Committee shall make recommendations to increase the traffic capacity of roadway corridors within a metropolitan region, and that maintain or reduce the vehicle traffic capacity of those same corridors.

(c) As needed, the Committee shall coordinate with:

(1) the Blue-Ribbon Commission on Transportation Infrastructure Funding and Policy; and

(2) the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Transit Innovation, Integration, and Reform.

(d) The Committee shall meet at the call of the Chair, but not less than quarterly.

The Committee shall be subject to the Open Meetings Act and the Freedom of Information Act.

(e) The Department shall provide administrative support to the Committee.

Subject to appropriation and applicable procurement law, the Department may procure consulting assistance necessary to support the work of the Committee.

(f) The Committee shall, at a minimum:

(1) inventory and review existing traffic signalization and central signal system infrastructure, including compatibility among traffic signal equipment, transit vehicles, and communications systems used by public transportation providers in the metropolitan region;

(2) develop strategies and recommendations to expand transit signal priority and related transit-supportive signal operations that increase traffic capacity and improve transit travel-time reliability;

(3) recommend practices that support coordinated or regionalized signal operations across jurisdictions and transit operators, including data standards, interoperability, and procurement best practices;

(4) develop objectives and recommended approaches for providing technical assistance to units of local government and transit operators for implementation of the Committee's recommendations;

(5) estimate costs associated with procuring, installing, operating, maintaining, and replacing signal priority infrastructure;

(6) estimate economic impacts associated with the Committee's recommendations;

(7) estimate, where practicable, anticipated changes in traffic volume and vehicle traffic volume associated with the Committee's recommendations;

(8) identify opportunities to align or modify existing and future Department funding programs and grant criteria to support implementation, including criteria that reward measurable improvements in traffic volume capacity; and

(9) submit recommendations for inclusion in the Department's Public Transportation Plan, including any recommended legislative or administrative changes needed to implement best practices.

(A) The Committee shall publish a report with its recommendations no later than 2 years after the effective date of this Act.

(B) The Department shall post the report on its website and transmit the report to the Governor and the General Assembly.

(C) The Department shall incorporate any recommendations included in the Committee's report in the Department's next annual update of the Public Transportation Plan.

(g) The Committee shall include the following members, appointed by the Secretary:

(1) the Secretary or the Secretary's designee, who shall serve as Chair;

(2) the Department's Region 1 Engineer or the Engineer's designee;

(3) one staff member from the Department's Office of Finance and Administration whose duties involve transit grant administration or procurement;

(4) one staff member from the Department's Office of Highways Project Implementation whose duties involve the operations of local roads and streets;

(5) one staff member from the Office of Intermodal Project Implementation whose duties involve transit oversight;

(6) one staff member from the Office of Highway Planning and Implementation whose duties include planning in urban areas;

(7) one staff member representing the Northern Illinois Transit Authority, as designated by the Chairman of the Board of the Authority;

(8) one staff member representing the Chicago Transit Authority, as designated by the Chairman of the Board of the Chicago Transit Authority;

(9) one staff member representing the Suburban Bus Division, as designated by the Chairman of the Suburban Bus Board;

(10) one staff member representing the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning;

(11) one staff member representing the Chicago Department of Transportation, as designated by the Mayor of Chicago;

(12) one staff member representing the Cook County Department of Transportation and Highways, as designated by the President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners;

(13) one staff member representing the DuPage County Division of Transportation, as designated by the Chairman of the DuPage County Board;

(14) at the discretion of their respective County Board Chairmans, one or more staff members representing the Counties of Lake, Will, Kane, or McHenry that are involved in planning, design, construction, maintenance, and permitted use of roadways; and

(15) additional members as determined necessary by the Secretary to ensure subject-matter expertise, community representation, and geographic diversity.

Members shall serve without compensation. To the extent permitted by law and subject to appropriation, members may be reimbursed for necessary expenses associated with Committee service in accordance with applicable State travel rules.

The Chair may dissolve the Committee following the publication of the report.

Section 15. Implementation authorization.

(a) Under the supervision of the Secretary, and for the benefit of a Service Board, the Authority may, by ordinance, establish and administer a transit signal priority program for public transportation vehicles in the metropolitan region.

The Authority may provide funding, procure equipment and services, and enter into intergovernmental agreements or other agreements necessary to plan, design, implement, operate, and maintain transit signal priority and signal priority infrastructure on public ways in the metropolitan region.

Nothing in this Section authorizes the installation, modification, operation, or maintenance of traffic control devices except in accordance with the Illinois Vehicle Code, the Illinois Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, and applicable federal requirements.

Transit signal priority implemented under this Section shall not impair emergency vehicle signal preemption, railroad signal preemption, or other safety-critical signal operations required by law or engineering standards.

For highways and streets under the jurisdiction of the Department, implementation under this Section is subject to the Department's approval and permitting requirements.

For highways and streets under the jurisdiction of a unit of local government, implementation under this Section shall be carried out pursuant to an intergovernmental agreement with the unit of local government having maintenance jurisdiction. A unit of local government shall not unreasonably withhold agreement for transit signal priority improvements that are consistent with this subsection and that are funded in whole or in part by the Authority or the Department.

(b) For any Department-funded project in the metropolitan region that includes the installation, modernization, replacement, or retiming of traffic signals on a roadway that is served by fixed-route bus service operated by, or under contract with, a Service Board, the Department shall evaluate the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of including design features and equipment accommodations that support transit signal priority implementation.

Where the Department determines transit signal priority is feasible, cost-effective, and consistent with applicable safety and traffic control standards, the Department shall incorporate transit signal priority accommodations into the project design.

Nothing in this subsection requires the Department to fund or install onboard equipment on public transportation vehicles, or to implement transit signal priority where doing so would conflict with applicable safety or traffic control standards.

Section 20. Repeal.

(a) This Act is repealed on the date that is 10 years after its effective date.

(b) The repeal of Section 2.06.3 of the Regional Transportation Authority Act does not affect:

(1) any ordinance adopted, agreement executed, or procurement commenced under that Section before the repeal of the Act; or

(2) the continued operation or maintenance of signal priority infrastructure installed before the repeal of the Act, to the extent authorized under other applicable law.

Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.