Section 25353.1.

(a) Notwithstanding Sections 25400 and 25950, a bus operated by the City of Santa Monica's publicly owned transit system, on regularly scheduled service, in addition to the illuminated signs described in section 25353, may also be equipped with illuminated signs that display advertising and that emit any light color, if all of the following conditions are met:

(1) Each illuminated sign displaying advertising shall emit diffused nonglaring light.

(2) Each illuminated sign displaying advertising shall be limited in size to a display area of not greater than 4,464 square inches.

(3) Each illuminated sign displaying advertising shall not resemble nor be installed in a position that interferes with the visibility or effectiveness of a required lamp, reflector, or other device upon the vehicle.

(4) Each illuminated sign displaying advertising shall only be placed on one or both sides of the vehicle, and shall not be placed in a forward-facing or rear-facing position, and no more than one such sign shall be placed on either side of any single vehicle.

(5) The mixing of individually colored light emitting diode elements, including red, is allowed in each illuminated sign displaying advertising as long as the emitted color formed by the combination of light emitting diode elements is not red.

(b) (1) An illuminated sign displaying advertising may be operated as a dynamic message sign in a paging or streaming mode. However, the electronic message sign display shall remain static while a bus is operating on a freeway as defined in Section 257 of the Streets and Highways Code.

(2) The following definitions shall govern the construction of paragraph (1):

(A) "Paging," meaning character elements or other information presented for a period of time and then disappearing all at once before the same or new elements are presented, is permitted if the display time of each message is between 2.7 and 10 seconds. Blanking times between each message shall be between 0.5 and 25 seconds.

(B) "Streaming," meaning character elements or other information moving smoothly and continuously across the display, is permitted if the character movement time, from one end of the display to the other, is at least 2.7 seconds, and the movement time of the entire message does not exceed 10 seconds.

(c) By July 1, 2016, the City of Santa Monica shall submit to the Legislature and to the department a report on the incidence of adverse impacts on roadway and pedestrian safety due to the utilization of illuminated signs on transit buses displaying advertising pursuant to this section, if any. The report shall be the product of a collaborative effort by Santa Monica law enforcement and transit officials, other local law enforcement officials in whose jurisdictions Santa Monica transit vehicles operate, and the department.

(d) The City of Santa Monica's publicly owned transit system may, pursuant to subdivision (a), operate up to 25 buses with illuminated signs displaying advertising for two years, after which time the city may increase the number of buses with the signs to up to 30.

(e) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2017, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2017, deletes or extends that date.

(Added by Stats. 2011, Ch. 529, Sec. 3. Effective January 1, 2012. Repealed as of January 1, 2017, by its own provisions.)