(a)Except as provided in subdivision (d), the Department of Parks and Recreation may establish a pilot project to designate combined-use highways on roads in Red Rock Canyon State Park for no more than 10 miles so that the combined-use highways can be used to link existing off-highway motor vehicle trails and trailheads on federal Bureau of Land Management or United States Forest Service lands, and to link off-highway motor vehicle recreational-use areas with necessary service and lodging facilities, in order to provide a unified system of trails for off-highway motor vehicles, preserve traffic safety, improve natural resource protection, and reduce off-highway vehicle trespass on private land.
(b)A pilot project established pursuant to
this section shall do all of the following:
(
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(a)
Except as provided in subdivision (d), the Department of Parks and Recreation may establish a pilot project to designate combined-use highways on roads in Red Rock Canyon State Park for no more than 10 miles so that the combined-use highways can be used to link existing off-highway motor vehicle trails and trailheads on federal Bureau of Land Management or United States Forest Service lands, and to link off-highway motor vehicle recreational-use areas with necessary service and lodging facilities, in order to provide a unified system of trails for off-highway motor vehicles, preserve traffic safety, improve natural resource protection, and reduce off-highway vehicle trespass on private land.
(b)
A pilot project established pursuant to
this section shall do all of the following:
(1)
Prescribe a procedure for highway, road, or route selection and designation. The procedure shall be approved by the director of the department.
(2)
Prescribe a procedure for the department to remove a combined-use designation, including a designation that is removed as a result of the conclusion of the pilot project.
(3)
In cooperation with the Department of Transportation, establish uniform specifications and symbols for signs, markers, and traffic control devices to control off-highway motor vehicles, including, but not limited to, all of the following:
(A)
Devices to warn of dangerous conditions, obstacles, or hazards.
(B)
Designations of
the right-of-way for regular vehicular traffic and off-highway motor vehicles.
(C)
A description of the nature and destination of the off-highway motor vehicle trail.
(D)
Warning signs for pedestrians and motorists of the presence of off-highway motor vehicle traffic.
(4)
Require that off-highway motor vehicles subject to the pilot project meet the safety requirements of federal and state law regarding proper drivers’ licensing, helmet usage, and the requirements specified in Section 38026.5.
(5)
Prohibit off-highway motor vehicles from traveling faster than 35 miles per hour on highways designated under this section.
(6)
(A)
Prohibit a combined-use highway road
segment designated under this section from exceeding 10 miles.
(B)
Notwithstanding subparagraph (A), two or more combined-use highway road segments may share a common starting point or ending point and may partially overlap as long as the resulting network of the highway road segments does not include more than three distinct locations of shared starting or ending points, or both.
(7)
Include an opportunity for public comment at a public hearing held by the department in order to evaluate the pilot project.
(c)
A pilot project established pursuant to this section may include use of a state highway, subject to the approval of the Department of Transportation, or any crossing of a highway designated pursuant to Section 38025.
(d)
The department shall not
designate a highway for combined use pursuant to this section unless the Commissioner of the Department of the California Highway Patrol finds that designating the highway for combined use would not create a potential traffic safety hazard.
(e)
(1)
Not later than January 1, 2029, the department, in consultation with the Department of the California Highway Patrol and the Department of Transportation, shall prepare and submit to the Legislature a report evaluating the pilot project that contains all of the following:
(A)
A description of the road segments designated to allow combined use for over three miles.
(B)
An evaluation of the overall safety and effectiveness of the pilot project, including its impact on traffic flows, safety, off-highway vehicle usage on existing trails, incursions into
areas not designated for off-highway vehicle usage, and nonmotorized recreation.
(C)
A description of the public comments received at a public hearing held by the department in regards to an evaluation of the pilot project.
(2)
The report required by this subdivision shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
(f)
This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2030, and as of that date is repealed, unless a later enacted statute that is enacted before January 1, 2030, deletes or extends that date.