SB 671 focuses California’s state-highway traffic signals on pedestrian accessibility and safer crossings. It directs the Department of Transportation to adopt technical standards, deploy accessible pedestrian signal technology, and incorporate timing features intended to protect pedestrians — especially people who are blind or have low vision.
The measure centralizes technical guidance and creates implementation duties (installation triggers, an inventory requirement, and upgrade paths) to align signal hardware and timing with accessibility needs while also requiring Caltrans to consult local agencies when setting detection standards for bicycles and motorcycles.
At a Glance
What It Does
The bill requires upgraded accessible pedestrian signal (APS) equipment — explicitly authorizing touch-free APS — and leading pedestrian intervals (LPIs) on state-owned traffic-actuated signals under specified conditions. It also requires Caltrans to develop uniform standards for bicycle and motorcycle detection for traffic-actuated signals and to record LPI/APS implementations in its management system.
Who It Affects
Caltrans and its district signal operations units, local agencies that operate delegated state signals, contractors on state highway capital and maintenance projects, and people who use crosswalks — particularly pedestrians who are blind or have low vision, plus bicyclists and motorcyclists whose presence the bill requires signals to detect.
Why It Matters
SB 671 creates a single, state-level baseline for accessibility hardware and pedestrian-first timing on state highways; that shifts procurement, maintenance, and planning decisions toward touch-free APS and LPIs and formalizes coordination between Caltrans and local agencies.
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What This Bill Actually Does
SB 671 rewrites the technical baseline for pedestrian signal hardware on state-owned or -operated intersections. It defines key terms (APS, touch-free APS, LPI, pedestrian hybrid beacon, traffic-actuated signal) and then ties concrete installation and upgrade obligations to specific trigger events: first placement of a traffic-actuated signal, replacement of loop detectors, and certain capital, encroachment, or maintenance projects on the state highway system.
On the hardware side, the bill requires APS at state-owned crossings with pedestrian heads and permits touch-free APS (pushbutton-free activation using proximity or other non-contact means). It creates a staggered installation path for touch-free APS linked to project types and approval or construction dates, and it obligates upgrade of all APS at a location when a touch-free APS is installed there or when an ADA access request prompts work at that crossing.
Importantly, the bill says installing touch-free APS alone does not trigger unrelated ADA upgrades — curb ramps or sidewalks only have to be upgraded if they are disturbed by the work.For signal timing, the bill makes LPIs a required feature for state-owned or -operated traffic-actuated signals when a signal is first placed or replaced, and it directs Caltrans to implement LPIs on existing signals that can receive LPIs via remote or in-person programming during routine maintenance, subject to CA MUTCD rules. It identifies priority contexts for LPI implementation — residential and business districts, business activity districts, designated safety corridors, school zones, and locations with high pedestrian and cyclist concentrations — and requires Caltrans to capture LPI and APS status in its TMS inventory and to notify local agencies about implementation opportunities.The bill also addresses vehicle detection: when a new traffic-actuated signal is placed or when a loop detector is replaced, the signal must, to the extent feasible and consistent with traffic engineering practice, detect lawful bicycle and motorcycle traffic.
However, local agencies are not immediately bound by this requirement until Caltrans, after consulting with local governments, issues uniform standards, specifications and guidelines for such detection and related timing.
The Five Things You Need to Know
SB 671 requires traffic-actuated signals to detect lawful bicycle or motorcycle traffic upon first placement of the signal or upon replacement of the loop detector.
The bill mandates touch-free APS on state-highway capital projects according to a four-part schedule tied to project type and approval/ready-to-list dates, with October 18, 2021 used as the cutoff date for several categories.
If a touch-free APS is installed at an existing crossing or in response to a federal ADA access request, SB 671 requires upgrading all APS at that location to touch-free APS.
Caltrans must record locations that meet the bill’s LPI implementation criteria in the Caltrans Management System (TMS) inventory database and formally notify local agencies about opportunities to implement LPIs.
The bill codifies the pedestrian hybrid beacon sequence (flashing yellow, steady yellow, steady red during walk, alternating flashing red during change) and requires pedestrians to wait for a WALK display; after the countdown ends, the beacon must be actuated again to get another WALK interval.
Section-by-Section Breakdown
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Defined terms for APS, LPI, pedestrian hybrid beacon, and related items
This opening subsection lays out the technical vocabulary the rest of the bill uses. Definitions include accessible pedestrian signal (APS), leading pedestrian interval (LPI — defined as a 3–7 second advance WALK), pedestrian hybrid beacon (with a specified light sequence and the requirement that pedestrians wait for WALK), ‘replaced’ signal poles, and traffic-actuated signal. Those definitions matter because they fix the minimum functionality Caltrans must target and resolve common ambiguity (for example, what constitutes an LPI and how a hybrid beacon must operate).
Bicycle and motorcycle detection on new or updated signals
This provision requires, upon first placement of a traffic-actuated signal or replacement of its loop detector, that the signal be installed and maintained to detect lawful bicycle and motorcycle traffic where feasible and consistent with traffic engineering practice. Practically, this ties detection duties to a clear trigger event (installation or loop replacement) rather than a broad retroactive requirement, but it also creates a recurring compliance point when infrastructure work occurs.
Caltrans to develop uniform detection standards in consultation with local agencies
Local governments are not immediately bound by the detection requirement in subsection (b); Caltrans must first establish uniform standards, specifications, and guidelines for detecting bikes and motorcycles and for related signal timing. The bill requires Caltrans to consult with cities, counties, and cities and counties before those standards take effect, which formalizes interjurisdictional coordination but also creates a governance step that may delay local compliance.
APS requirement, touch-free APS schedule, and upgrade rules
For state-owned or -operated crossings with pedestrian heads (including pedestrian hybrid beacons), the bill requires APS devices that provide non-visual WALK/DON’T WALK information. It expressly permits and schedules touch-free APS installations on state highway capital, encroachment, and maintenance projects according to project readiness, construction, or approval dates (the bill lists four categories tied to ready-to-list and October 18, 2021 approval thresholds). When touch-free APS is installed at an existing crossing or due to a federal ADA access request, SB 671 requires upgrading all APS at that location to touch-free. The statute also clarifies that installing touch-free APS does not obligate agencies to upgrade other ADA elements (curb ramps, sidewalks) unless those elements are disturbed by the work, and it encourages consideration of touch-free APS during maintenance and repair.
LPI installation, TMS inventory, notifications, and turn restrictions
This subsection requires LPIs and activated touch-free APS upon first placement or replacement of state-owned traffic-actuated signals and directs Caltrans to implement LPIs on existing signals that can be programmed remotely or in-person during maintenance. It lists priority contexts (residential and business districts, business activity districts, safety corridors, school zones, and areas with high pedestrian/cyclist concentration) for LPI deployment, requires recording LPI implementations in the Caltrans Management System (TMS), and obliges district signal operations to notify local agencies about implementation opportunities. The subsection also contemplates operational changes at LPI locations — for example, restricting turns on red with illuminated blank-out signs — and ties LPI implementation to the presence of touch-free APS and pedestrian countdown signals.
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Every bill creates winners and losers. Here's who stands to gain and who bears the cost.
Who Benefits
- People who are blind or have low vision — They gain nonvisual WALK/DON’T WALK cues via APS, including touch-free options, which improve independent and safer street crossings.
- School communities and pedestrians in safety corridors — LPIs in school zones and safety corridors add a pedestrian-first timing buffer that reduces conflicts with turning vehicles.
- Bicyclists and motorcyclists — The detection requirement (on installation or loop replacement) reduces missed detections at actuated signals and aims to minimize inequitable delays or unsafe behaviors caused by non-detection.
- Pedestrian advocacy groups and accessibility-focused planners — A uniform state approach lowers the variance in hardware and timing across state highway intersections, making advocacy and technical planning more straightforward.
Who Bears the Cost
- Caltrans and district signal operations units — They must develop standards, perform inventories in the TMS, notify local agencies, and implement LPIs and touch-free APS according to the bill’s schedule, which requires staff time and funding.
- State highway project sponsors and contractors — Capital, encroachment, and maintenance projects on the state system must purchase and install touch-free APS per the bill’s schedule, raising procurement and installation costs.
- Local agencies operating delegated state signals — While standards are set by Caltrans, local agencies will receive notifications and be expected to implement LPIs and report back, which can impose operational and budgetary burdens.
- Maintenance budgets and taxpayers — The bill’s retrofit and upgrade pathway will create incremental maintenance and replacement costs for APS hardware, detection equipment, and potential signal timing changes that require funding.
Key Issues
The Core Tension
SB 671 pits unambiguous accessibility and pedestrian-safety goals (deploy APS, prioritize LPIs, and detect vulnerable road users) against practical constraints: engineering feasibility, traffic operations impacts, retrofit costs, and limited staff and funding at Caltrans and local agencies. The bill seeks to lock in better pedestrian infrastructure at the state level, but it does so through phased triggers and discretionary engineering language that require careful standard-setting and likely additional resources to realize the law’s intent.
SB 671 mixes prescriptive hardware and timing goals with carefully placed implementation gateways, and that design creates both practical advantages and uncertainties. The statute ties several obligations to discrete trigger events (first placement, loop replacement, project readiness dates), which makes compliance moments predictable but also means many existing signals are only addressed opportunistically.
The feasibility qualifier for bicycle and motorcycle detection (“to the extent feasible and in conformance with professional traffic engineering practice”) gives Caltrans—and engineering judgment—substantial discretion, which could produce uneven application unless the uniform standards are tightly written and adequately funded.
Operationally, implementing LPIs can improve pedestrian safety but may degrade vehicle throughput or necessitate turn-on-red restrictions in some locations; the bill anticipates blank-out signs but leaves local engineering trade-offs to practitioners. The mandate to inventory signal status in TMS and to notify local agencies creates a compliance and reporting load; the statute does not provide a funding mechanism for widespread retrofits or a detailed enforcement scheme for noncompliance.
Finally, the bill’s use of October 18, 2021 as a schedule cutoff for certain project categories is administratively awkward given the bill’s 2025 introduction date and may require agencies to reconcile past project records when determining applicability.
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