Wolk bill to improve Highway 12 safety moves to Assembly floor

Committee votes 13-3 to approve bill establishing double fine zones on 'Blood Alley'

SACRAMENTO–The Assembly Appropriations Committee voted 13-3 to approve Assembly Bill 112 by Assemblywoman Lois Wolk (D-Davis), part of a comprehensive plan to improve safety conditions on a dangerous stretch of Highway 12 known as “Blood Alley”.

Wolk’s legislation doubles the base fines for traffic violations such as speeding, reckless driving, and drunken driving on the stretch of Highway 12 between Highway 5 and Highway 80, where a series of accidents last month left five dead and others in critical condition.

The bill, along with safety improvements by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and increased enforcement by California Highway Patrol (CHP), is part of a plan to reduce safety hazards on the roadway.

“Together with increased CHP enforcement and a package of Caltrans safety improvements, this legislation is a strong first step toward preventing the unsafe driving that has claimed so many lives on this stretch of highway,” said Wolk.

Testifying in support of the bill was Robert Macaulay, director of planning with Solano Transportation Agency, the bill’s sponsor, and Charles Lamoree, father of Rio Vista Police Officer David Frank Lamoree, who was killed on this stretch of road two years ago.

“I’m here, not only on behalf of my family, but of all families who’ve lost loved ones on Route 12,” said Lamoree. “I think about all that my son, who was only 26 when he died, could have done for our state and community. The same is true of all the others who have died. I see the double fine zone as one in a series of steps necessary to improve safety on that highway.”

“Too many lives have been lost on this highway,” said Wolk. “We’ve seen eight hundred collisions over a five year period on just the 18 miles of Highway 12 in Solano County, nearly a crash every other day. When you add in the number of accidents in San Joaquin County, the figures look even grimmer. This is an ongoing safety hazard, one that I continue to work to resolve.”

Additional supporters of AB 112 include the Solano County Board of Supervisors, San Joaquin Council of Governments, Highway 12 Association, all 7 mayors of Solano County and the Fairfield-Suisun Chamber of Commerce. The urgency legislation, which required a two-thirds vote to pass, will next be heard on the Assembly floor.