For immediate release: October 4, 2002
Media Contact: Rob Schlichting - (916) 654-4989

Battery Backups Prevent Accidents at
Critical Traffic Signals
Additional Applications Being Taken for More Intersections

Thanks to new energy-efficiency technology, 112 different California cities, towns and counties will keep their traffic signals safely operating even if the electricity goes out, and other local governments will join them soon.

Already more than a third of California's intersections have been converted to new LED signal lights utilizing more efficient, LED (light emitting diode) lamps. The new lamps cut the amount of electricity used by each light from as much as 150 watts to between 10 to 25 watts. Because LEDs use so much less electricity, it is now technically possible to provide battery backup power to operate them at critical intersections. The result will be fewer accidents that can threaten motorists and pedestrians alike.

Nearly $7.3 million in matching grants to local governments has already been approved by the California Energy Commission, and applications are due December 2, 2002 for an additional $2.7 million for additional installations of battery backup systems. The funds are made available through Senate Bill 84XX, public safety legislation that provides battery backup protection for high priority intersections.

The Energy Commission recently approved up to $6.1 million in partial funding that will enable 89 cities, towns and counties to install new backup systems. (Attached List A.) The grants pay up to 70 percent of the cost of new battery systems installed after the award given by the Energy Commission.

Thirteen of those same cities, towns or counties are among the 36 local governments that will receive up to $1.2 million for backup systems that were previously installed between January 1, 2001 and September 28, 2001, the date that Governor Davis signed the legislation. (List B) These retroactive grants will pay up to 30 percent of the costs involved in putting the systems in place.

Additional funds are available for both new and retroactive grants. Information and application forms are available on the Energy Commission's website at

www.energy.ca.gov/peakload/traffic_backup.html

Battery backup systems cost between $1,800 and $3,000 per system, depending on the type and number of LED traffic signals at the intersection. Each system provides enough electricity to operate the traffic signals in the normal, fully functioning mode or as red flashing lights for two hours. After that time, the signals will flash red for another two hours, alerting motorists that the intersection is operating as a four-way stop.

The Energy Commission worked with local governments to identify vulnerable, high priority intersections, using criteria such as traffic volume, the number of accidents and the presence of children at the intersection.

List A
NEW BBS Summary Grant

APPLICANT	TOTAL PROJECT AMOUNT	TOTAL GRANT AMOUNT RECOMMENDED
City and County of San Francisco	$556,000	$254,800
City of Antioch	$51,093	$19,944
City of Artesia	$71,600	$37,660
City of Atwater	$24,000	$9,800
City of Baldwin Park	$82,800	$36,540
City of Bell	$25,200	$14,210
City of Brisbane	$10,800	$6,090
City of Buena Park	$127,558	$61,180
City of Burbank	$88,000	$53,200
City of Ceres	$55,000	$30,800
City of Chula Vista	$850,000	$281,960
City of Claremont	$30,891	$14,035
City of Clovis	$25,000	$7,350
City of Commerce	$210,500	$103,320
City of Concord	$52,000	$26,950
City of Corte Madera	$18,000	$8,120
City of Costa Mesa	$188,665	$113,664
City of Culver City	$65,205	$42,000
City of Cupertino	$86,400	$37,352
City of Cypress	$26,100	$14,700
City of Dinuba	$4,000	$2,450
City of Dublin	$141,300	$22,400
City of El Cajon	$60,000	$42,000
City of Escondido	$158,504	$103,600
City of Garden Grove	$77,500	$29,925
City of Gilroy	$45,900	$23,940
City of Hayward	$75,871	$40,320
City of Highland	$98,400	$10,800
City of Huntington Beach	$416,000	$291,200
City of Imperial Beach	$11,120	$5,320
City of Indio	$68,000	$45,220
City of Inglewood	$200,000	$89,600
City of La Mesa	$198,355	$124,320
City of La Mirada	$52,650	$31,850
City of Lancaster	$123,480	$73,500
City of Larkspur	$25,200	$9,643
City of Live Oak	$5,398	$2,800
City of Livermore	$145,000	$58,240
City of Lomita	$28,200	$14,980
City of Long Beach	$81,968	$57,389
City of Lynwood	$130,000	$57,050
City of Manhattan Beach	$86,500	$55,674
City of Mill Valley	$21,600	$9,643
City of Mission Viejo	$306,000	$142,240
City of Montebello	$250,000	$142,380
City of Monterey	$35,200	$20,006
City of Monterey Park	$543,926	$105,560
City of Moreno Valley	$118,000	$49,000
City of National City	$35,000	$12,250
City of Novato	$111,600	$46,284
City of Orange	$204,000	$129,640
City of Palmdale	$275,000	$95,550
City of Palo Alto	$50,400	$28,420
City of Pico Rivera	$42,500	$29,120
City of Pleasant Hill	$50,000	$19,600
City of Pleasanton	$83,025	$70,525
City of Rancho Santa Margarita	$166,975	$66,500
City of Redondo Beach	$183,600	$103,530
City of Roseville	$503,100	$330,400
City of Salinas	$30,774	$14,700
City of San Buenaventura	$88,000	$56,000
City of San Luis Obispo	$40,000	$25,200
City of San Marcos	$173,844	$86,800
City of San Rafael	$91,200	$30,240
City of Santa Barbara	$204,820	$204,820
City of Santa Fe Springs	$117,096	$91,840
City of Santee	$116,252	$70,470
City of Sausalito	$32,400	$18,270
City of Sebastopol	$8,000	$5,600
City of South Gate	$104,000	$72,800
City of Sunnyvale	$458,900	$271,600
City of Temecula	$162,400	$101,805
City of Thousand Oaks	$311,100	$124,950
City of Torrance	$252,050	$145,600
City of Victorville	$17,472	$17,472
City of Vista	$105,995	$52,374
City of West Covina	$302,110	$119,104
City of Yorba Linda	$263,200	$109,200
City of Yuba City	$79,923	$47,040
County of Contra Costa	$120,000	$44,800
County of El Dorado	$75,600	$40,600
County of Marin	$7,200	$5,600
County of San Luis Obispo, Dep. Of Public Works	$40,000	$26,600
County of Santa Clara	$1,000,000	$287,140
County of Ventura	$105,000	$33,320
Los Angeles Countyof Public Works	$410,000	$170,800
Town of Apple Valley	$104,670	$44,100
Town of Loomis	$14,400	$6,090
Town of Moraga	$29,500	$9,800
Total = 89	$12,723,990	$6,109,745

List B
Existing BBS Grant Summary

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