2009 California Vehicle Code - Section 25350-25353 :: Article 9. Commercial And Common Carrier Vehicles

25350.  Any passenger common carrier motor vehicle manufactured
prior to January 1, 1968, may be equipped with green identification
lamps. Any bus may be equipped with an illuminated termini sign, an
illuminated identification sign, or any combination thereof, which
shall not project any glaring light. Internally illuminated termini
signs, identification signs, or any combination thereof, meeting the
requirements of Section 25400 may be mounted inside a bus. Any
commercial vehicle, other than a passenger common carrier motor
vehicle, may be equipped with an illuminated identification sign upon
the front thereof which shall not exceed 24 inches in length or 8
inches in width and which emits diffused white light without glare.

25351.  (a) A commercial vehicle and, except as provided in
subdivision (d), any other vehicle 80 or more inches in width may be
equipped with identification lamps mounted on the front or rear. No
part of any such lamps or their mountings on the front of a motor
vehicle shall extend below the top of the windshield.
   (b) Identification lamps on such vehicles manufactured prior to
January 1, 1968, may exhibit either amber, green, or white light to
the front and red light to the rear.
   (c) Identification lamps on such vehicles manufactured on or after
January 1, 1968, may exhibit only amber light to the front and red
light to the rear.
   (d) Identification lamps are not permitted on passenger vehicles,
except housecars and ambulances, regardless of width.

25352.  Any bus operated by a publicly owned transit system on
regularly scheduled service may be equipped with a device capable of
sending a signal that interrupts or changes the sequence patterns of
an official traffic control signal, under the following conditions:
   (a) If such a device is a flashing gaseous discharge lamp, such
lamp shall not emit a visible light exceeding an average of 0.0003
candela per flash of any color measured at a distance of 10 feet.
   (b) Such device shall not be installed or used unless and until
authorized on specific routes by either the Department of
Transportation pursuant to Section 21350 or local authorities
pursuant to Section 21351.
   (c) Any bus or system operating under the conditions specified
herein shall allow emergency vehicles operating pursuant to Section
25258 or 21055 to have priority in changing the sequence patterns of
an official traffic control signal.

25353.  (a) Notwithstanding Sections 25400 and 25950, a bus operated
by a publicly owned transit system on regularly scheduled service
may be equipped with illuminated signs that include destination
signs, route-number signs, run-number signs, public service
announcement signs, or a combination thereof, visible from any
direction of the vehicle, that emit any light color, other than the
color red emitted from forward-facing signs, pursuant to the
following conditions:
   (1) Each illuminated sign shall emit diffused nonglaring light.
   (2) Each illuminated sign shall be limited in size to a display
area of not greater than 720 square inches.
   (3) Each illuminated sign 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 shall display information directly
related to public transit service, including, but not limited to,
route number, destination description, run number, and public service
announcements.
   (5) The mixing of individually colored light emitting diode
elements, including red, is allowed as long as the emitted color
formed by the combination of light emitting diode elements is not
red.
   (b) (1) An illuminated sign may be operated as a dynamic message
sign in a paging or streaming mode.
   (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) A regulation adopted pursuant to this section shall comply
with applicable federal law, including, but not limited to, the
federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. Sec. 12101
et seq.).