May 2019 - CalBike

Complete Streets Bill Passes the Senate

May 24, 2019/by Kevin Claxton

On Thursday, May 23, the Complete Streets for Active Living Bill (SB 127) passed in the full Senate. The vote was 29 to 9. The bill’s co-sponsored are CalBike, California Walks, The American Heart Association, Safe Routes Partnership, and AARP.

The Complete Streets Bill will require Caltrans to add features to improve the safety of people walking, biking, and taking transit when they repair or repave state routes in urban areas and along main streets in more rural communities. Most cities in California have at least one Caltrans-controlled state route that also serves as a local street. These streets are often designed to facilitate speeding traffic and not much else. They may lack safe pedestrian crossings and bike facilities. Streets like these diminish the vibrancy of our cities.

By passing the Complete Streets for Active Living Bill, California’s state senators have taken an important step toward creating livable cities and supporting the clean transportation that California needs. CalBike applauds their foresight and overwhelming support.

This important bill almost died in the Senate Appropriations Committee a week ago. This victory wouldn’t be possible without the calls and emails of CalBike members and other Complete Streets advocates who helped keep the bill moving.

The Complete Streets Bill still has to pass the Assembly before it can be signed into law by Governor Newsom. We will need all hands on deck to make sure it passes through committee and gets support from a majority of assembly members. Will you raise your voice to support safe streets for everyone, everywhere in California?

Sign CalBike’s petition to support Complete Streets.

Find out more about Complete Streets.

CalBike Succeeds in Getting E-bike Vouchers through the Senate

May 21, 2019/by Laura McCamy

CalBike’s e-bike and bikeshare mobility bill (SB 400, Umberg) cleared the Senate with a unanimous vote yesterday. This bill will add vouchers for e-bike and bikeshare memberships to the mobility options in a state program that provides incentives for low-income Californians to trade in polluting vehicles for clean transportation. If CalBike succeeds in getting this bill passed, it will represent a big step forward in recognizing e-bikes and bikeshare as important transportation options.

The unanimous Senate vote is CalBike’s second victory in two weeks. It shows the broad base of support for e-bikes and bikeshare as transportation choices in California. Thank you to all the CalBike members and supporters who called your state senator ahead of this vote to urge them to support this important bill.

There is more work ahead, however. We still need to get the e-bike and bikeshare mobility bill through the Assembly. After that, we need to make sure Governor Newsom signs it into law. Stay tuned for more opportunities to support clean transportation for all Californians.

CalBike and Allies Oppose Bill Attacking State Control of Active Transportation

May 20, 2019/by Kevin Claxton

UPDATE May 16. SB 152 pulled from consideration and effectively killed!

SB 152 (Beall) proposes to change the allocation of funds from the Active Transportation Program (ATP), which provides funding for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure projects, including Safe Routes to School. The bill would grant most of the money directly to regional metropolitan transportation agencies instead of through competitive grants at the state level, threatening the statewide competitive program, which is a model of transparency and equity.

The bill represents the proverbial “fight over the crumbs” as it fails to address the biggest problem, insufficient funding. Click here to see the letter submitted to oppose SB 152.

CalBike Members Score Complete Streets Victory

May 16, 2019/by Laura McCamy

On May 13, the CalBike Complete Streets for Active Living Bill (SB 127) was going nowhere. It had been placed on the “suspense file” in the Appropriations Committee. The bill would require Caltrans to make state-controlled city streets safe for people to walk and bike, not just places for fast-moving cars and trucks, when they repaired or repaved streets.

Senators Portantino and Atkins had the power to move SB 127 forward or squash it. Questions about the costs of Complete Streets safety improvements threatened to derail the bill.

Then something amazing happened. We asked CalBike members and Complete Streets supporters from the districts of these two senators to call and email them. You responded and your senators listened. On May 16, at deadline, the Senators decided to move the the Complete Streets bill out of committee and to the Senate floor for a vote.

This is an inspiring example of the importance of speaking up for safe streets for everyone. Every one of us has the power to help bring Complete Streets to California state routes.

We can’t take a victory lap just yet. The Complete Streets bill will get a floor vote from the whole Senate in the next two weeks. We need to keep the pressure on all our state senators to support this important legislation. After that, we have to do it all over again in the Assembly, where the bill faces the challenging Transportation Committee.

Sign our Complete Streets petition to show your support and stay informed.

Find out more about Complete Streets here.

CalBike Moves Bike-Friendly Bills Forward in Sacramento

May 14, 2019/by Laura McCamy

Two important bills for better biking are moving forward in the California legislature. Bike-friendly legislation continues to advance, thanks to the work of CalBike and our partners to keep up the pressure.

Bike-friendly turn lanes bill passes with bipartisan support

AB 1266, introduced by Assemblymember Robert Rivas (D-Hollister), passed on the Assembly floor on May 13, by a vote of 66-0. The next step for this bill is the Senate. We are optimistic that it will be passed into law later this year.

The measure requires Caltrans to develop new bike lane design guidance for planners and engineers. This guidance would facilitate a typical and safe maneuver by people on bicycles: going straight through an intersection via the left portion of a right-turn lane. Currently, design guidance for these features is not included in the state’s official Highway Design Manual. Without guidance, it is difficult for planners to include these markings in street design. The lack of guidance makes it hard for bike riders to safely navigate straight through at an intersection with a turn lane.

AB 1266 resolves these problems. It clarifies the legality of the commonsense position that bicyclists take in the left side of a right-turn lane. The bill also requires the Department of Transportation to develop designs to facilitate this maneuver.

E-bike vouchers near a vote

SB 400 will add vouchers for e-bikes and bikeshare memberships to a program that helps low-income Californians trade polluting cars for green transportation. The bill has passed out of committee. It heads for a vote on the Senate floor on Monday, May 20.

This bill, introduced by Senator Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana), is an important step toward recognizing bicycles as part of the clean transportation revolution. The voucher program helps bring transportation justice to California streets, a goal that CalBike strongly supports.

You can help ensure victory for SB 400. Raise your voice before the vote on Monday.

What you can do:

Contact your state senator and urge him or her to support SB 400. You can find your senator here.

Join Senator Umberg on Saturday morning, May 18, in Long Beach for a celebration of SB 400. Learn about e-bikes and bikeshare and support the bill’s passage through the Senate.

Don’t Let SB 127 Die: Call Now to Support the Complete Streets Bill

May 14, 2019/by Laura McCamy

The Complete Streets for Active Living Bill (SB 127) has reached a crucial point in its journey through the Senate. It has landed in the Senate Appropriations Committee. This is where the fiscal impact of bills is assessed. Yesterday, SB 127 was placed on the “suspense file,” which means the bill is on hold because of “unknown significant costs.” But, if enough people call and support Complete Streets, we can get this important legislation back on track.

A bill can die in Appropriations, if there is not enough political will to push it through. By Thursday, May 15th, we need to convey to Senate leadership that the benefits of the proposal outweigh the costs. It’s hard to put a price tag on the value of the lives saved and injuries prevented by Complete Streets features. Now is the time to voice your support for Complete Streets on Caltrans-controlled city streets.

The senators responsible for moving bills forward in the Appropriations Committee have the power to move the Complete Streets Bill forward, but the timeline is tight. The bill needs to come off of the suspense file before a hearing this Thursday, May 16th.

Your senators need to hear that you support Complete Streets. Please email or call these two senators today.

Contact Appropriations Committee Chair Senator Anthony Portantino TODAY

Contact Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins TODAY

Welcome New Hire: Forest Barnes to Work on Active Transportation in the Central Valley

May 7, 2019/by Laura McCamy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – May 6, 2019

Sacramento, CA –The California Bicycle Coalition is excited to announce the addition of Forest Barnes to our staff. Forest will lead CalBike’s active transportation planning work in five southern San Joaquin Valley cities from Fresno to Bakersfield.

Under Forest’s leadership, CalBike will facilitate planning for safe walking and biking connections to the planned high speed rail stations and for bikeshare in the city of Bakersfield. These efforts are supported by an SB 1 Sustainable Communities grant. The grant was awarded to CalBike and Kern Council of Governments to improve bicycle and pedestrian connectivity, specifically for the Valley’s most marginalized residents, around proposed High-Speed Rail stations.

Forest is coming to CalBike having recently completed his Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of California, Los Angeles. He has extensive experience in sustainable transportation planning and policy, specifically in the Central Valley and the Bay Area. As a Bakersfield native, Forest will be a valuable addition to CalBike in this new role.

Please welcome Forest Barnes to the CalBike team!

Complete Streets Bill Passes the Senate

CalBike Succeeds in Getting E-bike Vouchers through the Senate

CalBike and Allies Oppose Bill Attacking State Control of Active Transportation

CalBike Members Score Complete Streets Victory

CalBike Moves Bike-Friendly Bills Forward in Sacramento

Bike-friendly turn lanes bill passes with bipartisan support

E-bike vouchers near a vote

Don’t Let SB 127 Die: Call Now to Support the Complete Streets Bill

Welcome New Hire: Forest Barnes to Work on Active Transportation in the Central Valley

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