September 2022 - CalBike

Why a Bill Removing Auto Parking Minimums Near Transit Is a Victory for Biking

September 30, 2022/by Kevin Claxton

Governor Gavin Newsom has signed AB 2097, which prevents local governments from requiring parking in residential buildings near transit, after vetoing a similar bill last year. CalBike strongly supported AB 2097, which was part of our active transportation slate.

The bill, authored by Assemblymember Laura Friedman, will help address California’s housing shortage by making it cheaper to build more units. Parking can cost $50,000 or more per space, adding to the cost of units and using space that could have housed humans to store cars instead. And people who bike will also benefit from this new law.

By eliminating required parking in new buildings near transit, this bill makes car ownership and storage less convenient and riding transit more convenient. That will lead to lower traffic counts near transit hubs and stations, making it safer to bike to transit.

AB 2097 represents a step toward building human-centered communities where walking, biking, and public transit are viable and appealing options. It’s an essential part of the shift we need to address climate change and make our neighborhoods more livable. CalBike applauds the governor for signing AB 2097.

Learn more about AB 2097 and the other legislation that CalBike worked on in 2022 on our Legislative Watch page. To support our hard-hitting advocacy and our vision for a future full of bicycles, please make a gift today.

Governor Signs Bill That Gives Pedestrians a Head Start

September 30, 2022/by Kevin Claxton

Governor Gavin Newsom has signed AB 2264, which will change the way Caltrans programs traffic lights for pedestrians. On state-controlled intersections, when Caltrans replaces or installs a traffic signal with a crosswalk, it must program the signal to give pedestrians a 3- to 7-second head start before car traffic moving the same direction gets a green. CalBike strongly supported this bill, authored by Assemblymember Richard Bloom, as part of our active transportation slate.

Known as a leading pedestrian interval, or LPI, this simple measure makes people who walk more visible to turning vehicles. Streetsblog reports reductions in collisions between pedestrians and cars of up to 46%, and NACTO reports up to 60% fewer collisions. In light of the increase in roadway deaths, particularly of pedestrians, in recent years, this law is a welcome change. We hope it will encourage municipalities to install LPIs at locally controlled intersections.
AB 2264 will increase safety for people on bikes, as well. The OmniBike Bill, AB 1909, allows bicyclists to cross with the walk signal, even if the traffic light isn’t green. The effect of LPIs on visibility for bike riders hasn’t been studied as thoroughly as its impact on pedestrian safety. Still, we anticipate that increased visibility will also reduce collisions between cars and bikes. CalBike is thrilled that the governor signed this critical safety bill.

Learn more about AB 2264 and the other legislation that CalBike was focused on in 2022 on our Legislative Watch page. To support our hard-hitting advocacy and our vision for a future full of bicycles, please make a gift today.

Governor Signs SB 932, Plan for the Future Bill

September 29, 2022/by Kevin Claxton

For Immediate Release: 9/29/22

Contact: CalBike Kevin Claxton, 909.274.0137, Kevin@CalBike.org

Plan for the Future Bill Signed by Governor

SB 932 will accelerate green cities and active transportation

Sacramento, CA – Today, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed SB 932, the Plan for the Future Bill.

SB 932 requires a county or city to identify high-injury streets and intersections in its General Plan and prioritize safety improvements to reduce traffic collisions.

SB 932 will also create an annual grant program to award funding to help cities implement timely and effective short-term efforts to mitigate bicycle, pedestrian, and other active transportation. The Act mandates that cities and counties begin to implement those plans within two years after the adoption of the new circulation element.

Though California has been leading efforts to create safer streets, traffic deaths have dramatically increased in recent years. In some cities, the most dangerous streets and corridors have been identified, but no plans exist to remedy these deadly situations. In other cases, safety measures detailed in General Plans are never built.

“By putting active transportation safety and access at the center of local planning, SB 932 will create more livable communities in California,” said Jared Sanchez, CalBike Senior Policy Advocate. “And mandating planning for safe active transportation is essential to meeting California’s emissions reduction goals,”

The bill’s author, Senator Portantino, said, “This bill is not just about cyclists; it’s about the safety of everyone who ventures into the public right of way. SB 932 is an effective way to mitigate injuries and fatalities. The Governor’s signature on this important public safety bill will yield positive change for our communities.”

Marc Vukcevich, Co-Director of State Policy at Streets for All, said, “SB 932 is a transformative policy that will require cities and counties to plan for biking and walking as transportation. This bill will also have cities address their high injury networks of streets in a time when roadway fatalities of both drivers and pedestrians are at an all-time high.”

CalBike and Streets for All are sponsors of Senator Portantino’s Plan for the Future Bill.

How to Get a Replace Your Ride E-Bike Voucher in Southern California

September 26, 2022/by Laura McCamy

CalBike recently reported on the experience of Berkeley resident Vicki Davis, who received an e-bike voucher from the Clean Cars for All program, administered by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, in December 2021. While it took some time, the process was relatively smooth for Davis to receive a $7,500 voucher in exchange for turning in an old car.

Since this program is administered by each of the regional air quality management districts, the process to get an e-bike voucher is different depending on where you live. For a different perspective, we spoke with Misch Anderson, a Pasadena resident who got a voucher through the Southern California Air Quality Management District Replace Your Ride program.

About Replace Your Ride

In 2019, CalBike helped pass a bill that added e-bikes to a program that lets people turn in older gas-powered cars in exchange for money to help buy an electric vehicle. The regional air quality management districts administer the program in each region. Because of that and because of the pandemic, the e-bike voucher program rollout has been slow and uneven.

When Misch Anderson decided to get rid of her 1996 Honda Civic in 2020, she knew about SB 400 and turned to the SCAQMD Replace Your Ride program instead of selling it. The process was a journey that took her more than two years.

“I could easily have sold that car for — I don’t even know how much money,” she says. “It would have been a lot easier than this program.” But she persevered because she wanted the program to work for her and others. Here’s what it took.

Part 1: There’s no e-bike voucher option

Anderson started investigating Replace Your Ride in May 2020 and submitted her application in July. She didn’t see an e-bike incentive listed on the website when she applied. Still, she knew e-bikes had been added to the program, so she asked about it and was told it wasn’t available yet because of California Air Resources Board funding cycles.

Because of technical issues on both sides, it took Anderson until October 2020 to submit all her documents. She was frustrated by how hard the process was to navigate. “I felt like these are the kinds of barriers I overcame,” she says, “but it’s not fair to expect the audience for this program to work around them.” (The program is aimed at low-income Californians who earn 400% of the federal poverty level or less.)

It took several months before she was assigned a case manager — probably delayed by the pandemic disruptions to people’s work routines. Once she got the case manager, she was able to resolve her paperwork issues.

The next issue was with her car: It needed to pass smog to qualify, so she needed to deal with a hole in the tailpipe. She had the impression that she should be able to get everything done and qualify for the program in about three months, but the timeline kept stretching out.

She reached out to a friend at the local bike coalition, ActiveSGV, who connected her with a bike-friendly board member. That board member emailed other board members and staff on her behalf. “Otherwise, I think my file might still be at the bottom of somebody’s desk in finance,” she says.

Anderson kept asking about an e-bike option during the process and was told it would come in a few months. By the time she successfully handed over her car in February 2021, there was still no e-bike voucher option in the SCAQMD program, so she opted for transit credit with her $7,500 voucher.

Part 2: The transit option shrinks

After she surrendered her vehicle, Anderson got a credit card that she could use to pay for transit. But, she says, “By that time, it turned out that the transit options I was planning on using the card for no longer qualified.”

She hoped to use the money to pay for ridesharing apps, but rideshare was no longer part of the program. Next, she decided to use the credit for car sharing through Zipcar, but her prepaid debit card didn’t work in Zipcar’s system. Anderson took the issue to Replace Your Ride staffers, who tried to work it out but failed. And because she started but never finished the application, Zipcar banned Anderson from the service for life.

The card worked for another carshare program, but it was only available in the LA metro area, too far from Pasadena, and it would take a very long time to use her credit for bus rides.

“This transit option is so limited as to be not very useful for me,” she says, “and certainly not the option I had hoped for and was promised in the beginning.”

Anderson kept inquiring if the e-bike option was available. When it still wasn’t listed by January of 2022, she decided to take action to get SCAQMD moving.

Part 3: Activism opens the e-bike option at SCAQMD

ActiveSGV had administered a local e-bike incentive program, and Anderson offered to connect them with Replace Your Ride for technical assistance. When she’d gotten no response to her emails by early 2022, she turned to a supportive member of the air district board for help, and he suggested she come in person to the next board meeting.

“I got up, and I basically said the Replace Your Ride Program is doing a great job of putting more cars on the road, but it’s totally failing to steer anybody toward transit and e-bikes,” Anderson recalls.

The board member asked staff to prepare a response, and, 10 minutes later, she was outside the meeting room, talking with someone in charge and being offered a spot in a pilot program for an e-bike voucher. Anderson was one of two people in the program in the spring of 2022.

The next step was to transfer her funds so she could use them for a bike rather than transit, find a bike shop participating in the program, and shop for an e-bike.

Part 4: After more than two years, a new e-bike!

Anderson picked out a Tern SPlus and got the bike shop to order it, but the bureaucratic holdups continued. She and the other person in the pilot program had both purchased bikes through the same shop, but they couldn’t pick them up until the shop completed paperwork, sent it to SCAQMD, and got a check in return.

“The bike shop ended up having to hang onto both our bikes and all our accessories, which was over $10,000 of inventory, for over six weeks,” Anderson says, noting the burden that the delay placed on the shop: “You’re asking these mostly small independent bike shops to hang onto thousands of dollars of inventory without getting paid.”

She used the balance on her $7,500 voucher (she had used some on transit tickets) for her e-bike and accessories. She’s nicknamed her Tern the E-Bike Wonder or Blueberry, and she’s having a blast riding it. “It’s fast enough to get to nearby places efficiently,” Anderson says, “but not so fast that I can’t enjoy the neighborhood as I’m passing through,” adding that she’s lucky to live in a pretty town.

“Fun doesn’t get talked about enough. We talk about benefits to our health, environment, finances, etc., and those are all well and good, but what really motivates me to get on my bike instead of into my car is that I just want to have more fun in my day.” — Misch Anderson

The Replace Your Ride program has only a tiny reference to e-bikes, and Anderson notes that “you have to be a lot in the know” to apply. She feels the program’s website should focus on transportation alternatives rather than EVs. “There is not another human being in Southern California that needs to be sold on cars,” she says. She noted that SCAQMD has hired a new staffer for the program and future applications who want an e-bike voucher might have an easier process than she did.

And Anderson is doing her part to spread the word. SCAQMD recently invited her to bring her bike to an event promoting EVs, and she told us via email, “My e-bike STOLE THE SHOW. Seriously. I barely had it unloaded (the event was far, so I had to drive it in a friend’s SUV) when people were asking about it. I let people ride it around, people of all ages, and they all pulled up looking so HAPPY!”

Governor Signs Friedman’s Excellent OmniBike Bill, AB 1909

September 23, 2022/by Kevin Claxton

Governor Gavin Newsom has signed Assemblymember Laura Friedman’s excellent OmniBike Bill, AB 1909. The legislature presented Newsom with 16 active transportation bills, and he has, to date, signed seven of them and vetoed only one. CalBike applauds Assemblymember Friedman for her strong support of people on bikes and her leadership on active transportation and community enhancement. And we thank the governor for recognizing the critical role that biking and walking must play in California’s fight to mitigate climate change and make our communities more liveable.

The OmniBike Bill (so-called because it’s an omnibus bill that combines several provisions) makes changes to the vehicle code to recognize that car rules don’t always work for bikes. Modifying the vehicle code to make people on bikes safer affirms that bikes belong on California streets.

Four bike-friendly code changes

The OmniBike Bill makes four changes to the vehicle code. Perhaps the most consequential is requiring drivers to change lanes whenever passing a bicyclist, if feasible. The prior rule, requiring people in cars to give people on bikes a 3-foot margin when passing, was difficult to enforce and not enough space for comfort in some situations. The change lanes to pass provision will make it easier for police to cite drivers who fail to give bikes room for safety.

The bill also stops cities and counties from enforcing bicycle license laws. Most residents aren’t aware of bicycle licensing requirements, and the regulations are rarely enforced. However, some jurisdictions have used them as an excuse to harass youth and BIPOC bike riders. AB 1909 removes another pretext for biased policing.

The OmniBike Bill expands access for people riding e-bikes. In some areas, some or all e-bikes were banned from certain bikeways. The bill requires that e-bikes get access while still allowing the Department of Parks and Recreation to prohibit them on some trails and local authorities to ban them from equestrian, hiking, and recreational trails.

The final provision would allow bikes to cross streets on pedestrian walk signals, rather than only a green traffic light. And, if the governor signs AB 2264, which requires Caltrans walk signals to give pedestrians a 3- to 7-second headstart on crossing the street, people on bikes would get a headstart, too. A study of several intersections in San Francisco showed that adding a headstart reduced right-of-way violations (when a car driver cut off a pedestrian) by 65% to 98%.

The bill will amend the vehicle code to include these provisions by the end of the year, except for bikes advancing on walk signals, which takes effect on January 1, 2024.

The bill section that won’t go into effect

The OmniBike Bill included one excellent provision, tied to CalBike’s Freedom to Walk Bill, AB 2147, that won’t take effect. The Freedom to Walk Bill prevents police from ticketing people for jaywalking when they make a safe midblock crossing but allows tickets for unsafe street crossings. AB 1909 would have removed tickets for pedestrians who safely cross without a walk signal. However, that provision could only take effect if AB 2147 was signed first, and the governor hasn’t taken action on the jaywalking bill yet.

However, that is only a tiny missed opportunity. The OmniBike Bill is a significant victory for people who bike in California, and CalBike is proud to be a strong supporter of this measure.

Why a Bicycle Coalition Supports Scooters — And You Should, Too

September 9, 2022/by Jared Sanchez

Active Transportation Bills Advance to Governor’s Desk

September 7, 2022/by Jared Sanchez

For Immediate Release 9/7/22

Contact: Jared Sanchez, CalBike (714) 262-0921, Jared@CalBike.org

CalBike: Active Transportation Bills Now on Governor Newsom’s Desk

Sacramento, CA – A slate of active transportation bills backed by the California Bicycle Coalition is now on Gov. Newsom’s desk. He has until September 30 to sign them into law. These bills make it easier and safer for Californians to choose biking, walking, and public transit as their everyday transportation.

Jared Sanchez, senior policy advocate at CalBike, said, “The success of this legislation shows that our elected officials take the climate crisis seriously and are prepared to address it. Active transportation helps reduce the climate impacts of California’s transportation system and invests in clean alternatives for low-income communities who suffer the most from California’s air pollution.”

Two Cal Bike-sponsored bills on the Governor’s desk

The Plan for the Future Bill (SB 932, Portantino) will require general plans to include active transportation in their circulation elements and build them rather than sitting on those plans.

The Freedom to Walk Bill (AB 2147, Ting) will prevent police from issuing jaywalking tickets unless the street crossing is truly dangerous.

Bills CalBike supported in 2022 awaiting signature

The OmniBike Bill (AB 1909, Friedman) edits the California Vehicle Code to make it more bike-friendly, including requiring cars to change lanes to pass bikes when possible.

The E-Bike Incentives Bill (AB 117, Boerner Horvath) codifies a program included in last year’s budget with a $10 million allocation to give low-income Californians vouchers to help them purchase an electric bicycle.

CalBike also strongly supports these active transportation bills awaiting the governor’s signature:

AB 2438 Friedman – Align transportation funding with climate goals
SB 457 Portantino and Wilk – Car-free tax credit
AB 2097 Friedman – No auto parking minimums near transit
SB 1079 Portantino – Sound-activated enforcement devices
SB 1472 Stern – Speeding and reckless driving
SB 307 McGuire – Great Redwood Trail Agency authorization
SB 1230 Limon – Zero-emission and near-zero emission vehicle incentive programs
SB 922 Wiener – CEQA exemptions for transit and active transportation infrastructure
AB 1919 Holden – Free student transit passes
AB 2264 Bloom – Pedestrian head start at crossing signals
SB 1107 Dodd – Protect California Drivers Act of 2022 increases liability insurance
AB 2863 Wilson – Bike parking standards in building codes (research)

We hope Governor Newsom signs every one of these bills into law.

Bills already signed

The governor has already signed some of the bike-friendly bills that reached his desk, two relating to bicycle education.

AB 1946 (Boerner Horvath) requires Caltrans to develop statewide safety standards and training programs for users of e-bikes.
AB 2028 (Davies) expands permitted school bicycle safety education partnerships in elementary and middle schools to include any agency or organization (not just law enforcement) at any public school.
AB 2174 (Chen) will treat bikes and scooters as vehicles for purposes of towing regulations.

Legislative Update: Active Transportation Wins Outnumber Losses as Bills Head to the Governor

September 6, 2022/by Jared Sanchez

CalBike Statement on the Withdrawal of the Bicycle Safety Stop Bill, AB 1713

September 6, 2022/by Jared Sanchez

CalBike is disappointed that AB 1713, the Bicycle Safety Stop, was withdrawn ahead of a likely veto from Governor Gavin Newsom. The bill would have allowed bike riders aged 18 and older to treat stop signs as yields. Riders would have been required to slow down, stop for pedestrians and cross traffic, and proceed carefully if the way is clear.

Once again, the governor has chosen to listen to law enforcement groups that oppose this bill. That opposition is based on biased accident data compiled by police who default to assigning blame for crashes to bike riders. A recent study added to previous data that bicyclists are often inaccurately deemed responsible for crashes.

Nine states already have similar laws on the books, and more are poised to join them. After Delaware legalized the bicycle safety stop, a study found that bike-involved collisions declined. Earlier this year, the National Highway Safety Traffic Administration endorsed stop-as-yield laws, saying, “Bicyclist stop-as-yield laws allow cyclists to mitigate risk to their advantage, increase their visibility to drivers and reduce exposure.”

While our state has embraced measures to make driving greener, it hasn’t done nearly enough to encourage alternative modes of transportation. We need to make it easier, cheaper, more convenient, and safer for people to bike, walk, and take public transit so we can reduce our dependence on private automobiles.

The bicycle safety stop is essential to creating the bike-friendly California we need. The administration’s position on this essential bike safety measure is wrongheaded and counterproductive. If, as promised, Assemblymember Boerner Horvath introduces it again in 2023, we hope Governor Newsom will have the vision to support it.

How to Get a Clean Cars for All E-Bike Voucher in the Bay Area

September 1, 2022/by Laura McCamy

During a recent meeting of the CARB Electric Bicycle Incentives Work Group, the comments made it evident that there are lots of Californians trying to figure out how to get help to afford an e-bike. The incentives program, which CalBike helped pass last year, will provide vouchers to low-income Californians for an e-bike purchase. When it comes online in early 2023, it will offer incentives of $750 to $1,500 toward an e-bike purchase.

However, if you don’t want to wait and you have an old car you’re ready to get rid of, you may qualify for a considerably higher voucher to buy e-bikes for multiple family members. A few years ago, CalBike got the Clean Cars for All program to include vouchers to purchase an e-bike as one of the options (the program offers incentives of up to $9,500 toward an electric car for people who turn in an older, gas-powered vehicle).

It’s not straightforward to figure out how to get a Clean Cars e-bike voucher, and each local air management district administers its own program, so there may be regional differences. We spoke with Berkeley resident Vicki Davis about her experience getting a voucher and a new e-bike through the program administered by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD).

An e-bike that solves two problems

Vicki Davis and daughters — Vicki Davis with daughters Lyra (on back of bike) and Holly

During the pandemic, Davis’ older daughter went on bike rides with her dad for her PE requirement. Davis couldn’t join them because she has asthma and other health issues that would make it hard for her to keep up. Plus, she didn’t have a bike. Her younger daughter hasn’t learned to ride, so the two of them were stuck at home while the other half of their family had all the fun.

Her family had another problem: A 2000 Camry, her husband’s old car, with an unreliable battery. “Over the pandemic, he really got into biking and was using his car less and less,” she says, “and we would get tickets almost every month for street sweeping.”

The Clean Cars for All program solved both problems. Davis was able to take the Camry off the road, and, in return, the program gave her a voucher to buy one or more e-bikes. “We got $7,500, which is more than we could have gotten [for the Camry] had we sold it,” she says. She and her husband don’t have to worry about parking tickets, registration, or getting the car to pass smog. And Davis has a brand new Rad Runner Plus that allows her to keep up with her husband and older daughter and take her younger child for a ride on the back.

Here are the basics of the Clean Cars for All e-bike voucher program, including the timing and tips from Davis on navigating the process.

Step 1: Have an eligible car to trade and meet eligibility requirements

To qualify for a Clean Cars for All voucher, you must meet the program’s eligibility requirements. In the Bay Area, that includes living in an eligible zip code, meeting the income requirement (income within 400% of the Federal Poverty Level), owning a car that falls within the program parameters, and being a first-time applicant to the program.

The car must be drivable to qualify. Davis’ Camry had 180,000 miles on it and was in decent condition, but she was happy to scrap it. “It was basically like paying rent to have it parked on our street,” she says.

Step 2: Fill out lots of paperwork

“The very first step is preapproving that you can even apply,” Davis says. That part of the process was quick.

Once she was preapproved, she could submit paperwork proving her income and ownership of the car. The website was not mobile-friendly, which presented an extra challenge.

When her husband found out about the program through a post on Twitter, he didn’t believe it was real, but he sent her the information, and she submitted the application because they were desperate to get rid of their second car. It took so long for her to hear back from BAAQMD that she figured it wasn’t real or the program had run out of money, but she finally got approved.

She submitted paperwork through an online portal where she could check her application status and can now check the balance on her voucher and get purchases approved.

Pro Tip: Davis notes that the program promotes itself as a subsidy to buy an EV, and it’s harder to find the e-bike option. In the Bay Area, that option is listed under Mobility Options, which includes a grant for transit passes. When you choose what kind of voucher you want, it looks like you’re opting for a transit pass — the e-bike grant is in small print.

Step 3: Get the car inspected at a salvage yard.

“I think a lot of the delays were me, to be honest,” Davis says. It took her a while to complete the many steps of the process, and, she adds, scrapping the car was a whole second chore that she hadn’t bargained on. She had to get the battery working to drive the vehicle to the salvage yard for inspection.

There was an issue with the yard sending her documents through to the Clean Cars program, and getting the information sent again was a big hassle. Her tip: “Keep copies of things. Follow up.”

Step 4: Wait.

Davis found out she was eligible to apply for a Clean Cars voucher in March of 2021. She submitted her paperwork in April. Her status changed to Under Review in July and Approved in November.

Step 5: Take the car back to be junked.

After she was approved, Davis took her car to be junked in November. It took a few more weeks for the grant to come through; she got her voucher in late December of 2021.

Step 6: Buy your new e-bike, accessories, and more

Davis bought a Rad Runner Plus Class 2 e-bike for about $2,100, including tax and accessories. “The thing I really like about the one I got is that it has a seat on the back for my younger daughter,” she says.

She chose the Rad Runner even though her voucher would have enabled her to get a more expensive e-bike because it fit her style better. She likes having the throttle option so she can keep going if she gets too tired.

The voucher is on a pre-loaded credit card, and Davis can submit what she wants to buy beforehand to get it pre-approved or approved after the purchase. She must load receipts for each purchase and show that it’s related to her e-bike. When she needed an extension cord for charging and bought a milk crate for an inexpensive basket, she had to load photos of the items in use since they weren’t classified as bike accessories.

With the $4,600 she has left, she can buy e-bikes for other family members, and she’s going to see if she can get a bike rack to put her e-bike on the back of the family car. She also has the option to convert the balance into money for transit passes. The program gives her up to three years to spend the funds.

Step 7: Ride everywhere and have a blast!

Davis is having a great time riding her new e-bike with her husband and kids. “We rode over the Bay Bridge, which was so exciting,” she says. She’s been taking her younger daughter to and from school by bike and riding alongside her older daughter to Berkeley High.

“Even though it’s an electric bike and I use the assist, I am getting exercise,” Davis says. Some of the things she loves about being able to bike now include “going places where we don’t have to worry about parking” and “not having to stress about my second car.” She’s getting less nervous about riding and expanding her comfort zone; she recently did her first ride in the dark.

If you think you might qualify for the Clean Cars for All program and would like an e-bike voucher, check the program webpages for information on where to apply in your region. And you can out more details about the Bay Area program on this handy reference page.