Active Transportation Slate Comes Before Senate Committee
On July 11, 2023, the California Senate Transportation Committee will consider a slate of critical active transportation bills. The five bills that CalBike supports that will come before the committee cover everything from the Bicycle Safety Stop to decriminalizing sidewalk riding to a measure to make regional planning more climate-friendly.
Please let your senator know that you support these vital measures, and they should vote YES on the full Active Transportation Slate. Scroll down to take action — it just takes a minute.
Five bills to be heard on July 11
The Active Transportation Slate consists of these five bills.
Bicycle Safety Stop (AB 73, Boerner): The Safety Stop, already legal in several other states, allows people on bikes to treat stop signs as yields when the right of way is clear.
Daylighting to Save Lives (AB 413, Lee): This bill prohibits stopping, standing, or parking a vehicle within 20 feet of any unmarked or marked crosswalk, to increase visibility and reduce potentially lethal collisions.
Climate-First Transportation Planning (AB 7, Friedman) This bill requires state transportation agencies to incorporate the principles of the Climate Action Plan for Transportation Infrastructure (CAPTI) and the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in the project selection and implementation process.
Safe Sidewalk Riding (AB 825, Bryan): Part of our Biking Is Not a Crime slate, this measure allows bicycle riding on a sidewalk adjacent to a street that does not include a Class I, Class II, or Class IV bikeway. It protects pedestrians by requiring people on bikes to share the space responsibly and imposing a 10 mph speed limit on bikes.
Free Transit for Youth Pilot (AB 610, Holden): The concept of giving free transit passes to young people is gaining momentum, so we hope this pilot gets the governor’s signature. It’s a great way to give young people low-carbon mobility, support our transit agencies, and help young people build the habit of taking transit.
Taken together, these five bills will improve safety and access for people biking, walking, and taking public transit. Ask your state senator to vote YES on the active transportation slate.
One more active transportation milestone
On June 27, the Transportation Committee voted on another essential active transportation bill, AB 645, Assemblymember Laura Friedman’s automated speed enforcement pilot (speed cameras). The measure died in the Assembly each of the last two years; this year, it passed its first senate vote and now heads to the Judiciary Committee.
Automated speed enforcement, if executed properly, can be effective at reducing speeding. And, by removing armed officers from this aspect of traffic safety, it reduces potentially deadly interactions between police and people of color. We’ll be watching this one with interest.
