Reflections on the 2019 California Bicycle Summit

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The 2019 California Bicycle Summit delivered on its theme: Intersections.

CalBike held its 2019 California Bicycle Summit at the Center for Healthy Communities in Los Angeles in October 15-17. Participants in dozens of panels, workshops, plenaries, and keynotes grappled with the many ways that bicycling intersects with other key issues like housing and the climate crisis. 

The connection between transportation policy and the housing and climate crises were woven through the Summit. Topics such as racial and economic inequality, discrimination towards women and marginalized gender indenties, and the colonial history of gentrification and displacement were lifted up as well. The great work of our steering committee, speakers, panelists, and activity leaders was key to bringing a diversity of viewpoints into the room. 

In order to bring to light the intersections that are vital to effective bicycle advocacy, the Summit also was the most inclusive ever. The steering committee’s outreach brought in many more people on scholarships and representatives from grassroots organizations. The Summit included participants whose voices aren’t always heard in discussions about bicycle safety and infrastructure planning.

There were many moments of enlightenment and connection. Here are some of the highlights for CalBike staff members at the Summit.

2019 California Bicycle Summit

Jared Sanchez, CalBike Senior Policy Advocate

One of my key takeaways from the 2019 Summit was the tremendous potential to develop new ideas and forge new connections. This was possible because of the conflicting ideas and perspectives of the diverse attendees. The great conversations and interactions that resulted have inspired me to do more work through conflict-informed collaboration. I have seen how this mode of interaction can help CalBike fulfill its mission to bring prosperity, equity, joy, and health to all Californians with the aid of the bicycle.

A great example of the fruitful clash of ideas and viewpoints happened during a panel titled The Intersection of Bicycle Advocacy and Housing Policy. This workshop was well-attended and well-received because Senator Scott Wiener’s SB 50 was such a hot policy and planning topic this last year. The panel showcased the diversity of positions on the proposal to tie housing density to transit. The panelists spoke from different backgrounds and expertise. For example, Senator Wiener’s legislative staff spoke of their ongoing collaboration with Los Angeles justice groups, members of which were also on the panel.

The discussion about the intersection of housing equity and transportation justice didn’t shy away from the real conflicts that have arisen between stakeholders the last couple years as the legislation appeared likely to pass. This panel brought key conflict-informed collaborations into a public light specifically within a bicycle advocacy framework, so our members and supporters could engage as key stakeholders themselves. This would not have been possible if we hadn’t brought together a diversity of backgrounds and viewpoints for this panel. The workshop may not have resolved years of ongoing negotiations between the varying positions on this issue, but it did offer an accessible entry point where a variety of opinions and facts came into focus at once. We hope that thought-provoking Summit conversations like these contribute to the larger, and more exclusive, policy and planning decisions being made.

2019 California Bicycle Summit

Forest Barnes, CalBike Active Transportation Planner, Central Valley

This was my first time at the Summit and I was blown away by the workshops and attendees, especially the Green New Deal panel and work session afterward. I was really inspired by folks thinking about the bike and bike culture as a very real and scalable climate solution that can be put into place quickly. I was also really struck by how great it was to see folks from the Bay Area getting to learn lessons from folks in SoCal and vice versa. Everyone had amazing energy and it was super inspiring. It was really helpful for my work in the Central Valley. I also loved the session about biking as a form of community culture and the benefits it brings, the at a  lunch plenary. It brought home to me how bike culture is a tool for communities to use to alleviate racist institutional caps on their mobility.

2019 California Bicycle Summit

Jenn Guitart, CalBike Development Director

I was inspired by our workshop on Bicycling and the Climate Crisis, which included five themed breakout discussions where experts in the fields of housing, funding, and sustainable transportation led participants in brainstorming about local and state strategies for collaborating to avoid the worst impacts of the climate crisis. So many great ideas in the room: Let’s build a culture of glamorizing bicycling the way we have done with cars (Beyoncé in a bike commercial!). Let’s eliminate single family zoning to get more infill housing built. Let’s reform how curb space is used. Let’s be less polite to our lawmakers, and demand more change. Let’s get funders and advocates together so that big foundations stop focusing so much on electric vehicles, and start funding bicycle and transit advocacy. 

2019 California Bicycle Summit

Linda Khamoushian, CalBike Policy Director

This year’s Bike Summit was full of energy and inspiration. It was a particularly sensitive time for me right after the Governor’s veto of SB 127, but sharing the disappointment with the committed and passionate participants was healing. More importantly, we had space to plan how to move forward effectively and bring the change we need in our communities for a healthier and safer environment for biking and walking in California. Meeting and sharing space with other advocates and the various professionals who lent their time and expertise to the Summit left me with hope and inspiration to carry the work forward.

2019 California Bicycle Summit

Dave Snyder, CalBike Executive Director

What was most thrilling to me was the diversity of perspectives presented. As an organization, we are simultaneously a single-issue organization and an intersectional social change organization that deals with an incredibly broad range of concerns. In other words, in order to win on behalf of the issue we focus on, we can’t focus on just that issue. It’s an interesting tension to hold, and I think the Summit was a very effective expression of how we navigate that tension to make social change. There were workshops on something as bike-specific as the aesthetic details of the worlds’ most beautiful bikeways and on something as fundamental to social justice in the U.S. as the role of racism in policing, and many topics in between. We had some of the state’s most elite institutional leaders and some of the state’s most heroic grassroots leaders. I wanted the Summit to strengthen our movement by bringing these diverse perspectives together. While we  still have work to do to bring the full diversity of Californians who care about the intersection of bicycling and social justice into the room, this gathering definitely succeeded in strengthening our movement.

2019 California Bicycle Summit

All in all, the 2019 Summit was a space where participants could share experiences and knowledge and develop common understandings across diverse constituencies. If participants walked away feeling inspired and energized, but also challenged with new perspectives, we succeeded in what we set out to do.

Thank you to everyone who came to the 2019 Summit! We admire your commitment to the work. Thank you to The California Endowment and its staff for hosting us in their beautiful space. Thank you to the most excellent Michelle Barrionuevo-Mazzini, the event’s main coordinator, who made sure everything went smoothly. We couldn’t have done it without her. If you didn’t make it this year, we’ll hold our next Summit in fall of 2021—keep your eyes peeled for details.

All photos courtesy of Evan Dudley.

2019 California Bicycle Summit

Photos by Evan Dudley.

Linda Khamoushian Promoted to CalBike Policy Director

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The California Bicycle Coalition is pleased to announce the promotion of Linda Khamoushian to the position of Policy Director. Khamoushian will lead CalBike’s statewide policy agenda in the legislature and the legislative agencies that play a role in making our communities more equitable, inclusive, and prosperous.

Khamoushian came to CalBike in October of 2016 as a Senior Policy Advocate. She has been in Sacramento for the past two years, leading CalBike’s efforts to pass laws that give all Californians the ability to live healthy and joyful lives in bikeable and walkable neighborhoods.

Khamoushian’s new position is part of CalBike’s campaign to grow the influence of our coalitions in Sacramento and across California. Our increasing political power is the key to creating access to a healthy environment for all Californians.

“Linda’s new role will enable us to exert more influence and power at the highest levels of state government in California,” says CalBike Executive Director, Dave Snyder. “She will bring CalBike’s message of transportation justice to the leaders in the legislature and the agency decision-makers who have such a profound influence on Californians’ ability to safely enjoy their neighborhoods.”

CalBike 2019 Legislative Session Wrap-Up

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Several victories advance CalBike’s agenda, but a veto forces us to change strategy

While Governor Newsom’s disappointing veto of the Complete Streets Bill got the most attention, CalBike advocated for much more in the 2019 legislative session. CalBike members responded to our calls to action to secure important victories for our mission of making California’s communities more bike-friendly. CalBike succeeded in getting two of its priority bills signed into law: the Bike Turn Lane Bill and the E-Bike Vouchers Bill. These and several other victories marked a fruitful 2019 legislative session for CalBike.

Despite the veto, CalBike’s Complete Streets Campaign scored a success in galvanizing a broad movement for safe streets

More than 80 organizations signed on, with a diverse leadership team that included California Walks, the American Heart Association, AARP, and Safe Routes Partnership. This powerful coalition, backed by thousands of constituents, got the bill past many obstacles in the legislature, including a falsified and inflated cost estimate presented to the Assembly Appropriations Committee. This coalition will stick together to bring unprecedented pressure on Caltrans to meet its stated mission of creating a “safe” transportation system. We will not allow Newsom’s veto to result in continued dangerous conditions for children and older adults and everyone else who chooses to walk, bike, or take transit on state-owned roads in our communities! Our Complete Streets Campaign has simply entered a new phase.

E-bikes included as a clean mobility option

CalBike sponsored SB 400 (Umberg) to make electric bicycles eligible for vouchers in the state’s Clean Cars 4 All program. The program, funded by the California Air Resources Board, provides support for low-income households in the five largest air quality management districts who wish to trade in their old polluting cars for something more affordable than a discounted electric car. E-bikes are much cheaper and have even lower emissions than an electric/hybrid vehicle. 

Safer bikeway design mandated

We sponsored AB 1266 (Rivas) to require Caltrans to improve its bikeway design guidance. The Bike-Friendly Turn Lane Bill, signed by the governor on September 4, will result in official approval for designs that encourage people on bicycles to use the left portion of a right-turn lane to go straight, which is often the safest and most appropriate maneuver. This bill is a very important win for cyclists. Intersections are the most dangerous place for bicyclists, where the most injuries and fatalities occur. This law provides a new tool for improving bicycle safety at intersections.

Climate and environmental justice in the next California Transportation Plan

AB 285 (Friedman) requires Caltrans to address how the state will achieve maximum feasible emissions reductions in order to attain a statewide reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. This law also obliges Caltrans to show that the five-year update to the California Transportation Plan it submits in 2020 is consistent with air quality standards. It mandates a forecast of the impacts of advanced and emerging technologies over a 20-year horizon on infrastructure, access, and transportation systems and a review of the progress made implementing past California Transportation Plans. It adds environmental justice as a subject area that the plan is required to consider for the movement of people and freight. Read the full text of the bill in its final form.

Housing and transportation agencies must coordinate

AB 185 (Grayson, Cervantes) requires the Department of Housing and Community Development to participate in joint meetings of the California Air Resources Board and the California Transportation Commission. In joint meetings of the latter two agencies (required thanks to earlier advocacy by CalBike and allies), it became apparent that transportation and air quality goals can’t be easily addressed without also addressing land use. This is an important step toward coordinating our state’s policies to reduce car traffic. 

Opening up Amtrak buses to everyone, not just train passengers

Have you ever tried to book an Amtrak bus only to learn that the system won’t allow it unless you also book a train ride for a segment of your trip? For example, Amtrak won’t allow you to book a ticket on the nonstop bus from Los Angeles to Bakersfield, or from Sacramento to Redding, even though they have frequent regular service. SB 742 (Allen) fixes that by authorizing a state or local government to enter into an agreement with Amtrak to provide for the intercity transportation of passengers by motor carrier over regular routes that are open to all riders, including passengers who are not connecting to a passenger rail service.This marks a long-desired change in the rules about Amtrak buses that will make intercity public transit more widely available.

Protecting the Active Transportation Program

SB 152 (Beall) would have changed 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 have granted most of the money directly to regional metropolitan transportation agencies instead of through competitive grants at the state level. This would have threatened the statewide competitive program, which is a model of transparency and equity. CalBike and its partners opposed this bill and helped to defeat it in the Senate. 

Zero Fatalities Task Force Tackles Dangerous Street Design, Speeding

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In 2018, Governor Brown signed AB 2363 to establish the Zero Traffic Fatalities Task Force to make recommendations for eliminating traffic fatalities in California. CalBike’s Executive Director, Dave Snyder, is a member of the task force.

 The bill, authored by Assembly Member Laura Friedman, originally removed the 85th percentile rule in current law about setting speed limits. The rule requires government agencies to set the speed limit at or near the 85th percentile speed of existing traffic on the street or road. In other words, before setting enforceable speed limits, a city has to measure existing speeds, and use the speed of the third fastest car out of 20 to set the speed limit. This requirement has forced cities to actually increase speed limits on many streets, resulting in higher speeds, more crashes, more killings, and more devastating injuries. 

Unfortunately, the bill’s provision to rescind this requirement was opposed by California’s AAA affiliates and other motorist advocacy organizations. In the end, the bill was amended to require a task force to study the issue. 

That Task Force has held three of four scheduled meetings before the Secretary of Transportation David Kim must submit a report of the Zero Traffic Fatalities Task Force’s findings to the Legislature. Its members have studied existing law and debated alternatives to the 85th percentile rule, the efficacy and feasibility of enforcement including automated enforcement (speed cameras), and the potential of engineering to reduce speeds and fatalities. 

A key change to existing law that CalBike has advocated in these meetings is the ability to set speeds lower than 25 mph on neighborhood greenways and other streets. These are places where we want to encourage calm, livable streets safe for walking and biking. On streets with higher speed limits, equitable and automatic enforcement can reduce crashes and save lives of people walking and biking.

Another recommendation is an expansion of the kinds of streets and areas where local agencies may reduce the speed limit below what current law allows. The most important expansion would be on streets identified as “high injury corridors,” where speeding motor vehicles demonstrably cause deaths and serious injuries. Another expansion would broaden the definition of a business district or a school zone. 

When the Task Force completes its work, CalBike, California Walks, and other allies will make sure the insights and recommendations from the Task Force are distributed broadly. More local partners and community members should be engaged in the discussion so that many more voices than were included in the Task Force can amplify the most important recommendations. Together, we can empower local residents and elected officials to set speed limits where they should be to support our goals of creating safe and healthy neighborhoods, and not crossed by streets designed for people to drive through quickly.

#CABikeSummit: the View from Twitter

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On October 15-17, 300 bicycle advocates, government officials, and planners gathered for the 2019 California Bicycle Summit. Participants recorded their reactions to the workshops, plenaries, and tours on Twitter. These #CABikeSummit tweets are a good way to view a cross-section of the Summit.

Here are the top baker’s dozen of tweets and Twitter threads from the California Bicycle Summit.

#1: The most liked tweet was an appropriately angry comment by Bike East Bay’s Robert Prinz in response to the very first speaker our Board Chair Cynthia Rose introduced. Its thread included a shout out to a later speaker, Assembly Member Laura Friedman, who said, “Caltrans needs an awakening if they think that moving Amazon packages is somehow more important than moving children safely through our streets.”

 

#2: Here’s John Jones III ruminating on his experience at the Summit.

 

#3: It wouldn’t be a true California Bicycle Summit without an ear to the south, where we hear BiciActiva Radio telling us about bicycle advocacy in Colombia.

 

#4: “If you bike, you should run for office.”

 

#5: BikeLA, keeping it real.

 

#6: How bikes fit into the Green New Deal was a popular session.

 

#7: We LOVED the bike rides, especially the LA River Tour. Thanks LACBC and Alta for sharing your love of and knowledge about the river and what it can do for Angelenos.

 

#8: And the walking tour, too!

 

#9: Yes we do, Bryn. Yes, we do.

 

#10: Thinking big.

 

#11: Perhaps the most beautiful bikeways in the world.

 

#12: The last plenary was all love as Sahra Sulaiman of StreetsblogLA facilitated a conversation among South Los Angeles bike club leaders. We all agree, they are heroes.

 

#13: Art Ramirez invited the summit goers to his birthday party so our Executive Director took him up on the offer, joining them for a ride from South LA to downtown taking over the streets and protected bike lanes with gorgeous bikes and joyful faces.

Governor Vetoes Complete Streets Bill – Chooses Against Safety

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For Immediate Release: October 12, 2019

Contact:
Linda Khamoushian, California Bicycle Coalition, 916-668-9401, linda@calbike.org
Tony Dang, California Walks, 510-464-8052, tony@calwalks.org
Jamie Morgan, American Heart Association, 916-431-2359, Jamie.Morgan@heart.org
David Azevedo, AARP, 626-616-9539, dazevedo@aarp.org
Margo Pedroso, Safe Routes Partnership, 301-292-1043, margo@saferoutespartnership.org

SB 127: Gov. Gavin Newsom VETOES “COMPLETE STREETS” BILL

SACRAMENTO, Calif.– Late this evening, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed the Complete Streets for Active Living Bill (Senate Bill 127) championed by Sen. Scott Wiener.

The bill would have required the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to consider bicycle and pedestrian safety improvements when it repairs or repaves state routes that serve as local streets. This bill aimed to ensure state roads that run through local communities (e.g. 19th Avenue in San Francisco, Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles, San Pablo Avenue in the East Bay, Santa Rosa Street in San Luis Obispo) are safe for people to walk, bike and use wheelchairs along those routes.

The Complete Streets for Active Living Bill had strong and widespread support. A recent poll found that 78% of California voters support a policy requiring safety improvements when improving a road. They want children to be able to safely walk or bike to school. Hundreds of schools exist within a half-mile of a California State Route and these streets remain some of the deadliest in the state.

Linda Khamoushian, Senior Policy Advocate, California Bicycle Coalition,:
“Gov. Newsom’s decision blatantly ignores the immense support for this critical policy change. People risk their lives everyday just to walk or bike along dangerous state-owned streets. Without more aggressive complete streets policies, our transportation system will continue to operate business as usual. SB 127 was a rare opportunity to create livable streets for everyone. This decision was ill-informed by the faulty cost estimates from Caltrans that were proven illogical based on actual practice, and unfortunately will only perpetuate distrust without resolution. Communities demanded better from the Governor, but now are left in the dust.”

Jamie Morgan, Government Relations Regional Lead, American Heart Association:
“Californians want safer, more livable streets that support local businesses and local jobs. They want the ability to walk and bike safely. By vetoing SB 127, Gov. Newsom missed out on the opportunity to create more livable streets for our children, our residents and our communities.”

Tony Dang, Executive Director, California Walks:
“We are appalled by Governor Newsom’s decision to derail SB 127 despite overwhelming support by the public and the Legislature. Families and children deserve to be able to walk, bike, and cross their community’s local and main streets without fear–the veto of SB127 lets Caltrans off the hook and leaves the safety of our vulnerable residents to chance.”

Margo Pedroso, Deputy Director, Safe Routes Partnership:
“The Safe Routes Partnership is so disappointed that Governor Newsom vetoed the Complete Streets for Active Living Bill into law. As SB 127 made its way through the legislative process, it became clear that legislators understood this bill would create safe routes for everyone when Caltrans repaired state highways in populated areas. This legislation was a common-sense and cost-effective way to get more kids and families walking and biking to school safely when those schools are located next to state highways.”

COMPLETE STREETS BACKGROUND

In California from 2007-2013, nearly 1.7 million people were injured in traffic incidents, including 95,758 while walking along or across the street. In those crashes, 22,117 people were killed, with pedestrians accounting for one-fifth of the total persons killed. The problem is often concentrated around Caltrans roads that go through low-income neighborhoods where more people get around via transit, biking and walking.

Caltrans often claims to make streets safer when they repair them. But in practice, they prioritize fast traffic over the communities demanding more livable streets almost every single time. The Complete Streets for Active Living Bill would have brought safety improvements necessary to stop the killing and maiming on state-owned roads.

SB 127 Co-Sponsors:

California Bicycle Coalition, California Walks, American Heart Association, AARP, Safe Routes Partnership

Supporting Organizations:

350 Bay Area Action, 350 Silicon Valley, Active SGV, American Lung Association in California , Alameda County Transportation Commission, Berkeley Climate Hub, Bicycling Monterey, Bike Bakersfield, Bike Concord, Bike East Bay, Bike San Diego, Bike Santa Cruz County, Bike SLO County, BikeVentura, California Alliance for Retired Americans, California City Transportation Initiative/NACTO, California Democratic Party, California Interfaith Power & Light, California Park and Recreation Society, California ReLeaf, CALSTART Inc., CALPIRG, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Stockton, Cedars, Center for Climate Change and Health, Central California Asthma Collaborative, City Heights Community Development Corp., City of Encinitas, City of Half Moon Bay, City of Long Beach, City of Los Angeles, City of Oakland, City of Sacramento, City and County of San Francisco, City of Santa Monica, City of San Luis Obispo, Climate Action Campaign, ClimatePlan, Climate Resolve, Coalition for Clean Air, Coalition for Sustainable Transportation-Santa Barbara, Coalition for Responsible Transportation Priorities, Costa Mesa Alliance for Better Streets, Compton Unified School District, Cultiva La Salud, Davis Bike Club, Day One, East Bay Recreational Park District, Elders Climate Action (NorCal), Environment California, Fossil Free California, Inland Empire Biking Alliance, Investing in Place, Latino Coalition for a Healthy California, La Verne Bicycle Coalition, Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability, Local Government Commission, Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, Los Angeles Walks, Lyft Inc., Marin County Bicycle Coalition, Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, Move LA, Napa County Bicycle Coalition, Natural Resources Defense Council, Office of Mayor London Breed – San Francisco, Orange County Bicycle Coalition, Office of the Mayor, San Francisco, Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition, Planning and Conservation League, PeopleforBikes, PolicyLink, Public Advocates, Redwood Community Action Agency, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, Rural Counties Representative of California, Sacramento Area Bicycle Advocates, San Diego County Bicycle Coalition, San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, San Francisco Transportation Municipal Agency, San Francisco Department of Public Health, San Francisco Planning Department, SFBA Families for Safe Streets, Santa Monica Spoke, Save The Bay, Seamless Bay Area, Shasta Living Streets, Sierra Club California, Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, Silicon Valley Leadership Group, Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition, Sunflower Alliance, Transform, Transportation Agency for Monterey County, Trust for Public Land, Vision Zero Network, Walk Bike Berkeley, Walk & Bike Mendocino, Walk Oakland Bike Oakland, Walk Sacramento, Walk San Francisco, and Walk Long Beach.

70 Organizations Urge Gov. Newsom to Sign SB 127

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Last weekend, 70 organizations signed a support letter sent to Governor Gavin Newsom, asking for his signature on SB 127, the Complete Streets for Active Living Bill. The letter highlights the ways in which this law will support California’s climate and transportation goals. In particular, this bill aligns closely with the Governor’s recent Executive Order and gives a direct action step to the goals listed, including reducing vehicle miles traveled and “funding transportation options that contribute to the overall health of Californians and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as transit, walking, biking, and other active modes.”

The Complete Streets for Active Living Bill requires Caltrans to add features that benefit people who walk or bike when it repairs or repaves a local street. If a project can’t include Complete Streets, the bill requires more transparency from Caltrans on why the department can’t provide such features. SB 127 is a cost-effective, commonsense way to build the green infrastructure California needs.

The organizations supporting the Complete Streets for Active Living Bill represent a range of interests including seniors, environmental groups, bicycle advocates, pedestrian advocates, and more.

If you support Complete Streets, email or call Governor Newsom today and tell him to sign SB 127.

Downloadable PDF of SB 127 Support Letter

Complete Streets sign-on

Complete Streets sign-on

Complete Streets sign-on Complete Streets sign-on

SB 127 support letterComplete Streets sign-on

Complete Streets Bill Passes Legislature!

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For Immediate Release: Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Contact:

Linda Khamoushian, California Bicycle Coalition, 916-668-9401, linda@calbike.org
Tony Dang, California Walks, 510-464-8052, tony@calwalks.org
Jamie Morgan, American Heart Association, 916-431-2359, Jamie.Morgan@heart.org
David Azevedo, AARP, 626-616-9539, dazevedo@aarp.org
Jonathan Matz, Safe Routes Partnership, 323-422-4948, jonathan@saferoutespartnership.org

SB 127, the Complete Streets Bill Sent to Governor Newsom

SACRAMENTO, CA –  This afternoon, the Complete Streets for Active Living Bill (SB 127) championed by Senator Scott Wiener, was passed by the state legislature and now heads to the desk of Governor Gavin Newsom for his signature.

The bill would require Caltrans to consider bicycle and pedestrian safety improvements when it repairs or repaves state routes that serve as local streets. This bill aims to ensure state roads that run through local communities (e.g. 19th Avenue in San Francisco, Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles, San Pablo Avenue in the East Bay, Santa Rosa Street in San Luis Obispo) are safe for people to walk and bike along those routes.

The Complete Streets Bill has strong support. A recent poll found that 78 percent of California voters support a policy requiring safety improvements when improving a road. They want children to be able to safely walk or bike to school. Hundreds of schools exist within a half-mile of a California State Route and these streets remain some of the most deadly in the state. The interim leadership of Caltrans opposes the bill.

Complete Streets advocates celebrated a victory for safety.

Linda Khamoushian, California Bicycle Coalition:

We commend the leadership of Senator Weiner and the Assembly in response to the overwhelming support from California voters. Caltrans is responsible for more than just the fast movement of cars and trucks. Dangerous state-owned roads that cut through our communities can become streets where people going to school, work, and shopping will be able to safely walk and bike. Streets designed for safe travel for people young and old are long overdue.

Jonathan Matz, Safe Routes (to School) Partnership:

SB 127 lays out a process for implementing what the State has long identified as a goal: providing safe infrastructure for people walking and biking on the stretches of the State Highway system that function as local streets. SB 127 will give the Department of Transportation the tools it needs to serve all Californians more effectively. We thank the legislature for recognizing the cost efficiency and potential to save lives when routine repaving projects include Complete Streets improvements, and we urge the Governor to demonstrate California’s commitment to safe infrastructure and transportation alternatives by signing SB 127.

Nancy McPherson, AARP California:

As a longtime advocate for Complete Streets policies in California, AARP is pleased to see SB 127 pass the Assembly today. Legislation like SB 127 is critical to ensuring our roads are safe for people walking, biking, and taking public transportation, thus allowing older adults to live healthy, active lives in their communities. Thank you, Senator Wiener, for your leadership on this critical issue, and to all members of the Legislature who have supported SB 127.

Tony Dang, California Walks:

Crossing the street should never be a matter of life or death–that’s why we applaud the Assembly’s passage of Senator Wiener’s Complete Streets Bill. SB 127 will bring an unprecedented level of accountability at Caltrans to ensure that our kids and families can walk and bike without fear on local and main streets that just happen to be owned by the state. We’re grateful to Senator Wiener and his colleagues in the Senate and Assembly for standing up for complete streets to make our communities safer, healthier, and happier.

American Heart Association:

“Creating more complete streets in all neighborhoods will help encourage people to take the first step to living a longer, healthier life,” said Joe Aviance (aka Papa Joe), an American Heart Association volunteer who took to the streets and walked to lose 250 pounds. “I was 450 pounds when I decided to make a change for the better and started walking. Fortunately for me, I live in a neighborhood that has sidewalks and pedestrian-friendly streets, so the sidewalks became my treadmill. Access to safe, walkable streets is not an available option for some communities of color where investment is sorely needed. Our leaders in Sacramento have taken a big step to help Californians live healthier lives by passing SB 127. I urge the Governor to do the same.”

COMPLETE STREETS BACKGROUND

In California from 2007-2013, nearly 1.7 million people were injured in traffic incidents, including 95,758 while walking along or across the street. In those crashes, 22,117 people were killed, with pedestrians accounting for one-fifth of the total persons killed. The problem is often concentrated around Caltrans roads that go through low-income neighborhoods where more people get around via transit, biking, and walking.

Caltrans often claims to make streets safer when they repair them. But in practice, they prioritize fast traffic over the communities demanding more livable streets almost every single time. Caltrans needed stronger direction from the Legislature. The Complete Streets for Active Living Bill will provide that direction, and force the safety improvements necessary to stop the killing and maiming on state-owned roads.

The bill is not strict. Caltrans won’t have to implement safety improvements if they’re not appropriate for some reason—for example, if they’re too expensive. And the law only applies to sections where you’re likely to see people walking and biking, about 17% of the total system. But it will force Caltrans to implement safety improvements when it’s cheapest to do so: when they’re repaving the street anyway.

SB 127 Co-Sponsors:

California Bicycle Coalition, California Walks, American Heart Association, AARP, Safe Routes Partnership

Supporting Organizations:

350 Bay Area Action, 350 Silicon Valley, Active San Gabriel Valley, American Lung Association in California , Alameda County Transportation Commission , Berkeley Climate Hub, Bike Bakersfield, Bike Concord, Bike East Bay, Bike Monterey, Bike San Diego, California Alliance for Retired Americans, California City Transportation Initiative/NACTO, California Democratic Party, California Interfaith Power & Light, California Park and Recreation Society, California ReLeaf, CALSTART Inc., CALPIRG, Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Stockton, Cedars, Center for Climate Change and Health, Central California Asthma Collaborative, City of Encinitas, City of Half Moon Bay, City of Long Beach, City of Sacramento, City and County of San Francisco, City of Santa Monica, City of San Luis Obispo, Climate Action Campaign, ClimatePlan, Climate Resolve, Coalition for Clean Air, Coalition for Responsible Transportation Priorities, Compton Unified School District, Cultiva La Salud, Davis Bike Club, Day One, East Bay Recreational Park District, Elders Climate Action (NorCal), Environment California, Fossil Free California, Inland Empire Biking Alliance, Latino Coalition for a Healthy California, La Verne Bicycle Coalition, Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability, Local Government Commission, Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, Los Angeles Walks, Lyft Inc., Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, Napa County Bicycle Coalition, Natural Resources Defense Council, Natural Resources Services Division Redwood, Office of the Mayor, San Francisco, Orange County Bicycle Coalition, Office of the Mayor, San Francisco, Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition, Planning and Conservation League, PeopleforBikes, PolicyLink, Public Advocates, Redwood Community Action Agency, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, Rural Counties Representative of California, San Diego County Bicycle Coalition, San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, San Francisco Transportation Municipal Agency, San Francisco Department of Public Health, San Francisco Planning Department, SFBA Families for Safe Streets, Santa Monica Spoke, Save The Bay, Seamless Bay Area, Shasta Living Streets, Sierra Club California, Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, Silicon Valley Leadership Group, Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition, Sunflower Alliance, Transform, Transportation Agency for Monterey County, Trust for Public Land, Walk Bike Berkeley, Walk & Bike Mendocino, Walk Sacramento, Walk San Francisco, and Walk Long Beach.

 

More than 185 Streets Affected by SB 127

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CalBike research has revealed the broad scope of streets that could be positively affected by the Complete Streets for Active Living Bill (SB 127 – Wiener). The bill requires Caltrans to consider adding features that keep pedestrians and bicyclists safe when they repair or repave a highway that is surface street. SB 127 would bring the public into the Caltrans planning process, for greater transparency and community input. 

Most of the 50,000 lane miles that Caltrans manages are freeways. Freeways are not affected by SB 127. However, Caltrans maintains many surface streets that are state highways and run through neighborhoods where people live. While only about 17% of Caltrans-controlled roadways have been identified as the kinds of local streets addressed in SB 127, these routes are important thoroughfares at the heart of local communities.

CalBike’s research has found 187 state routes that double as local streets in 44 of California’s 58 counties. This list is not comprehensive; there may be additional routes that we have not yet identified. If we missed a state route that runs through your town, please let us know: email policy@calbike.org.

E-Bike Vouchers Bill Signed by Governor Newsom

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