Press Release Archives

CalBike, Senator Scott Wiener Introduce ‘Complete Streets’ Legislation Ensuring State-Owned Roads Will Prioritize Safety of People Biking, Walking

January 17, 2019/in Newsroom, Press Release, Streets for Everyone, The Latest /by Mallory Hill

January 17, 2019

Contact: Linda Khamoushian, Senior Policy Advocate

San Francisco, CA – This week the California Bicycle Coalition, Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), and their coalition partners California Walks, Safe Routes to School National Partnership, and the American Heart Association joined surgeons from Zuckerberg General Hospital and the families of victims of traffic violence to announce the introduction of Senate Bill 127 in the California legislature, an effort aimed at making state-owned roads safer for people biking, walking, and taking transit.

Although Caltrans has already adopted guidelines that require planners to consider adding safer sidewalks, visible crosswalks, and protected bike lanes as they plan projects, CalBike’s Senior Policy Advocate Linda Khamoushian says this bill would go much farther by requiring safety improvements whenever roads are repaved or rehabilitated.

“Every day, poor street design causes hundreds of avoidable injuries and deaths on our roads. Some of the most dangerous places to walk and bike are those maintained and managed by the state, streets that Caltrans calls “highways” but we call home, places lined with small businesses, schools, senior centers, and places of worship,” said Khamoushian.

She listed several examples of state highways that serve as local streets: Van Ness Avenue and 19th Avenue in San Francisco, Santa Monica Blvd in Los Angeles, California Street in Redding, 23rd and 24th street in Bakersfield, and Ashby Blvd in Berkeley.

SB 127 would still allow for exceptions to the requirement where bike facilities weren’t appropriate, but by flipping the default action, local agencies and advocates will have a much better chance of winning the safety improvements desperately needed to provide healthy and affordable transportation options for all Californians, especially marginalized and low-income communities who are least likely to own cars.

Their effort looks to capitalize on the public’s interest in improving California’s transportation infrastructure following the resounding defeat of Prop 6 and the results of a statewide poll commissioned by CalBike finding that 8 in 10 California voters across the state and across all major political and demographic groups support building “complete streets” — roads designed to be safe for people walking or biking as well as driving.

“Voters want safer streets and they want efficient government. SB 127 does both by making sure that safety improvements are made in the course of regular repaving projects,” said Dave Snyder, CalBike’s Executive Director.

“We need to make sure that these streets are safe for all users,” said Senator Wiener. “There are city streets that are really state highways that don’t even have sidewalks.”

The California Bicycle Coalition (CalBike) is California’s state-level bicycle advocacy organization, advocating for equitable, inclusive, and prosperous communities where bicycling helps to enable all Californians to lead healthy and joyful lives. Learn more about CalBike at www.calbike.org.

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Lead the Way, California: A Transportation Platform to Lead Us Forward

December 9, 2018/in A Stronger Movement, Healthy Climate and Communities, Newsroom, Press Release, The Latest /by Mallory Hill

California has new leaders, and our communities deserve plans, principles, and priorities that will move our state forward instead of holding us back. To help support Governor-elect Newsom and his administration in truly leading the nation and the world in sustainable and equitable transportation policy, CalBike joins almost 50 organizations in releasing our comprehensive platform.

This transportation platform offers concrete proposals for the next governor to act to meet our ambitious state climate, air quality, housing, health, and equity goals. The platform takes an ‘intersectional’ approach that attempts to break down the usual operation of our state silos in meeting goals. CalBike is leading the way ensuring governmental action is carried out in more coordinated ways that challenge the true structural obstacles that cannot be solved piecemeal ways.

The platform lays out concrete steps in five priority policy areas:

Complete Streets Poll

June 22, 2017/in Newsroom, Press Release /by calbike_qczh2t

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – June 22, 2017

Contact: Linda Khamoushian, Senior Policy Advocate, linda@calbike.org, 916.668.9401

Re: After State Gas Tax Increased to Repair Roads, Poll Shows California Voters Want Safer Streets for All and Alternatives to Driving

Sacramento, CA – A new statewide poll reveals that 8 in 10 California voters believe state and local transportation departments need to change the way they build streets and roads to make it safe for everyone of all ages and abilities to get around, whether they usually drive, walk, bike, or use public transportation.

Commissioned by the California Bicycle Coalition, this poll found that Californians across the state and across all major political and demographic groups support building “complete streets”—roads with safe sidewalks, visible crosswalks, and protected bike lanes—that are safe places for everyone and not strictly thoroughfares for driving. The poll was conducted by David Binder Research and funded in part by a grant from Voices for Healthy Kids, an initiative of the American Heart Association and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation working to make each day healthier for all children by ensuring that the places where children live, learn, and play make it easy and enjoyable for them to eat healthy foods and be active.

Likely voters were surveyed on the heels of the passage of Senate Bill 1, the first gas tax increase in California in twenty years, which will invest tens of billions in taxpayer dollars over the next decade in building and repairing roads. Caltrans and local city and county transportation departments will decide over the coming months which roads to fix first with the new gas tax revenue, and whether they will fix those roads to be complete streets that are safe for youth and families, older adults, and others that either can’t afford to drive or choose to walk and bike.

The survey revealed that public opinion strongly supports state and local transportation departments building complete streets, even accounting for the potential cost to taxpayers.

“Our survey shows that California families want to be able to safely walk and bike in their neighborhoods and strongly support transportation agencies redesigning our streets. Nearly two-thirds of people said they would bike more often, highest among younger voters and Latinos, if they had protected bike lanes on streets in their neighborhoods that made them feel less threatened by traffic,” said Jeanie Ward-Waller, Policy Director for the California Bicycle Coalition. “Transportation officials are decades behind acknowledging this shifting demand and investing taxpayer dollars as much in alternatives to driving as we have invested in making it easier to drive.”

Voters decisively support building complete streets because they improve the quality-of-life in our neighborhoods by:

Providing safer routes for children to walk or bike to school or parks;

Increasing local business sales and jobs by creating more attractive streets to walk and bike for shopping;

Promoting healthy neighborhoods that enable youth and families to be more active in their daily lives and reduce their health care costs;

Reducing traffic in neighborhoods by allowing people to walk and bike more for work, shopping, and entertainment; and

Saving low- and moderate-income families money by providing them more affordable transportation options like walking and biking.

In addition, nearly half of California voters support investment in alternatives to driving—such as public transportation, walking, and bicycling—as an equal or higher priority than improving freeways and roads.

48 percent say they are equally or more supportive of investing in alternatives to driving than they are of investing in freeways; compared to 49 percent that support improving and widening roads and freeways over alternatives to driving. In fact, even for Californians who rely on driving as their primary mode of travel, more than 2 in 5 support investing as much or more transportation funding in alternatives to driving, and the support jumps to 3 in 5 among respondents that have to commute between 20-30 miles a day.

“It’s no surprise to us that a large majority of Californians—80 percent in all—believe that complete streets are a critical part of creating safe routes for children to walk or bike to school and parks,” said Marty Martinez, Northern California Policy Manager for the Safe Routes to School National Partnership. “The research shows that when more kids are able to walk and bike to school and in daily life, they are healthier and do better in school. Now it’s time to put our transportation dollars to work to create safe, healthy communities to benefit all Californians.”

“The billions of dollars our state already spends each year on highways cannot continue to be used to divide communities and ignore our residents who are walking and bicycling for their everyday needs. A strong complete streets policy is a smart, cost-effective approach for leveraging our state’s transportation dollars to ensure that Californians can safely walk and bicycle where they need to go,” said Tony Dang, Executive Director of California Walks.

“As a neurologist, I often encourage moderate exercise to my patients after a stroke to prevent a recurrent stroke.” said Dr. Alan Shatzel, Board President at the American Heart Association, Sacramento Division. “However, they also need spaces to have the ability to go out for walks and to feel safe while doing so. This poll underscores the need to invest more in complete streets to promote physical activity and foster a healthy lifestyle.”

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Key findings:

A large majority of California voters support complete streets. 78 percent believe that state and local transportation departments need to change the way they build streets and roads – to make it safe for all users (drivers, people who walk, people who bicycle, etc.). A majority (53{850a63fa8a72bae4d6bfa3f1eda9f619cddace10f9053ede128e2914f9ca5a15}) say they strongly support, and there is consistent support across major subgroups.

Voters support building complete streets for several reasons: to provide safer streets for children to walk and bike, and to stimulate local business sales and job creation along streets that are attractive for walking and biking.

Nearly half of respondents support investment in alternatives to driving–public transportation, walking, and bicycling–as an equal or higher priority to improving freeways and roads – 48 percent are equally or more supportive of investing in alternatives to driving such as public transportation and making it easier to walk and bike as they are of investing in improving freeways; compared to 49 percent that support improving and widening roads and freeways over alternatives to driving.

Even people who rely on driving as their primary mode of travel support investing as much or more transportation funding in alternatives to driving, especially respondents that have to commute between 20-30 miles a day – Support for alternatives to driving as an equal or greater priority for investment to roads and freeways is only slightly lower (43{850a63fa8a72bae4d6bfa3f1eda9f619cddace10f9053ede128e2914f9ca5a15}) among the 76 percent of voters that use their car as a primary method of travel, and jumps up to 61{850a63fa8a72bae4d6bfa3f1eda9f619cddace10f9053ede128e2914f9ca5a15} for people who have to commute 20-30 miles per day.

Voters want better bicycling conditions. Two-thirds of voters (67{850a63fa8a72bae4d6bfa3f1eda9f619cddace10f9053ede128e2914f9ca5a15}) agree that “their city government should do more to encourage bicycling.”

Bicycling is commonplace in California. One in five men (20{850a63fa8a72bae4d6bfa3f1eda9f619cddace10f9053ede128e2914f9ca5a15}) and 13{850a63fa8a72bae4d6bfa3f1eda9f619cddace10f9053ede128e2914f9ca5a15} of women bike every week, and a majority have ridden a bike in the past year.

Click here for the pdf version of this release and copies of the survey data.

Coalition Statement on the Passage of the Transportation Funding Package

April 6, 2017/in Newsroom, Press Release /by calbike_qczh2t

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – April 6, 2017

Contact: Jeanie Ward-Waller, Policy Director, jeanie@calbike.org, 916-399-3211

Re: Coalition statement about passage of Senate Bill 1

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Statement from 32 organizations representing walking, bicycling, public transit, public health, social equity, environmental, and environmental justice concerns on today’s passage of transportation funding bill SB 1

SB 1 will make major improvements to the transportation system in California, and our coalition of more than 80 organizations supported many elements of the package. We appreciate the bill’s focus on fixing roads first and investing significant dollars in public transportation and safe walking and biking, yet we believe there is still more work ahead to target and prioritize transportation investment to benefit disadvantaged communities.

Several key improvements to SB 1 would have won our support for the package. However, transportation justice means both funding the transportation needs of low-income communities and protecting vulnerable residents from health and other harms. Unfortunately, the bill also includes an unacceptable loophole to allow diesel trucks to keep polluting in communities already burdened with poor air quality. We cannot support a deal that sacrifices public health for public transportation — California communities need both.

“We’re proud that a diverse coalition of more than 80 groups committed to environmental justice, climate protection, public health, and sustainable transportation stood in solidarity throughout this process. Our collective effort moved this deal a long way toward providing safer, cleaner, and more affordable transportation options, and we were disappointed that the last-minute deal adding the trucking provision kept us from supporting.” –Jeanie Ward-Waller, Policy Director, California Bicycle Coalition

“We deeply appreciate all the work that went into making this bill as good as it was. It has come a long way, and that represents significant progress for public transportation, walking, and biking.” –Joshua Stark, State Policy Director, TransForm.

As amended recently through the efforts of the Governor, Legislative leadership, Transportation Secretary Brian Kelly, and others, SB 1 now:

Triples our investment in public transportation relying on stable revenue sources compared to a previous version of the bill,
Nearly doubles the state’s funding for safe walking and biking,
Does not further encumber Cap-and-Trade revenues,
Eliminates dangerous and unnecessary changes to CEQA,
Supports regional and local planning efforts for sustainable communities,
Includes funding for workforce development.

“We commend the Legislature and Governor for including new transit operating funds in SB 1. More frequent and affordable bus service will connect low-income families, seniors and students to opportunity, and help us meet our climate goals.” –Richard Marcantonio, Managing Attorney, Public Advocates Inc.

“Transportation remains the single largest emitter of greenhouse gas emissions in California. With our state’s visionary climate goals, it’s critical that our transportation dollars keep us on track to achieve these goals. SB 1 provides $25 million a year to support local and regional agencies’ planning efforts to build sustainable, equitable, and healthy communities. These types of investments will put us on the right track to achieve our state’s ambitious climate goals.” –Chanell Fletcher, Associate Director, ClimatePlan

“Together we will continue to fight to reverse this “dirty trucking” policy and ensure that the communities most burdened by poverty and by air pollution from transportation benefit from the state’s investments in transportation. We will continue to fight, in short, for transportation justice.” –Bill Magavern, Policy Director, Coalition for Clean Air

“We look forward to working with our allies throughout California to ensure that our state’s investments in transportation infrastructure and services benefit—and do not burden—disadvantaged communities, rural and urban alike.” –Phoebe Seaton, Co-Director, Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability

“The passage of the transportation package represents a crucial investment in public transit, but the exemption of ports from our clean air standards is too high a price for our most vulnerable communities. Californians should not be forced to choose between infrastructure improvements, access to public transportation, and the health of their families.” –Sarah Rose, CEO, California League of Conservation Voters

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Statement issued by the following organizations: Bike East Bay, California Bicycle Coalition, California League of Conservation Voters, California Walks, Central California Asthma Collaborative, Center for Climate Change and Health, ChangeLab Solutions, ClimatePlan, Climate Resolve, Coalition for Clean Air, COAST, Ditching Dirty Diesel Collaborative, Greenlining Institute, Housing California, Investing in Place, Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability, Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, Medical Advocates for Healthy Air, Natural Resources Defense Council, Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition, PolicyLink, Public Advocates, Regional Asthma Management and Prevention (RAMP), Safe Routes to School National Partnership, Santa Barbara Bicycle Coalition, Shasta Living Streets, San Diego County Bicycle Coalition, Sunflower Alliance, TransForm, Trust for Public Land, Walk Long Beach, and Walk Oakland Bike Oakland

Good Transportation Funding Package Poisoned at Last Minute

March 29, 2017/in Newsroom, Press Release /by calbike_qczh2t

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – March 29, 2017

Contact: Jeanie Ward-Waller, Policy Director, jeanie@calbike.org, 916-399-3211

Re: Good Transportation Funding Package Poisoned at Last Minute

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Sacramento, CA — Up to $5 billion of new funding to repair and improve California’s crumbling transportation infrastructure is headed for a vote next week in the Legislature, but a last-minute deal with the polluting freight industry threatens to derail a tenuous compromise that had many community and social justice advocates readying to support it.

Yesterday, the California Bicycle Coalition (CalBike) was close to supporting Senate Bill 1, after working with an alliance of more than 80 environmental and social justice groups to influence key changes. The coalition’s pressure won a commitment of nearly 20{850a63fa8a72bae4d6bfa3f1eda9f619cddace10f9053ede128e2914f9ca5a15} of the funding for improving and expanding public transit service for low-income people, a near-doubling of the state’s walking and biking funding, preservation of environmental regulations, and limits to the ability to expand highways, among other issues.

“This package is a big step in the direction of better, safer, and more affordable transportation options for Californians,” Jeanie Ward-Waller, CalBike’s Policy Director, said on Tuesday. “But this last-minute agreement to let poor communities continue to suffer the brunt of freight-based pollution is not acceptable.”

CalBike and environmental justice allies are asking legislative leadership to reverse this decision that would allow more pollution in neighborhoods along trucking routes and near ports.

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About the California Bicycle Coalition

The California Bicycle Coalition (CalBike) is California’s state-level bicycle advocacy organization, working to enable more people to ride bicycles for healthier, safer, and more prosperous communities for all. CalBike partners with all 16 professionally-staffed local bicycle advocacy organizations across the state, and hosts a bi-annual summit. Learn more at calbike.org.

CalBike Endorses Jesse Creed for LA City Council

February 21, 2017/in Newsroom, Press Release /by calbike_qczh2t

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Linda Khamoushian, Communications Manager, linda@calbike.org, 916-668-9401

Re: CalBike Endorses Jesse Creed for Los Angeles Council District 5; Elections Held March 7th

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Los Angeles, CA – The California Bicycle Coalition endorses candidate Jesse Creed for Los Angeles City Council District 5.

“Jesse will be a catalyst for change on behalf of the everyday Angeleno who doesn’t want to have to be stuck in a car all the time,” said Dave Snyder, CalBike’s Executive Director.

Between now and the March 7 election, CalBike will reach out to its hundreds of members in District 5 who share a desire to make Los Angeles more livable and affordable by making bicycling a more accessible option. The Sacramento-based group recently won an increase in funding for bike infrastructure, support for e-bikes to broaden bicycling’s potential, and new design rules encouraging more protection for bike riders. CalBike rarely gets involved in local elections, but made an exception in this case because of the stark contrast between Creed’s support for a more livable Los Angeles and the incumbent’s stubborn adherence to the old transportation paradigm of reliance on cars and only cars.

“Incumbent Paul Koretz has proven in recent years that he is at odds with the needs of people who bike. He’s been a barrier to implementing safer streets for bike riders and pedestrians, including children. He went out of his way to halt the implementation of bike lanes on Westwood Blvd, conceding to the voices of a few, and not the overwhelming evidence that bicycle commuters to UCLA need a safe route to campus. He removed Westwood Blvd from the Mobility Plan 2035, completely undermining years of public input,” said Linda Khamoushian, CalBike Communications Manager.

Los Angeles’ 5th Council District spans across the Westside neighborhoods east of the 405 freeway. This includes major employment centers such as UCLA and Century City. It is also the site of the recent extension of the Expo Line into Santa Monica, and a planned Purple Line extension. Gridlock and congestion in CD5 extend beyond the typical rush hour time frames and ever-worsening as population increases. Implementing sustainable mobility options is a priority for residents. Addressing traffic and mobility issues in CD5 has been a core component of Creed’s campaign platform from the beginning.

Creed’s campaign for city council is having grassroots success, activating and rallying community members and fundraising competitively to put incumbent Paul Koretz on the defense.

CD5 needs a catalyst for change, a policymaker to champion mobility for everyone. Creed is that guy. He is committed to creating safer streets for the most vulnerable users, in particular addressing the challenges faced by seniors and youth. More importantly, Creed supports completing the Westwood Blvd traffic safety study, in order to make a better decision based on facts. In a press conference held in the heart of Westwood Village, he reiterated his commitment to improving safety on Westwood Blvd. Creed doesn’t just understand the issues; as an avid bike commuter, he lives them.

Hear from Jesse himself at the following upcoming candidate forums:

Tonight, February 21st, 7pm
CD5 Debate hosted by Westwood Neighborhood Council at 10750 Ohio Ave

Saturday, February 25th, 1pm
CD5 Candidate Forum hosted by Mid City West Neighborhood Council

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Governor’s Transportation Vision Includes Boosts for Walking, Biking, & Transit

January 10, 2017/in Newsroom, Press Release /by calbike_qczh2t

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — January 10th, 2017

Contact: Jeanie Ward-Waller, Policy Director/California Bicycle Coalition, jeanie@calbike.org, 916-399-3211

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Sacramento, CA – Today, Governor Brown released his 2017-18 State Budget proposal, which includes $4 billion in new annual investment for transportation to repair roads and help Californians travel more efficiently and sustainably. While the majority of the new revenue will be directed towards maintaining state highways and local roads, this proposal does provide meaningful increases to a variety of other road, transit, and active transportation programs that will help put California on a path toward meeting state climate and equity goals. The new revenue will be raised from a combination of gas and diesel taxes, vehicle license fees, and state climate investments from the possible extension of the Cap-and-Trade Program.

The Active Transportation Program (ATP)–the state’s dedicated source of funding for walking, bicycling, and Safe Routes to School projects–is slated to receive an additional $100 million per year from Cap-and-Trade proceeds in the proposal, with at least half to be invested in projects in communities where they are most needed. “As one of the first state programs to weave social equity into its very fabric, the ATP has already invested millions in communities that are too often left behind,” said Tony Dang, Executive Director of California Walks. “The ATP’s investments have brought the needs of our most vulnerable Californians to the forefront and enable them to walk or bike for their everyday needs safely and conveniently.”

Though the proposal does not meet the unrelenting demand for these investments at the local level–totalling over $1 billion in requests annually–it would nearly double the ATP.

“We applaud the Governor for proposing to significantly increase the state’s commitment to the Active Transportation Program and ensuring that walking and biking project funds are prioritized to disadvantaged communities,” said Jeanie Ward-Waller, Policy Director for the California Bicycle Coalition. “We look forward to working with the Governor and the Legislature on crafting the details of this funding proposal to ensure investments in state and local roads also include improvements for people walking and bicycling to create “complete streets” and provide safe alternatives to traveling by car.”

“We are pleased to see the Governor champion such a big investment in the Active Transportation Program in this year’s budget. This money will benefit children across the state who walk and bike to school every day, and encourage many more to do so by creating safer crossings, improved sidewalks and Safe Routes to School education programs,” shared Bill Sadler, California Senior Policy Manager, Safe Routes to School National Partnership

“The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association welcomes the Governor’s plan to increase funding for the Active Transportation Program,” said Eric Batch, Vice President of Advocacy. “As one of the nation’s oldest public health organizations, we know that physical activity is an important tool in preventing heart disease and stroke. We will continue to work with the Governor’s office to adequately fund Active Transportation, Safe Routes to School, and the creation of complete streets.”

The proposal would also invest an additional $400 million of Cap-and-Trade funds in new transit projects to expand our rail and bus networks statewide. “We support and appreciate the Governor’s desire to invest in new transit projects and service; however, we need to see a proportional investment in improving existing service for people who already rely on the bus for their daily travel,” commented Joshua Stark, State Policy Director, TransForm.

Finally, Governor Brown proposes new programs to empower regions to achieve ambitious state climate goals: regional sustainability planning grants to major metropolitan regions in the state and the new Corridor Mobility Improvement Program to improve congestion on major commute routes, which with appropriate direction could be a boon for public transit improvements and walk and bikeway projects along those corridors.

“Given the ambitious nature of our climate and equity goals, we are pleased to see the Governor provide the regions with much-needed resources to tackle improving access and mobility while ultimately addressing climate change through these innovative programs.” said Chanell Fletcher, Associate Director for ClimatePlan. “We remain committed to working with the Governor and Legislature to ensure that the regions — and local communities — have the necessary tools to create sustainable, healthy, and equitable communities.”

Despite the strides in the Governor’s Budget to increase investment in walking and bicycling, new transit, sustainable planning and corridor improvements, the vast majority of new transportation revenue still short-sightedly enables auto travel. The Governor’s proposal includes an additional $800M for new projects in the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) — this is on top of $750M to restore funding for projects that were cut in 2016. Additional funding to programs like the STIP should include clear accountability measures to ensure it is spent on projects that reduce driving and promote social equity, or it will ultimately hinder the state from meeting its climate change reduction targets.

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California Bicycle Coalition, California Walks, the Safe Routes to School National Partnership, TransForm, American Heart Association, and ClimatePlan are non-profit organizations committed to advancing walking, bicycling, and affordable transit for all Californians.

Advocates Succeed to Redirect $24 Million in Active Transportation Funding to Disadvantaged Communities Across California

December 8, 2016/in Newsroom, Press Release /by calbike_qczh2t

For Immediate Release

From: Linda Khamoushian – Communications Manager/California Bicycle Coalition linda@calbike.org Tel. 916.668.9401

Re: Advocates Succeed to Redirect $24 Million in Active Transportation Funding to Disadvantaged Communities Across California

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Sacramento CA — Wednesday, the California Transportation Commission (CTC) approved $158 million in grant funds for walking and bicycling projects, including $24.3 million that was diverted from a single high-profile project in the Coachella Valley to five very high need communities across the state. The late revision to the $24 million allocation was a result of careful scrutiny and advocacy by the California Bicycle Coalition (CalBike) and Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability.

The original CTC staff recommendation for the 2017 Active Transportation Program (ATP) grant cycle would have allocated almost one fifth of the funds available statewide to CV Link, a fifty-mile multi-use path connecting cities in the Coachella Valley. The path, intended for bicycles and pedestrians as well as “low-speed electric vehicles” such as golf carts, was missing data in its application and was inaccurately awarded too many points for benefiting disadvantaged communities. CalBike’s Policy Director Jeanie Ward-Waller discovered the error, and led a coalition of advocates to request a reevaluation by the CTC. As a result, the CTC corrected the CV Link application score and revised its recommendation to reallocate funding to five other deserving projects.

Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability works directly with residents in low-income communities in the Eastern Coachella Valley and San Joaquin Valley. Mariela Magaña, policy advocate with Leadership Counsel, met with mothers in the Eastern Coachella Valley community of North Shore on her way to the CTC hearing, and shared photos of the utter absence of pedestrian infrastructure in North Shore neighborhoods with the Commission.

“One of the many beacons of the ATP is its commitment to invest in severely disadvantaged communities, and in that spirit we want to see investment in communities like those in the Eastern Coachella Valley,” said Ms. Magaña. “Now that the state-level allocation is behind us, we’ll be ensuring that the regional ATP process in Riverside County also prioritizes investments in those severely disadvantaged communities – like North Shore – where moderate investments will have truly transformational impacts.”

“If the Active Transportation Program is to fulfill its promise in providing affordable and healthy transportation options for the people who need them the most, it’s critical that the evaluation of the projects is fair and accurate,” said Jeanie Ward-Waller of CalBike. “We commend the CTC for maintaining the integrity of the program by making the difficult decision to redirect funding to other deserving projects.”

The five new projects funded include the Central Avenue Complete Street Project in Alameda; pedestrian improvements along First Street in Santa Ana; the McGowan Parkway Bicycle Lane and Pedestrian Route Improvements in Yuba County; a regional Safe Bicycling and Wayfinding project connecting the cities of Compton and Carson; and Long Beach’s Citywide 8-80 Connections project. A total of $158,096,000 was awarded to 44 Statewide projects and 10 Small Urban and Rural projects, and approved yesterday by the CTC.

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L.A. Policymakers and Media Invited to Special eBike Tour and Presentation at the Electric Bike Expo

December 1, 2016/in Newsroom, Press Release /by calbike_qczh2t

Media Alert & Invite – November 15, 2016

From: Melissa Balmer – Media Director/California Bicycle Coalition Melissa@calbike.org Tel. 562.221.9672

Re: L.A. Policymakers and Media Invited to Special eBike Tour + Presentation at the Electric Bike Expo Friday, Dec. 2 in Santa Monica

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Sacramento CA – Media and policymakers are invited to join the California Bicycle Coalition (CalBike), Bosch, the Electric Bike Expo, Santa Monica Spoke, and the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition on Friday, December 2nd in Santa Monica for an afternoon eBike tour and presentation. Learn more about the opportunity electric bikes present for engaging the broader public in the benefits of bicycling, what’s next in California’s progressive eBike policy thought leadership, and how Santa Monica achieved a remarkable 356{850a63fa8a72bae4d6bfa3f1eda9f619cddace10f9053ede128e2914f9ca5a15} growth in biking and counting.

The event will start at 1:00 pm at the Electric Bike Expo in Santa Monica Pier parking lot at 1550 Pacific Coast Hwy, Santa Monica 90401, and end by 2:00 pm. Participation is free, the ride is easy and appropriate for all levels of ridership,but space is limited. Please send your RSVP to Melissa@Calbike.org. Afterwards, the media can learn more about the specific eBike brands being represented at the Expo and try out more of them on the test track. Participants are asked to come at least a half an hour early so they we can get you set up with the right bike. Please bring your own helmet if you have one.

Ride and Presentation Agenda

1:00 PM – Bosch: Introduction to eBikes by Claudia Wasko, Bosch eBike Systems
1:10 PM – Group Ride led by Cynthia Rose, Santa Monica Spoke
1:45 PM – Presentation by Linda Khamoushian and Charlie Gandy of the California Bicycle Coalition, and Colin Bogart of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition

Why eBikes & Bicycling Are Important to California

Over the past few years, California has jumped 11 spots to its current ranking as the nation’s 8th most bike-friendly state, assessed annually by the League of American Bicyclists. CalBike feels strongly that electric bikes are key to creating an even more bike-friendly future not only for the state but across the country, and the emerging industry has looked to California for its policy leadership. “California is leading the eBike movement as the first state to pass a progressive three-class eBike law, making it the role model for other states when it comes to eBike legislation. We are looking forward to showing Los Angeles residents how pedal-assist eBikes can help California reach its ambitious goal of tripling cycling by 2020.” said Claudia Wasko, General Manager of Bosch eBike Systems Americas.

In 2015, CalBike sponsored changes to the state Vehicle Code to reclassify low-speed electric bicycles as regular bikes instead of like mopeds. These changes mean that people riding low-speed eBikes can now access bicycle paths. The legislation is a model for the nation, according to the industry association, People for Bikes.
Bicycling has increased 78{850a63fa8a72bae4d6bfa3f1eda9f619cddace10f9053ede128e2914f9ca5a15} in California since 2000, while the risk of injury while biking has gone down about 40{850a63fa8a72bae4d6bfa3f1eda9f619cddace10f9053ede128e2914f9ca5a15}.

Under guidance from CalBike, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) is expected to release an RFP late this year/early next to include an eBike and regular bike bike-share program as part of their “Car Sharing and Mobility Options Pilot Project” for disadvantaged communities.

CalBike has proposed a groundbreaking “Bicycle Purchase Incentive Pilot Program” to the California Air Resources Board (which oversees rebate programs for clean vehicle purchases) seeking $10 million in funding to grant Californians up to $500 vouchers on the purchase of new utility bicycles, including e-bikes.
The majority of the eBike brands featured in the eBike Expo have their U.S. headquarters based in California.

In 2014, California accounted for 1.2 billion dollars of the 6.1 billion dollars in U.S. bike-related sales.

California hosts 1,119 retail bikes shops and they employ over 9,700 employees.

Learn more from our California Bicycling Fact Sheet.

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The California Bicycle Coalition Seeks to Demystify Building Protected Bike Lanes for Californian Cities

August 26, 2016/in Newsroom, Press Release /by calbike_qczh2t

Sacramento CA – This week the California Bicycle Coalition (CalBike) rolls out a campaign to demystify and promote a type of bike lane still relatively new to the United States but rapidly gaining favor across the country – the protected bike lane, officially called a “Separated Bikeway.” As reported in the Associated Press’s “The Big Story” on August 23rd, cities around the world are building these new, safer bike lanes which protect bicycle traffic from car traffic with a physical barrier — usually parked cars.

These “Separated Bikeways” have been standard procedure in European countries for decades but are still rare here. While California actually leads in the number of protected bike lanes built (tracked in reporting by People for Bikes), the state is far from having enough of these protected bikeways as networked systems. The California Bicycle Coalition wants to rectify that by making it clear that this infrastructure is not only vetted and approved by Caltrans, but is both CA HDM (CA Highway Design Manual) and MUTCD (Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices) compliant.

“Protected bike lanes are a key reason why it’s so safe, comfortable and convenient to ride a bike in cities like Amsterdam and Copenhagen,” said Dave Snyder, the Executive Director of CalBike. “We can have that here too, but first we need to build them.” He further points to San Francisco, as the leader in building the most separated bikeways in the country (largely due to the awareness raising efforts of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition). The city is now working on creating networks of these lanes so that people of all ages and abilities can feel safe and comfortable riding a bike around the city.

The following California cities from North to South have already built separated bikeways: Davis, Emeryville, Oakland, San Francisco, Alameda, Modesto, Palo Alto, San Jose, Santa Cruz, Carpenteria, Oxnard, Temple City, Santa Monica, Los Angeles, Redondo Beach, Long Beach, San Jacinto, Murrieta, and Carlsbad.

To call attention to the tremendous opportunity to create safer streets for everyone across the Golden State, CalBike is contacting elected officials and Public Works Directors in the 50 largest cities across the state beginning this week. They will receive a concise 4-page brochure “Class IV Separated Bikeways: Approved for Use in California” developed in collaboration with Alta Planning & Design. The brochure demystifies the process of creating a protected bike lane, showing that Caltrans has approved the design and that they can be inexpensive to build. Any city can build them. Santa Ana partnered with youth at their local KidWorks non profit to successfully apply for grant funding for their first separated lane in an area where it’s very dangerous for kids to bike to school. The city was so inspired they went on to successfully apply for further separated bikeway funding.

“In our work planning, designing, and implementing Separated Bikeways across the country, we have seen the many positive benefits including economic, health, and safety firsthand,” said Bryan Jones, Principal of Alta Planning + Design, who helped develop the brochure. “Implementation of separated bikeways in cities throughout California will be key to the success of achieving Caltrans’ vision of tripling ridership on bicycles.”

If your city is interested in receiving the brochure “Class IV Separated Bikeways: Approved for Use in California” please contact dave@calbike.org.

Media interested in speaking to Dave Snyder, Executive Director of the California Bicycle Coalition, or Bryan Jones, Principal of Alta Planning + Design please contact Melissa Balmer Melissa@calbike.org or 562.221.9672.

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Advocates Succeed to Redirect $24 Million in Active Transportation Funding to Disadvantaged Communities Across California

L.A. Policymakers and Media Invited to Special eBike Tour and Presentation at the Electric Bike Expo

The California Bicycle Coalition Seeks to Demystify Building Protected Bike Lanes for Californian Cities

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