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3 Active Transportation Bills to Watch this Week

September 11, 2023/by Brian Smith

For Immediate Release: 9/11/23

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


CalBike – Legislation Watch, End of the Session 2023

SACRAMENTO – As the California state legislature approaches its final days to send bills to the Governor’s Desk in 2023 (September 14), CalBike is prioritizing three bills.

“Biking is not a crime. California has underinvested in safe infrastructure for decades and overinvested in traffic policing, sometimes with lethal results,” explained Jared Sanchez, policy director at CalBike. “These remaining bills will improve safety and access for every person who bikes, walks, or takes public transportation in California.” 

CalBike urges senators to vote yes on the Daylighting to Save Lives Bill (AB 413) and the Safe Passage for Bikes Bill (AB 825) and assemblymembers to vote yes on the Stop Pretextual Policing Bill (SB 50).

AB 413 – (Lee) Daylighting to Save Lives: This bill prohibits stopping, standing, or parking a vehicle within 20 feet of the approach direction of any unmarked or marked crosswalk to increase visibility and reduce potentially lethal collisions.

AB 825 – (Bryan) Safe Passage for Bikes: As part of CalBike’s “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 gives local leaders flexibility to impose further safety restrictions. 

SB 50 – (Bradford) Stop Pretextual Policing: Police stops of people for minor infractions while biking or driving doesn’t improve traffic safety. These stops are often aimed more at deterring crime, but they do little to prevent crime, disproportionately target Black and Latino Californians, and can lead to lethal encounters. Stop pretextual policing and direct police resources toward effective crime prevention measures.

https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Girl-with-father-under-BART-tracks-Ohlone-Greenway-Bikeway-BIPOC-scaled.jpg 1440 2560 Brian Smith https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.png Brian Smith2023-09-11 12:11:252023-09-12 14:00:043 Active Transportation Bills to Watch this Week

Joint Statement on E-Bike Safety from California Bicycle Advocates

August 10, 2023/by Jared Sanchez
Read more
https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Allan-Crawford-separated-lanes-2594.jpg 838 1258 Jared Sanchez https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.png Jared Sanchez2023-08-10 07:26:262023-09-08 11:30:55Joint Statement on E-Bike Safety from California Bicycle Advocates

CalBike Announces New Executive Director

August 2, 2023/by Brian Smith

For Immediate Release: August 2, 2023

Contact: Kevin Claxton, 909-274-0137, kevin@calbike.org 

CalBike Announces New Executive Director, Kendra Ramsey

Sacramento, CA – After a year-long search with many outstanding candidates, Kendra Ramsey, AICP (she/her), will become the new Executive Director of the California Bicycle Coalition and the California Mobility Fund. 

Ramsey most recently worked as Active Transportation Project Manager for civil engineering firm GHD, developing innovative mobility options, Complete Streets plans, and corridor studies for local and regional agencies throughout the state. Ramsey is a nationally recognized expert in planning active transportation networks that meet community-identified needs, as well as developing policy and programs to help diverse constituencies choose walking and biking for daily trips.

“Working with local agencies and community members throughout California to plan bicycling and walking networks, I’ve seen the disconnect between policy and implementation, as well as the gaps left by historical investment patterns and our current oversubscribed funding programs,” Ramsey said. “I am excited to join CalBike at such a critical time for active transportation and mobility justice, and look forward to working with the board, staff, and partners to build on recent successes and launch new efforts to make walking and bicycling safer and easier for all Californians.”

Ramsey will join the growing number of women leading bicycle advocacy in the USA. In a field long dominated by men, women leaders bring a critical perspective to statewide bicycle advocacy. Making our streets safe enough for everyone to ride is central to the mission of CalBike.

“We’re absolutely thrilled to have Kendra’s expertise, vision, and passion joining our team at CalBike,” says Cynthia Rose, chair, CalBike Board of Directors. “It’s gratifying to see the trend of such talented women stepping into key leadership roles in organizations throughout our state.”

Interim Executive Director Kevin Claxton will remain as an integral part of our CalBike staff and transition to the position of Operations Manager once Ramsey steps into the Executive Director role in mid-August. 

“Kendra joins CalBike at a pivotal moment,” Claxton says, “With her leadership, CalBike will build on our past successes and lead California’s active transportation movement to greater heights.” 


About Cal Bike
CalBike advocates for equitable, inclusive, and prosperous communities where bicycling helps to enable all Californians to lead healthy and joyful lives. Visit us at online at Calbike.org.

https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.png 0 0 Brian Smith https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.png Brian Smith2023-08-02 11:19:332023-08-02 11:19:33CalBike Announces New Executive Director

Active Transportation Slate in Senate

July 10, 2023/by Brian Smith

For Immediate Release: 7/7/23

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

CalBike’s “Active Transportation Slate” faces Senate Committee, Tues 7/11 

Sacramento – On July 11, 2023, the California Senate Transportation Committee will consider a slate of active transportation bills supported by the California Bicycle Coalition (CalBike). 

“Taken together, these five bills will improve safety and access for every person who bikes, walks, or takes public transportation in California,” explained Jared Sanchez, policy director at CalBike. “The more California supports active transportation, the closer we get to meeting our ambitious climate goals.”

Cal Bike’s 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, which has proven the safest rule for clearing intersections of bicyclists, where most of the deadly accidents happen.

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 CalBike’s 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 and 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. A similar measure passed the legislature in 2022 but was vetoed by the governor.

https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/evanbdudley-1.jpg 784 1440 Brian Smith https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.png Brian Smith2023-07-10 10:34:012023-07-10 10:34:21Active Transportation Slate in Senate

CalBike Response to May Revise

May 16, 2023/by Kevin Claxton

For Immediate Release: May 16, 2023

Contact: Jared Sanchez, Policy Director, (714) 262-0921, jared@calbike.org

Governor’s May 2023 Budget Revise Continues Cuts to Active Transportation 

Sacramento, CA – Governor Gavin Newsom’s “May Revise” of the state’s July 2023-June 2024 budget fails to provide the funding needed to support biking, walking, and public transit. The governor claims to include $1.4 billion for active transportation projects. However, the budget maintains a major reduction to the Active Transportation Program and falls severely short of what’s needed to stem the emission-driven global climate crisis. 

The governor’s May budget is a missed opportunity to allocate the funding California needs to build an equitable transportation system and achieve our state’s climate goals. California needs to move quickly to make biking easier — and Newsom’s proposed budget just isn’t enough to build the needed bike infrastructure to significantly reduce automobile vehicle miles traveled and the associated greenhouse gas emissions. Walkable, bikeable communities offer the biggest return on investment among transportation solutions to the climate crisis. The budget’s $9 billion agenda for zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) is a misguided effort to curb climate change that will ultimately fall short. We must think beyond increasing motor vehicle traffic and expanding the freeway system to support it, and instead build a low-carbon future based around walkable, bikeable communities.

What is missing in the budget?

E-Bike funding

The California Bicycle Coalition has been tracking interest in the new Electric Bicycle Incentive Project, administered by the California Air Resources Board. The governor’s budget doesn’t include funding to continue this popular and vital electric vehicle incentive.

CalBike has received interest from more than 17,000 Californians who want to participate in EBIP. Based on the $7.5 million currently available through the program after administration, education, and outreach costs, the pilot will offer between 3,000 and 7,000 vouchers. Because the program only has a fraction of the funding it needs to meet the demand, CalBike expects funds to be exhausted very quickly, leaving many low-income Californians without resources to get the transportation they need.

In a letter signed by a coalition of environmental groups, CalBike has requested $50 million for e-bike incentives in the next budget.

“The California Electric Bicycle Incentive Project offers a huge bang for the buck being spent to reduce the state’s climate pollution. Expanding this program will provide more equitable access to clean transportation and help the state meet our climate goals. It’s a win-win,” said Jared Sanchez, Policy Director, CalBike.

Complete Streets funding

California should invest much more in active transportation projects that build complete bikeway networks — no more bike lanes to nowhere or bikeways made unsafe by impassable intersections. This should include funding for a program that rewards cities whose leaders quickly install protected networks that create true active transportation grids. It’s particularly crucial that these bike networks connect bike infrastructure to local destinations, including offices, schools, and shopping areas. 

Investments in disadvantaged communities 

In our racialized economy, Black and brown Californians are disproportionately affected by inflation and need better, more affordable mobility options. In addition, many communities of color suffer from decades of disinvestment and should be prioritized for new active transportation investments. As inflation hits Californians hard, safe biking is a lifeline to millions of Californians who can’t afford to fill their gas tanks without sacrificing other priorities, like healthy food and secure housing.

What happens next?

The legislature will now revise the governor’s proposal and negotiate with him on a final budget for approval by June 15. There are many fantastic bills in the legislature this year that will make our streets safer. The budget needs to include enough active transportation funding to pay for these excellent pilot projects and meet the demand of ongoing programs across the state.

CalBike’s Invest/Divest campaign

At CalBike, we believe California should devote a minimum of 50% of its transportation budget to support active transportation: biking, walking, public transit, and Complete Streets infrastructure. The CalBike Invest/Divest campaign aims to shift California’s transportation spending from our current traffic-inducing, climate-killing system to sustainable mobility options, equitable treatment of all road users regardless of race, and a transportation future where it is easier and safer for more people to get around by biking, walking, or using public transportation.


https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Allan-Crawford-separated-lanes-2594.jpg 838 1258 Kevin Claxton https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.png Kevin Claxton2023-05-16 07:30:002023-05-15 17:55:25CalBike Response to May Revise

Coalition Requests $50M E-Bike Funding

April 27, 2023/by Laura McCamy

For Immediate Release: 4/27/23

Contact: Laura McCamy, CalBike | 510-214-6156, laura@calbike.org

Clean Air and Active Transportation Groups Seek $50M for CA E-Bike Program

Sacramento, CA – Today, a coalition of environmental, public health, and active transportation organizations have sent a letter to California state budget leadership requesting an additional $50M for the California Air Resources Board’s Electric Bicycle Incentive Project. The coalition argues this funding will “…help the state transition to clean transportation in order to meet its ambitious climate goals.”

The coalition submitting this request includes: Active San Gabriel Valley, California Bicycle Coalition, Coalition for Clean Air, Environment California, Safe Routes Partnership, and the San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR).

E-Bikes: A Great Climate Investment for California

Callifornians are eager to begin replacing car trips with e-bike trips. The conversion of Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) from auto to active transportation can dramatically improve air quality for children and the elderly in our polluted cities. It’s also a climate-transportation win-win.

“The Coalition for Clean Air is proud to be a part of a coalition advocating to increase funding for the Electric Bicycle Incentive Project. We believe this program will reduce greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions, lower VMT, promote equity, and improve quality of life for Californians if properly administered and funded,” said Sofia Rafikova, Policy Advocate at the Coalition for Clean Air. 


The Electric Bicycle Incentive Project, run by CARB, the letter explains,  “…is modeled after similar programs across the country, this program will award at-point-of-purchase vouchers to low-income Californians to reduce the costs of purchasing an electric bicycle.…This program ensures that these benefits only apply to those who need them the most and that the vouchers successfully incentivize the switch from driving to using electric bicycles, thus, reducing the amount of greenhouse gas and air pollutant emissions coming from the transportation sector.”

More Funding Needed

The California Bicycle Coalition has been curating an e-bike incentive interest list that currently has over 16,000 members. Based on the $7.5M currently available through the EBIP program after administration, education, and outreach costs, the pilot program to be between 3,000 and 7,000 vouchers. Because the program only has a fraction of the funding it needs to meet the demand, the coalition letter warns, “…the funding for the program could run out just a few days after its launch.”

“The California Electric Bicycle Incentive Project offers a huge bang-for-the-buck being spent to reduce the state’s climate pollution.  Expanding this program will provide more equitable access to clean transportation and help the state meet our climate goals. It’s a double win,” said Jared Sanchez, Policy Director, CalBike.

“The Electric Bike Incentive Program (EBIP) will enable low-income Californians to travel more conveniently and sustainably, in addition to drastically reducing emissions from gas-powered cars. The state should expand this program and make it recurring to meet the overwhelming demand for electric bike incentives,” said Jack Barber, Campaign Associate, Environment California


More Info:
Why E-Bikes Could Change Everything: Cities take on transportation’s whopping carbon footprint – Sierra Magazine, October 2022
E-Bike Purchase Incentives FAQs – CalBike, April 2023

https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Yuba-e-bike-POC-e1616451276226.jpeg 1056 2400 Laura McCamy https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.png Laura McCamy2023-04-27 15:28:282023-05-12 12:46:59Coalition Requests $50M E-Bike Funding

Biking Is Not a Crime!

March 29, 2023/by Jared Sanchez

For Immediate Release: 3/29/23

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

CalBike Campaign 2023: Biking Is Not a Crime


SACRAMENTO, CA – As a 2021 LA Times investigation showed, police are more likely to stop Black and Latino Californians on bikes, more likely to search people stopped while biking, and less likely to find any evidence of criminal activity during those stops. Low-income neighborhoods and communities of color often have little safe bicycle infrastructure, so decades of systemic racism and neglect become a weapon to doubly punish people in disadvantaged neighborhoods.

Bicycles and Racial Profiling 

California’s Racial Identity Profiling Advisory Board (RIPA) came to the same conclusion in their 2023 report: “During stops for bicycle-related offenses, officers were 3.2 times as likely to perform a search, 3.8 times as likely to detain the individual, and 2.7 times as likely to handcuff the individual. Overall, officers were more likely to search, detain, or handcuff a person during a bicycle-related stop when compared to stops for reasons other than bicycle violations.”

There is only one thing proven to reduce traffic collisions: infrastructure, like protected bikeways and intersections, which reduce injuries and deaths for people biking, walking, driving, and taking transit. Tickets for minor violations like riding without lights or biking on the sidewalk do nothing to increase safety or reduce crime. Yet, for decades, California has underinvested in safe infrastructure and overinvested in traffic policing, sometimes with lethal results. 

CalBike Policy Director Jared Sanchez said, “If traffic stops could prevent traffic deaths, we wouldn’t have seen the alarming rise in fatalities over the last few years. It’s time for California to stop spending money on ineffective safety measures and invest in infrastructure that slows car speeds and protects people biking and walking. That will also allow police to focus on tactics proven to reduce crime, bringing real safety to our streets.”

To create Complete Streets in California where people using all transportation modes can move freely, we need to free our streets from both traffic violence AND pretextual policing. 

CalBike supports the “Biking Is Not a Crime” slate of bills for 2023:

  • AB 93 Bryan: Stop Baseless Searches. Prohibits police officers from requesting consent to conduct a search if the officer does not suspect criminal activity.
  • AB 825 Bryan: Safe Passage for Bikes Bill. Allows bicycle riding on a sidewalk adjacent to a street that does not include a Class I, Class II, or Class IV bikeway.
  • SB 50 Bradford: Stop Pretextual Policing. Prohibits police officers from stopping or detaining the operator of a motor vehicle or bicycle for a low-level infraction.
  • AB 819 Bryan: Decriminalize Transit Fare Evasion. Removes misdemeanor classification for transit fare evasion, retains fines as a penalty.
  • AB 1266 Kalra: No More Warrants for Infractions. Eliminates the use of bench warrants for minor infractions.

CalBike calls on California legislators to support these bills as a critical step toward making our streets safe and welcoming for all identities and bodies.

###

https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/police-car-lights-scaled.jpg 1707 2560 Jared Sanchez https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.png Jared Sanchez2023-03-29 13:43:562023-04-03 09:48:21Biking Is Not a Crime!

Announcing Invest/Divest Campaign

March 3, 2023/by Jared Sanchez

For Immediate Release: 3/2/23

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

CalBike Announces 2023 Campaign: INVEST/DIVEST

Sacramento, CA – Despite California’s reputation as an environmental leader, our transportation sector remains the main source of toxic emissions, climate pollution, and fatalities on our streets. To address this reality, the California Bicycle Coalition today launched its 2023 campaign Invest/Divest: Invest in Our Transportation Future/Divest from Regressive Road-Building.

Invest/Divest
is an ambitious campaign to shift California’s transportation spending from traffic-inducing, climate-killing, over-policed, and community-destroying motor vehicle road expansions, to Complete Streets and other projects that make it easier and safer for more people to get around by biking, walking, or using public transportation.

CalBike’s agenda for 2023 continues momentum from last year, lifting up multi-year campaigns like the Bicycle Safety Stop and Complete Streets.

“California prides itself on being a climate leader. But our state doesn’t deserve that title as long as it keeps spending billions on transportation projects that increase greenhouse gases while underfunding or completely ignoring much cheaper projects that could bring about the green transportation revolution we desperately need. The Invest/Divest campaign is the logical path forward to create a green, sustainable transportation future for our state.”

– Jared Sanchez, CalBike Policy Director

The Invest/Divest campaign aims to build communities where all Californians have equitable access to safe streets, improving health and increasing joy along the way.

Priorities of the INVEST/DIVEST Campaign

  • Invest in Complete Streets: Prioritize new safe, accessible, and equitable infrastructure that makes biking, walking, and micromobility convenient and appealing. Invest in safe roadways for all transportation modes, bringing us closer to Vision Zero and our ambitious climate goals.
  • Invest in Just Streets: We’re expanding the definition of a Complete Street to mean one where people of all identities and bodies are safe from police harassment. To accomplish this, we must decriminalize biking and walking, including bikes treating stop signs as yields—often used in biased, pretextual policing—to make our complete streets safe for all identities and bodies. Remove discriminatory barriers based on class, race, gender, age, ability, and other identities and invest in communities where the safety of all residents is paramount.
  • Invest in Complete Communities: No more bike lanes to nowhere. Invest in connected bikeways and pedestrian paths that provide safe, integrated access to essential destinations, making active transportation a viable option for more Californians.
  • Invest in Thriving Communities. Invest in long-term neighborhood safety, security, and wealth that connects sustainable transportation options with affordable housing that is integrated with healthy destinations. We must empower the communities most impacted by harmful transportation investments to choose their own goals, strategies, and projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, local toxic air, and lethal streets.
  • Divest from Freeway Expansion: Don’t build one more mile of dead-end infrastructure that increases traffic, damages communities, increases fossil fuel dependence, and creates new maintenance bills that California can’t afford to pay. Divest from failed traffic mitigation policies that lead to gridlock, and invest those funds in infrastructure to move California into the future. 
  • Divest from Climate Collapse: Transportation is the biggest contributor to GHG emissions, so we must divest from projects that increase VMT and invest those funds in low- or no-carbon transportation alternatives.
  • Divest from Environmental Racism: Low-income communities of color are harmed the most by toxic air, freight distribution, displacement, and gentrification pressures. It’s time to divest from projects that bring environmental degradation and invest those funds in historically marginalized communities.
  • Divest from Enforcement and Criminalization: Californians need safety from the violence of cars, freight trucks, and other forms of publicly-subsidized harm that especially burden and criminalize Black and brown bodies/communities. Divest from racist, militarized traffic enforcement and invest in community resources to support and protect vulnerable residents.
  • Divest from Policing as a Street Safety Solution: Law enforcement is often positioned as the prevailing authority on street safety, ignoring other forms of community protection. We cannot trust the police to enforce traffic laws equitably without the removal of white supremacy from law enforcement. Therefore, we must remove police enforcement from Vision Zero and other safe streets strategies.


View Cal Bike’s Legislative Priorities list for 2023

https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/one-planet-investdivest-scaled.jpg 1707 2560 Jared Sanchez https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.png Jared Sanchez2023-03-03 15:48:402023-03-24 15:24:05Announcing Invest/Divest Campaign

CalBike Executive Director Responds to California’s Unprecedented Support for Active Transportation

October 7, 2022/by Kevin Claxton

This was an unprecedented year for bike-friendly and active transportation legislation in Sacramento. CalBike worked hard with our members and allies to advocate for bike-friendly measures, and it’s clear that our elected officials have heard the message that Californians want safer streets, more space for biking and walking, and strong measures to tackle climate change. 

We can’t drive ourselves out of the climate crisis; California needs to fundamentally alter its transportation system. The 2022 legislative session shows that our elected leaders recognize the value of bikes and other modes of active transportation to help bring the changes we need. Several new laws will bring vital changes to our communities, reducing pollution, mitigating the effects of climate change, and improving equity and quality of life for all Californians.

Pedestrians aren’t “jays”

Car companies invented the concept of “jaywalking” 100 years ago. At the time, jay was an insulting word for a country bumpkin, and the implication was that country folk were too uneducated to know how to walk on city streets filled with cars. The auto manufacturers did this as part of a PR campaign as sentiment rose against the new vehicles for mowing down children in the streets (something that autos continue to do, but now with sadly little awareness or outrage). 

With the governor’s signature on AB 2147, the Freedom to Walk Act, California joins a growing movement to decriminalize safe, midblock street crossings. The law leaves jaywalking statutes on the books but will prevent police from ticketing people who cross without endangering themselves or others. 

The Freedom to Walk Act won’t affect most people’s walking behavior: Everybody jaywalks, and that will continue. But it will make the streets safer for Black and Latino Californians, who are disproportionately targeted while walking or biking, sometimes leading to lethal police encounters or economically harmful tickets.

CalBike applauds Assemblymember Phil Ting for writing this bill, and for his unwavering support for passing it into law.

Planning for the future

CalBike also cosponsored the Plan for the Future Bill, SB 932, which requires a specific change to a somewhat obscure planning document, but the bill will have a tremendous impact on our neighborhoods in the years to come. Cities and counties base their long-term planning decisions on General Plans, which are only updated every 15 years — sometimes even longer. The changes outlined in General Plans may take years or decades to come to fruition, if they are ever built.

The Plan for the Future Bill requires local governments to update the circulation element of their General Plans (which governs all elements of transportation into and through a community) to include Complete Streets and other features that enhance safety for people walking and biking, and plans must be updated by the middle of 2024. Then they have two years to start building what they have planned, so good ideas don’t gather dust. The bill also creates a state fund to help pay for the costs of these changes.

We can’t wait decades to create communities where it’s safe and appealing to get on a bike or take the bus rather than driving a personal car. The Plan for the Future Bill recognizes this and takes bold action to move California into the future we need. We thank Senator Anthony Portantino for authoring this bill and our friends at Streets for All for cosponsoring it and working with us to pass it.

Accelerating the speed of change

SB 922, which grants permanent CEQA exemption for active transportation infrastructure projects, will help the plans created under SB 932 become reality. The measure extends an exemption granted temporarily during the pandemic. 

CEQA, California’s environmental review law, is crucial to assessing the potential impacts of construction projects on our fragile environment. However, the law has often been twisted by anti-development forces. A CEQA lawsuit delayed the implementation of San Francisco’s bike plan for many years, putting that city’s bike riders in harm’s way and delaying the shift toward a sustainable transportation system.

SB 922 recognizes that bikeways have a positive impact on the environment by making active transportation safer and enabling more people to choose alternatives to driving. We thank Senator Scott Wiener for his leadership on this issue.

Bikes belong on California streets

The OmniBike Bill, AB 1909, makes four essential changes to the California vehicle code:

  • Car drivers must change lanes to pass bike riders wherever possible.
  • E-bikes, including Class 3 bikes, can’t be excluded from most bikeways.
  • Cities can’t enforce bicycle licensing regulations, which have often been used to harass Black and brown bike riders.
  • People on bikes can advance on a walk signal, even if the traffic light is red in their direction.

These changes legalize logical and safe choices for people on bikes, and reduce potential police harassment, discrimination, and pretextual policing. The change lanes to pass provision gives drivers clear direction about how to safely pass bike riders and will make it easier for police to ticket offenders.

This law has a bonus provision because AB 2264, which also became law, gives pedestrians a 3-7 second head start to walk before cars get the green. Called a leading pedestrian interval (LPI), this measure has been shown to reduce collisions involving people walking by up to 60%. Under AB 1909, bikes will be able to advance on the LPI, increasing safety for people on bikes as well. 

We thank Assemblymember Laura Friedman, who authored the OmniBike Bill and several other critical active transportation measures, for her leadership on these issues.

Electric bicycle incentive program takes shape

In 2021, CalBike helped win a budget allocation for an e-bike incentive, similar to the rebates that California offers residents who buy electric cars. This year, we have worked with CARB to provide input to help shape the program. And we have mobilized over 8,000 people who care about the program, which makes e-bikes more affordable for more Californians, to add their voices to the discussion. CARB expects the pilot project to launch by the end of March 2023.

These are just a few highlights from a historic slate of active transportation bills that became law this year, and CalBike is thrilled with the results. This progress signals rapidly growing support for the transportation mode shift that California needs, not just to EVs but to biking, walking, and transit. We look forward to building on this momentum in 2023 to ensure that all Californians have access to healthy, sustainable transportation options, to safe and welcoming streets, and to joyful, connected, liveable communities.

https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Father-and-daughter-bike-path-scaled.jpg 1440 2560 Kevin Claxton https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.png Kevin Claxton2022-10-07 12:22:032022-10-12 12:36:30CalBike Executive Director Responds to California’s Unprecedented Support for Active Transportation

Freedom to Walk Becomes Law in California

October 3, 2022/by Kevin Claxton

For Immediate Release: October 1, 2022

Contact: CalBike: Kevin Claxton, kevin@calbike.org | 909.274.0137

Governor Newsom Signs Freedom to Walk Act

Bill ends jaywalking tickets when it’s safe to cross

Sacramento, CA — Governor Newsom has signed the Freedom to Walk Bill (AB 2147, Ting). This bill will prevent police from issuing jaywalking tickets unless the street crossing is truly dangerous. Governor Newsom vetoed a previous version of this bill in 2021, but the author revised it so police can still issue jaywalking tickets for dangerous behavior.

“We are pleased the Governor signed this important bill,” said Jared Sanchez, CalBike Senior Policy Advocate. “The Freedom to Walk Bill legalizes what people are already doing: finding the best routes to safely walk in their neighborhoods. This bill will reduce targeted policing that mostly penalizes Black and Latinx Californians and people who live in communities without complete street infrastructure.”

Inequities in neighborhood design and street infrastructure leave many lower-income California neighborhoods less than pedestrian-friendly. Because of this, policing jaywalking often amounts to punishing people for the lack of government services in their community. And jaywalking tickets can be the gateway for dangerous police interactions, especially for BIPOC folks. Police data show that Black residents are as much as four times as likely as White ones to be ticketed for jaywalking. 

When a police officer cites someone for jaywalking under CVC 21955, crossing the road outside a designated crosswalk, they may face a fine as high as $250. That amount can get higher as additional violations are added. This jaywalking fine is higher than most parking tickets and some common traffic citations. 

https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/cropped-jaywalking.jpeg 866 1600 Kevin Claxton https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.png Kevin Claxton2022-10-03 10:12:232022-10-03 10:12:25Freedom to Walk Becomes Law in California
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