Streets for Everyone Archives

Court Decision Protects Cyclist Rights

October 7, 2020/by Kevin Claxton

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Dave Snyder, dave@calbike.org | (916) 251-9433‬

COURT OF APPEALS RULING AFFIRMS RIGHT OF CYCLISTS TO SAFE ROADS

The California Court of Appeal recently rejected an appeal by the County of Sonoma that would have threatened the safety of everybody who rides bikes on roads “for recreation.”

The case stemmed from a lawsuit brought by Catherine Williams, who suffered severe and permanent injuries when she struck a large pothole on a county road. The 4-inch deep, 13 square foot wide pothole had been reported to the County six weeks earlier. The jury sided with Williams, declaring the road to be an illegal “dangerous condition.”

The County’s appeal claimed that Williams was engaging in a “sport” and therefore had to assume the risk of a crash, according to state law that exempts the state from liability for dangers inherent in a sport. The Court disagreed, stating that the County already owed a duty to other foreseeable users of the road to repair the pothole, the policy reasons underlying the primary assumption of risk doctrine support the conclusion that the County owes a duty not to increase the inherent risks of long-distance, recreational cycling.

The decision is incredibly important to everyone who rides a bike on public roads.

Eris Weaver, Executive Director of the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition, hailed the victory. “As California burns, the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and get people out of cars is visible in the smoky air. The vast increase in bike sales since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates great interest and willingness among our residents to shift their mode of transportation. The ruling in this case affirms the rights of ALL users to safe transportation and puts cities and counties on notice that cyclists cannot be treated as second-class citizens.” with the County, the government would have no expectation of safe conditions on the roadway

Napa appellate specialist Alan Charles “Chuck” Dell’Ario represented Williams on appeal following an excellent trial presentation by Oakland lawyers Todd Walburg and co-counsel Celine Cutter. “This is an important victory for the cycling community statewide,” Dell’Ario said. “All public entities have a duty not to increase the inherent risks of cycling.” The state association of counties and league of cities had filed briefs supporting the county.

“We’re grateful that the Court demonstrated common sense. Bicycling is a joyful thing and not a dangerous sport if the government maintains the roads in the condition that they should,” said Dave Snyder, Executive Director of the California Bicycle Coalition.

Williams v. County of Sonoma Cal. Ct. App. (09-28-20) 2020 WL 5757662

Quick-Build Street Design: What It Is and Why We Need It

May 28, 2020/by Kevin Claxton

Our process for building transportation infrastructure is slow and expensive, even for bike projects. A simple protected bike lane will commonly require five years from approval to construction. Quick-build street design projects are an exception. They get bikeable and walkable infrastructure projects built fast and affordably. Quick-build is more vital than ever since the COVID-19 pandemic. California cities and towns need to reallocate street space quickly to allow businesses to reopen safely, protect workers, and meet the rising demand for safe biking and walking.

CalBike has made quick-build street design a major priority in 2020. To kick off this campaign, we are working on a toolkit that cities can use to guide them through the quick-build process.

Here’s what you need to know about quick-build street design, plus what CalBike is doing to bring quick-build street design to more California streets.

What is quick-build?

The normal timeline for projects that add Complete Streets elements or otherwise change streets to make them safer for bike riders and pedestrians can stretch for years and years. From conception, to inclusion in a community plan, project planning, community engagement, grant application, grant award, additional engagement and project amendment, grant expenditure (often many years after the award), and finally project construction, a project can easily take more than ten years.

Some projects, such as a new bike bridge, have big price tags and require longer timelines. But smaller projects, such as adding a bulb-out to reduce the width of a pedestrian crossing or adding a protected bike lane, don’t have to be costly or time-consuming.

The first part of quick-build street design is to use low-cost measures. Staffers or contractors can create pedestrian bulb-outs or a new bike lane with paint and bollards. Simple signs or heavy planters serve as traffic diverters. Most quick-build projects can be constructed in mere days or weeks. They can go from conception to reality within months. The measures are also temporary, designed to be removed or changed. Quick-build street design is literally not set in stone (or concrete), so elements can be changed in response to on-the-ground feedback.

That feedback to the actual temporary design becomes the public input process for the eventual project, if the public supports making it permanent. It is usually much better than traditional planning processes, where stakeholders are asked to imagine how it will feel to use a new street alignment based on renderings and PowerPoint presentations. It’s not surprising, under those circumstances, that many community members are resistant to implementing Complete Streets designs that will change how they navigate their environment.

Quick-build projects extend the public comment period beyond implementation. Unlike asphalt and concrete infrastructure, quick-build street designs can be easily adjusted by adding a planter box, moving bollards, or restriping a lane.

While planners design and implement quick-build projects using “temporary” materials, many end up becoming permanent. In some cases, planners add upgrades that started as quick-build to future repaving projects. It turns out, however, that the hardscape infrastructure that has been the standard for traffic engineers for decades is not always necessary. Quick-build improvements like colored paint, soft-hit bollards, or planter boxes can safely delineate projects for years.

Examples of quick-build street design

Bicycle advocates have long used the refrain, “It’s only paint” to promote quick-build projects. Paint is cheap to install and easy to undo. The secret is that, if communities get to live with new quick-build projects, they like them.

Perhaps the most famous examples of successful quick-build projects in the US are New York City’s move to pedestrianize portions of its busiest squares. These projects, which divert traffic on some of the busiest streets in the most populous city in the US, rely mainly on paint and planter boxes to create boundaries where bikes can ride through on separated paths and pedestrians can escape crowded sidewalks. These plazas include outdoor seating that provides a welcome respite for weary tourists and locals in search of fresh air. They were an instant hit.

Quick-build has arrived in California. When a pedestrian was killed by a car driver in Oakland in 2017, the city was able to quickly improve the street design with bollards and paint. After adding bike lanes and brightly-colored pedestrian refuges, OakDOT reported a small decrease in speeding and a more than 80% increase in car drivers yielding to pedestrians.

Go Human Open Streets & Safety Pop Up Events from SCAG on Vimeo.

The Southern California Association of Governments used tactical urbanism (another term for quick-build) in conjunction with its Go Human safe streets campaign. The project installed temporary bike lanes, bulb-outs and other active transportation features in cities around the region. This project used quick-build as a way to get better community feedback on potential safety improvements. The tactical urbanism approach also built engagement and support. The project made street design fun by hosting Open Streets and other events.

Amid the current pandemic, the need to respond quickly to changing circumstances is greater than ever. Many California cities have created Slow Streets to provide safe space for physically distanced outdoor recreation. Often, the only infrastructure needed is signs and portable barricades.

As California moves out of its current stay at home phase of COVID-19 response, communities will need to move quickly to adapt to the new realities of living with an ongoing pandemic. We can’t wait three to five years to plan and fund new bikeways and wider sidewalks. In addition, city and county budgets have been decimated by the crisis. Planners will need to do more with less. Quick-build is the perfect tool to help local governments deal with the changes brought by the coronavirus.

Pros and cons of building it fast

Facebook’s motto of “Move fast and break things” shouldn’t be applied to urban planning. Quick-build comes in for some justified criticism. The speedy planning and implementation process has both benefits and challenges when it comes to community engagement. Here are two of the biggest issues around community engagement.

Pro: An end-run around knee-jerk NIMBYism

If you’ve ever been to a public meeting about a streetscape project, you have heard the NIMBYs speak. They fear that the bike lane you’re advocating for is designed to drive them out of their cars. They worry that it will take them longer to drive to the store. Or they may be anxious that their neighborhood will be overrun by “those people.”

It makes sense that people fear change, particularly people who are invested in the car-centric status quo. Quick-build does an end-run around this fear. It lets planners put “temporary” improvements in place on a trial basis. With designs in place, planners and users get to see what works on the ground, rather than in theory. Residents often find that traffic nightmares don’t materialize and the safety benefits are nicer than they expected. The hard-core NIMBYs may be difficult to win over. However, the support of community members who like the change once it’s in place can help overcome objections and keep quick-build improvements in place.

Con: Limited time for community engagement

There is a downside to the limited public engagement that is a feature of quick-build projects. The short timeline rarely permits the kind of outreach needed for a truly inclusive planning process. However, planners can and should foster an inclusive evaluation process. Community engagement after installation should include people from marginalized and disadvantaged communities. The process has to address the transportation needs of people who are often shut out of planning processes.

Inclusive design takes work. The quick-build process doesn’t absolve planners from the obligation to reach out to communities whose voices are less often heard in the planning process. However, quick-build projects often respond to majority desires for safer walking and biking space. The process is less likely to allow those needs to be shouted down by a few loud voices.

CalBike’s own quick-build project

Here at CalBike, we have a quick-build project of our own. We are working with Alta Planning + Design to create a quick-build toolkit. The toolkit will give municipal planners the resources they need to use quick-build street design for their urgent projects. It will give community advocates the tools they need to win commitments from local officials to make our streets safer, quickly. It will give elected officials the encouragement and rationale for not waiting for the next round of grants. Instead, they can meet their public’s demand for safer streets right away.

Our Quick-Build Toolkit project is itself on a fast track. We expect to have it ready for distribution sometime this summer.

Finding more funding for quick-build street design

In addition to our toolkit encouraging quick-build projects, CalBike is working to increase the state commitment to this low-cost and accessible way of making our streets safer. We are working with regional agencies to help them find funding for local governments to implement quick-build projects.

We support the California Transportation Commission’s decision to set aside $7 million from the next round of ATP projects for urgent quick-build projects. The Commission delayed the next ATP round due to COVID-19 impacts, but it promises an expedited review for any project applying for the $7 million in quick-build project funding. Applications for these projects are due soon. We are also advocating for quick-build infrastructure money in federal stimulus packages.

At CalBike, we want everyone who is able to get to choose to bike to work. We want safe space for children to explore their neighborhoods on foot, scooter, bike, or skateboard. Our commitment to finding practical, workable ways to build the safe and equitable streets that California needs is stronger than ever. We believe that quick-build is one of the best tools for achieving this goal. That’s why we’re building the toolkit. It is why we plan to put the toolkit in the hands of every public works and planning department staffer in California. At the same time, we will be working with state agencies to remove any barriers to quick-build projects that might keep cities from adopting this important tool.

You can help by supporting our quick-build campaign.

Tell Your Assembly Member to Vote YES on SB 127 for Complete Streets

August 30, 2019/by Kevin Claxton

The Complete Streets for Active Living Bill (SB 127) passed two tough Assembly committees. Now, Caltrans is pulling out all the stops to defeat what may be the most important piece of legislation CalBike has ever sponsored.

The Complete Streets Bill will require Caltrans to add features that make streets safer for all users, such as protected bike lanes, when it repairs or repaves local streets. It will free thousands of Californians to get around by biking and walking, instead of being trapped in their cars.

The Complete Streets Bill could come up for a vote in the full Assembly any day now. That’s why we need you to tell your state Assembly Member vote YES on SB 127, the Complete Streets for Active Living Bill, today.

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Major Pushback Against Caltrans Over Complete Streets Bill Fiscal Impact

August 21, 2019/by Kevin Claxton

On August 21, Assembly Member Lorena Gonzalez (Dem-80, above right) did something unusual. Gonzalez chairs the Appropriations Committee. She allowed testimony on The Complete Streets for Active Living Bill (SB 127 – Wiener), even though the bill was, by rule, headed for the suspense file. The Chair prefers that members waive testimony for bills going to the suspense file, but Gonzalez took the opportunity to rake Caltrans over the coals for making unfounded claims about the Complete Streets Bill fiscal impact in an effort to sink the bill.

The Complete Streets Bill requires Caltrans to accommodate people walking or biking when it repairs or rebuilds a state route that also serves as a local street. The bill allows exceptions, but will require the agency to explain at a public hearing why Complete Streets additions to maintenance projects are infeasible. The legislation will simply require Caltrans to follow its own stated Complete Streets policy.

Apparently, this is all too much for Caltrans. The agency has issued wildly inflated estimates of the cost to implement SB 127, in an attempt to sink the bill.

In the hearing, Gonzalez called out Caltrans for its inaccurate numbers and incendiary tactics. Senator Scott Wiener who introduced the Complete Streets Bill earlier this year, took to Twitter to call out Caltrans in no uncertain terms.

“I’m authoring #SB127 to ensure state roads that run through cities – eg 19th Ave, Santa Monica Blvd, San Pablo Ave – are safe for pedestrians & cyclists. Caltrans has now issued a grossly inflated, fake cost estimate of >$1B to tank the bill. Here’s my letter pushing back hard.”

I’m authoring #SB127 to ensure state roads that run through cities – eg 19th Ave, Santa Monica Blvd, San Pablo Ave – are safe for pedestrians & cyclists. Caltrans has now issued a grossly inflated, fake cost estimate of >$1B to tank the bill. Here’s my letter pushing back hard. pic.twitter.com/9sMo15ImvD

— Scott Wiener (@Scott_Wiener) August 21, 2019

Weiner attached to his Tweet a copy of a letter he sent to David Kim, Secretary of the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA), of which Caltrans is a division. In it, he calls out the inaccurate assumptions behind the sky-high cost estimate for Complete Streets projects presented by Caltrans. According to Wiener’s letter the Caltrans estimate that Complete Streets would add $1.1 billion annually (Caltrans’ estimate was actually $1.3 billion) to state road-building costs was based on the assumption that bike and pedestrian facilities cost $4.5 million per centerline mile. Wiener pointed out that Complete Streets elements are often the least expensive part of a project. He cited costs between $20,000 and $600,000 per centerline mile. The Caltrans figure is 7.5 times the high end of this range.

Many thanks to Senator Wiener and Assembly Member Gonzalez for strongly backing this important bill. The Complete Streets Bill is CalBike’s most important legislation in 2019. Vocal support from elected representatives, our coalition partners, and CalBike members has carried the bill so far.

The Complete Streets Bill has made it through some tough fights. The toughest of all may be ahead, as Caltrans pulls out all the stops to try to block SB 127. We’ll need all hands on deck to make sure this important bill passes and is signed into law.

Complete Streets Bill Passes Assembly Transportation Committee

July 9, 2019/by Laura McCamy

The Complete Streets for Active Living Bill (SB 127) passed the Assembly Transportation Committee July 8. This was a hard-won victory. CalBike and our coalition partners negotiated with and educated stakeholders and potential opponents up until the moment of the vote. In the end, the difference was the 1,000+ CalBike members and supporters who contacted their Assembly Member and asked for their yes vote. That pressure turned almost every committee member we counted as a maybe vote into a yes. SB 127 passed with 10 votes – two more than the eight we needed.

Caltrans controls some of the biggest and most direct streets that run through our local communities. Too often, Caltrans has refused to upgrade these streets to better serve the people who walk and bike on them, even when they’re repaving them or repairing them anyway. CalBike’s Complete Streets Bill will change that. If it becomes law, it will require Caltrans, by default, to add Complete Streets design elements every time it repairs or repaves a state route that also serves as a local street.

We are nearing the finish line. But the fight for Complete Streets for all Californians is not over. The Complete Streets Bill still has to pass the Assembly Appropriations Committee and the full Assembly. After that, it has to be signed by Governor Newsom.

This is the team of safe streets advocates, special guest witnesses, and Capitol staffers whose hard work — bolstered by pressure from CalBike members — helped to win the vote at the Assembly Transportation Committee.

This bill is the most important legislation that CalBike has worked on since we established the nation’s first Safe Routes to School program in 1999. If it becomes law, the Complete Streets Bill will save lives and make our cities and towns more livable. We need to keep the pressure up on our representatives every step of the way. We’re counting on you to help us succeed. Donate today to help the Complete Streets Bill get across the finish line.

CalBike invites you to a house party fundraiser for our Complete Streets Campaign.

July 2, 2019/by Laura McCamy

Come learn about this exciting campaign and meet our Executive Director, Dave Snyder and special guests. Party with your bicycling community, while you enjoy excellent beer, wine, and tasty hors d’oeuvres in the lovely Loma Portal home of Richard Opper and Ann Poppe.

Thursday, Aug 1, 2019
5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Please RSVP to receive the exact location (via email)

Learn more about our Complete Streets Campaign, and show your support for the campaign by signing our petition.

Thanks to our sponsors:

This free event is a fundraiser to make California’s streets safer and better for biking and walking. Please bring your checkbook or credit card. Thank you.

Senate Advances Better Bikeway Design Guidelines

June 12, 2019/by Laura McCamy

The Better Bikeway Design Bill (AB 1266 – R. Rivas) moved forward in the Senate Transportation Committee yesterday, after passing the Assembly in mid-May. The bill provides important bikeway design guidelines for planners and public works departments.

Bike lanes often disappear at intersections, which are the site of most collisions and greatest confusion for all users of the road. The Better Bikeway Design Bill directs Caltrans to develop and embed better guidance into its design guidelines for where to place bike lane markings at intersections with turn lanes for automobiles.

“This common sense bill is another piece in our ongoing campaign to work with Caltrans to develop the nation’s best bikeway design guidance,” said CalBike Executive Director Dave Snyder. Snyder testified at the hearing yesterday to support the bill, which inspired an exchange with Chairman Beall about the Dutch reach and the dangers of the door zone.

The next step for the Better Bikeway Design Bill is to move through the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Complete Streets Bill Passes the Senate

May 24, 2019/by Kevin Claxton

On Thursday, May 23, the Complete Streets for Active Living Bill (SB 127) passed in the full Senate. The vote was 29 to 9. The bill’s co-sponsored are CalBike, California Walks, The American Heart Association, Safe Routes Partnership, and AARP.

The Complete Streets Bill will require Caltrans to add features to improve the safety of people walking, biking, and taking transit when they repair or repave state routes in urban areas and along main streets in more rural communities. Most cities in California have at least one Caltrans-controlled state route that also serves as a local street. These streets are often designed to facilitate speeding traffic and not much else. They may lack safe pedestrian crossings and bike facilities. Streets like these diminish the vibrancy of our cities.

By passing the Complete Streets for Active Living Bill, California’s state senators have taken an important step toward creating livable cities and supporting the clean transportation that California needs. CalBike applauds their foresight and overwhelming support.

This important bill almost died in the Senate Appropriations Committee a week ago. This victory wouldn’t be possible without the calls and emails of CalBike members and other Complete Streets advocates who helped keep the bill moving.

The Complete Streets Bill still has to pass the Assembly before it can be signed into law by Governor Newsom. We will need all hands on deck to make sure it passes through committee and gets support from a majority of assembly members. Will you raise your voice to support safe streets for everyone, everywhere in California?

Sign CalBike’s petition to support Complete Streets.

Find out more about Complete Streets.

CalBike Members Score Complete Streets Victory

May 16, 2019/by Laura McCamy

On May 13, the CalBike Complete Streets for Active Living Bill (SB 127) was going nowhere. It had been placed on the “suspense file” in the Appropriations Committee. The bill would require Caltrans to make state-controlled city streets safe for people to walk and bike, not just places for fast-moving cars and trucks, when they repaired or repaved streets.

Senators Portantino and Atkins had the power to move SB 127 forward or squash it. Questions about the costs of Complete Streets safety improvements threatened to derail the bill.

Then something amazing happened. We asked CalBike members and Complete Streets supporters from the districts of these two senators to call and email them. You responded and your senators listened. On May 16, at deadline, the Senators decided to move the the Complete Streets bill out of committee and to the Senate floor for a vote.

This is an inspiring example of the importance of speaking up for safe streets for everyone. Every one of us has the power to help bring Complete Streets to California state routes.

We can’t take a victory lap just yet. The Complete Streets bill will get a floor vote from the whole Senate in the next two weeks. We need to keep the pressure on all our state senators to support this important legislation. After that, we have to do it all over again in the Assembly, where the bill faces the challenging Transportation Committee.

Sign our Complete Streets petition to show your support and stay informed.

Find out more about Complete Streets here.

CalBike Moves Bike-Friendly Bills Forward in Sacramento

May 14, 2019/by Laura McCamy

Two important bills for better biking are moving forward in the California legislature. Bike-friendly legislation continues to advance, thanks to the work of CalBike and our partners to keep up the pressure.

Bike-friendly turn lanes bill passes with bipartisan support

AB 1266, introduced by Assemblymember Robert Rivas (D-Hollister), passed on the Assembly floor on May 13, by a vote of 66-0. The next step for this bill is the Senate. We are optimistic that it will be passed into law later this year.

The measure requires Caltrans to develop new bike lane design guidance for planners and engineers. This guidance would facilitate a typical and safe maneuver by people on bicycles: going straight through an intersection via the left portion of a right-turn lane. Currently, design guidance for these features is not included in the state’s official Highway Design Manual. Without guidance, it is difficult for planners to include these markings in street design. The lack of guidance makes it hard for bike riders to safely navigate straight through at an intersection with a turn lane.

AB 1266 resolves these problems. It clarifies the legality of the commonsense position that bicyclists take in the left side of a right-turn lane. The bill also requires the Department of Transportation to develop designs to facilitate this maneuver.

E-bike vouchers near a vote

SB 400 will add vouchers for e-bikes and bikeshare memberships to a program that helps low-income Californians trade polluting cars for green transportation. The bill has passed out of committee. It heads for a vote on the Senate floor on Monday, May 20.

This bill, introduced by Senator Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana), is an important step toward recognizing bicycles as part of the clean transportation revolution. The voucher program helps bring transportation justice to California streets, a goal that CalBike strongly supports.

You can help ensure victory for SB 400. Raise your voice before the vote on Monday.

What you can do:

Contact your state senator and urge him or her to support SB 400. You can find your senator here.

Join Senator Umberg on Saturday morning, May 18, in Long Beach for a celebration of SB 400. Learn about e-bikes and bikeshare and support the bill’s passage through the Senate.