The change of administration in Washington D.C. is providing some specific reasons for joy for active transportation advocates. Pete Buttigieg promises to bring a fresh perspective to USDOT. Also, some of the initial appointees who will run USDOT from day one are friends of biking. And that group includes some high-profile Californians.
Nuria Fernandez, who will be the deputy administrator for the Federal Transit Administration, was the GM and CEO of the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority. Ann E. Carlson is a professor of environmental law at UCLA and an expert on climate change law. She becomes the chief counsel of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
A friend of bikes heads to DC
At CalBike, the USDOT appointment we are most excited about is Steve Cliff, who will be the NHTSA deputy administrator. Cliff comes from the California Air Resources Board (CARB). He is a strong advocate for biking who understands the importance of reducing transportation emissions to address climate change. Streetsblog did a thorough analysis of Cliff’s record (including a photo of him with CalBike alum Jeannie Ward Waller).
The California choices aren’t the only promising picks for the incoming team. Author and planner Angie Schmidt summed it up on Twitter: “People were disappointed Pete isn’t a big enough nerd. These are the big nerds with a lot of experience as well.” Check out this thread for a rundown of all the planning nerds joining USDOT and the official press release announcing the appointments.
The Biden USDOT is going to kick ass.
I have seen enough. They are putting together a dream team.
As mayor of South Bend, IN, Buttigieg embraced Complete Streets. He oversaw the transformation of wide, downtown streets from car deserts to multimodal transportation corridors. Under his leadership, with a strong team to support him, we hope to see USDOT finally address the lack of transportation choice that plagues so many US communities and the transportation policies that are killing our planet. That could translate into more federal funding to support active transportation in California. When that happens, your CalBike will be pushing hard for projects that support safer streets, healthier communities, and cleaner air.
At CalBike, we have long been fans of quick-build projects. Early in the pandemic, we realized that quick-build projects are more crucial than ever. The pandemic temporarily reduced traffic, creating a demonstration of the way people-centered streets can look and feel. This created an opportunity for change. But we have to move fast.
The urgency of the situation spurred CalBike to action. We secured grants from the SEED Fund and the SRAM Cycling Foundation and collaborated with Alta Planning + Design to create a Quick-Build Guide that planners can use to develop quick-build projects.
If you feel resistant to quick-build, we’d like to change your mind — quickly.
What is quick-build design?
Quick-build is a method for reconfiguring streets without costly changes to the existing hardscape. Planners make intersection improvements and buffered bikeways using low-cost materials like paint, moveable planters, and bollards. The pre-implementation planning process is shorter. But, unlike traditional infrastructure projects, planning doesn’t stop once the design is on the ground. Because the elements of quick-build projects can be moved or altered without much effort or expense, the designs can easily evolve in response to community input.
Here are just six of the many reasons we love quick-build design.
Quick-build helps communities respond to the climate crisis with appropriate speed
In 2018, the IPCC warned that we have just 12 years to turn around our carbon consumption or face a planetwide catastrophe. To meet that deadline, we have to take bold action now, not in 2030.
Unfortunately, the planning process for a new bike lane or enhanced intersection in California can take years or even decades. A county-sponsored project to redesign a central transportation corridor in the East Bay for more active transit chose two initial projects to build quickly. The quick timeline: five years. The rest of the project will probably take ten years or more. With quick-build, these projects can be on the ground in five months at a fraction of the budget.
The climate crisis is already here. California has suffered through droughts and fires with increasing frequency as the Earth has warmed by 1℃. We can’t afford to double that
It’s more equitable to vet a design on the ground than on paper
With quick-build, we aren’t asking the public to spend their precious time studying drawings and imagining what their street could be like. Instead, we change the streets temporarily in real-time, so community members can get a feel for how the new designs work on the ground.
People with lots of time still get to see what it will look like and can still give input. Quick-build leads to more accessible and equitable outreach. Because commenters aren’t limited to people who are used to and comfortable with the “normal” outreach process, people who don’t usually get to weigh in on bike infrastructure have a voice.
Lower costs allow communities to build more for less
California cities don’t need one shiny, new bike project or a few protected intersections. We need safe, connected networks that allow riders of all ages to choose active transportation. Communities can put quick-build projects on the ground for a fraction of the price of traditional infrastructure. Not only are the materials less expensive, but communities can also save on staff time because the planning process is shorter and more practical. If we are to have any hope of making the transportation shift we need in time to mitigate climate change, quick-build is our best and perhaps our only hope.
Quick-build overcomes NIMBY resistance
If you’ve ever been to a public meeting about a bike project, you’ve probably heard statements like these:
“Why build a bike lane when so few people ride bikes here?”
“We need those parking spaces.”
“What about elderly people or parents with kids? They NEED to drive.”
Proposals to add infrastructure that will make biking safer strike terror in the hearts of motorists. They have visions of a helmeted mob dragging them out of their car and forcing them into the fresh air (or something equally horrific).
Quick-build bypasses the irrational fear stage of the public planning process. Car owners find that they can still drive, often more easily than before. People ride bikes and walk more, eliminating the “no one will use it” argument. Then streets become safer for kids to use, and the argument is won.
It’s easy to change flexible designs in response to changing conditions
When you pour concrete, you’re stuck with the street design, at least for a few years. But quick-build lends itself to iteration. Many quick-build features end up becoming permanent, but they can easily be altered in response to community feedback or changing community needs.
Quick-build projects save lives
With quick-build, there’s no excuse not to build protected bike lanes. Quick-build makes it cheap and easy to safe bike facilities that are protected from traffic. Buffers can be made from bollards, planters, or rubber car stoppers.
Separated bikeways benefit everyone. A recent study found that streets with protected bike lanes saw fewer traffic fatalities for all users – bike riders, pedestrians, and car drivers.
CalBike is working on getting our Quick-Build Guide into the hands of every California planner, administrator, and elected official who has input on street design. Your donation will help us make safe biking an option for more Californians. Do you want your planners to see the guide? Let us send them the executive summary. Give us the contact info and we’ll do the rest.
https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/People-Using-Streets-13.jpg10801920Dave Snyderhttps://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.pngDave Snyder2021-01-26 16:21:072021-01-26 17:48:266 Reasons Why We Love Quick-Build Projects
As more people turn to bikes for transportation, e-bikes have gained in popularity. They give riders greater range and carrying capacity. For many, an e-bike is a workable alternative to car ownership. But e-bikes aren’t cheap. CalBike is making advocacy for e-bike incentives a top priority in 2021.
Here are four ways we believe Californians should be able to get financial help to buy an e-bike.
Live in a county that gives residents financial help to buy an e-bike
A few California counties have e-bike rebate or purchase incentive programs. Unfortunately, most don’t and many of the rebates are too small to make e-bikes truly affordable.
Trade in a polluting car for an e-bike rebate under SB 400
In 2019, CalBike sponsored SB 400, which added e-bike rebates to an existing state program. The program gives low-income residents vouchers in exchange for trading in a polluting vehicle. SB 400 expanded the program to include bike-share memberships and e-bike rebates.
The program is implemented by California’s regional air quality management districts. Unfortunately, the districts are dragging their feet in implementing plans to make the e-bike vouchers available. Send an email to your local air quality management district to ask them to implement the program.
Get financial help to buy an e-bike from the federal government – oh, wait
If you bought an electric car in 2020, you qualified for a federal tax credit of up to $7,500. Unfortunately, the feds don’t have a comparable program or any program to help Americans buy electric bikes.
We are hopeful that the new Congress will provide financial support for Americans seeking to buy e-bikes. CalBike, with our national allies, will push for federal e-bike rebates, so more people can afford this very green transportation option. At a minimum, Congress should reinstitute the monthly pre-tax subsidy that employers can provide to their (electric or regular) bike commuting employees. Join our list to get the latest news on federal financial help to buy an e-bike.
Join CalBike’s campaign to create a $10 million e-bike purchase incentive program in California
Assembly Member Tasha Boerner Horvath has introduced AB 117, a bill that will create a $10 million fund for e-bike purchase incentives. Sign our e-bike petition to join CalBike in supporting this vital legislation.
https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/e-bike-slider-v2.jpg4301500Dave Snyderhttps://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.pngDave Snyder2021-01-25 18:22:392021-01-27 10:53:224 Ways to Get Financial Help to Buy an E-Bike
Imagine getting on your bike in Bakersfield and riding all the way to Merced. You follow mostly separated and low-stress routes. Along the way, you pass through large and small Central Valley cities like Wasco, Porterville, and Madera.
Maybe you visit some rose gardens in Wasco, whose farmers grow a majority of all the roses grown in the United States. Or you detour for a few miles to check out some wineries on the Madera Wine Trail. You connect with High-Speed Rail (HSR) stations in Bakersfield, Fresno, and Merced. That’s the vision of the Central Valley Passage, a long-distance bicycle route proposed by CalBike’s Central Valley Project Team.
For much of 2020, CalBike, in partnership with the Kern Council of Governments, worked to plan active transportation connections to the planned HSR stations in Bakersfield, Fresno, and Merced. The project gets funding from a Caltrans Sustainable Transportation Planning grant.
The team’s most ambitious plan is a proposal for a long-distance bike route from Bakersfield to Merced, the Central Valley Passage. Once built, this bikeway will be an essential car-free connection in the Central Valley and an economic engine.
Bringing bicycle tourism to the Central Valley
The Central Valley Passage, once all segments are complete, will include about 265 miles of connected, low-stress bikeways. The route will attract bike riders who want the fun and challenge of a multi-day ride. Bicycle tourism can bring an influx of revenue for businesses in cities and towns along the route.
The Central Valley Passage isn’t only an asset to the cities in the valley. It is a much-needed amenity in California, where long-distance routes often involve segments along the shoulders of busy roads. A long-distance route that’s gentle enough for riders of all levels, with many places to stop along the way, will help more people experience the joy of traveling by bike.
Since the route will connect to the High-Speed Rail stations, visitors can reach the route by train. It’s a perfect recipe for a low-carbon vacation.
Vital connections for Central Valley residents
This long-distance route has even more significant benefits for the local community. The team designed the segments to connect suburbs to urban centers, so residents can use the routes to commute to work or travel between cities.
California has a poverty rate of 13%. Kern, Fresno, and Merced counties have poverty rates of 20% or more. Access to more affordable transportation options will promote social equity, particularly in areas that are poorly served by transit.
In addition, increased bicycle mode share will improve the health of all Central Valley residents. Air quality in the San Joaquin Valley doesn’t meet EPA standards. Half the region’s toxic pollution is caused by burning fossil fuels for transportation. Low-stress bike connections will give residents more choices to get around without adding to the region’s air pollution problem. Also, the physical activity of bicycling improves the health of people who are able to ride.
This ambitious plan is just one of the proposals that CalBike’s team has created to make the Central Valley more bikeable. For more on the project, visit our Central Valley Project pages.
https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Central-Valley-Passage-map.jpg16841190Jared Sanchezhttps://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.pngJared Sanchez2021-01-14 15:14:322021-01-14 17:35:55The Central Valley Passage: CalBike’s Visionary Long-Distance Bike Route
Next week, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will be president and vice president. Control of the Senate will flip to the Democrats. This change in power could make a big difference in funding and support for biking and walking this year and beyond. With thanks to our national partners, the League of American Bicyclists, here’s what we’re looking forward to under the new administration.
Amtrak Joe
Joe Biden is famous for being a train commuter. We’ve seen him ride a bike. Those facts alone are a massive improvement over a golf cart president who gets driven everywhere.
But we have high hopes that a Biden administration will do much more to promote active transportation. Biden’s cabinet appointments have delivered on his promise to prioritize climate change. He has created a new cabinet-level position of U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate and appointed John Kerry to the role. In addition, the new administration promises that every executive branch department will address climate change.
Department of Transportation
The most critical appointment for active transportation is the head of the US Department of Transportation. We are heartened by Biden’s choice of Pete Buttigieg for Transportation Secretary. Among the presidential candidates, Buttigieg was one of only two candidates whose transportation platform earned a perfect score from Transportation for America. As mayor of South Bend, he helped the city get Silver Level status from the League, making it among the most bike-friendly cities in the midwest. Plus, as a former mayor, he should have a good grasp of the crucial role of safe biking and walking infrastructure in building resilient communities.
The USDOT can do a lot for biking and walking. Buttigieg will appoint his own deputies to oversee the agency’s $86 billion budget. These officials will be responsible for enforcing safety, equity, and efficiency in federal transportation spending.
For example, for the last four years, new safety regulations at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have been gathering dust. That’s thanks to an executive order forcing agencies to get rid of two regulations for every new one they implement. We expect Biden to revoke this order. Under a Biden administration, expect to see more safety regulations that benefit people biking and walking.
A Democratic Congress
The new Democratic majority in both houses of Congress comes at a fortuitous time for transportation policy. Every five to six years, Congress writes a long-term transportation funding bill. In 2020, CalBike and many of you supported a new federal transportation funding bill called the INVEST In America Act to set national priorities for the next six years. The bill had many bike-friendly provisions, but Congress didn’t pass the bill before the 2020 elections.
With Democratic control of the Senate, Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) will become Chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee responsible for writing the transportation bill. Politico reports that he is scrapping the old version to write a new version that will implement President Biden’s “Build Back Better” agenda.
Two newly elected Senators will be champions of bicycling. Mark Kelly of Arizona is a bike commuter. Colorado’s John Hickenlooper invested heavily in bicycling when he was governor. These changes make significant improvements on the provisions in the INVEST In America Act a real possibility.
What to look for in the 2021 transportation bill
We hope to see some of CalBike’s key priorities added to the new transportation funding bill. For example, we hope to see a bikeway network grant program that will reward cities that build safe, low-stress bikeways. Our communities need bike networks that connect destinations, even when those routes are politically challenging to develop because of parking or traffic impacts. The current bill creates this vital program, thanks to lobbying from our national partners. However, the 2020 version funds the program with a measly one-time $250 million allocation. CalBike is pressing for $500 million in annual funding over the five-year lifespan of the bill. Other national priorities now on the table include a “complete streets” requirement for all federally-funded projects and generous tax credits to businesses and individuals for bike-related expenses.
Of course, our most important work remains at the state level. But having a supportive national government will push our Governor and legislature to do even better. We will keep you posted on the progress of the 2021 transportation funding bill.
https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/US-capitol-1-scaled.jpg17062560Dave Snyderhttps://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.pngDave Snyder2021-01-13 16:33:392021-01-13 17:17:34What to Expect from Federal Support for Biking in 2021
What can you say about 2020? It has been the most challenging, excruciating, frustrating, endless year that most of us have experienced. Along the way, there have been some ridiculous fails as well as some significant steps forward toward reclaiming streets for people in 2020.
Here are CalBike’s best and worst of 2020.
Best emergency repurposing of street space for safety: Slow Streets
Note: the couple in the photo are sheltering in place together. Don’t freak out! Photo courtesy of Dave Campbell
The best antidote to sitting at home worrying about the pandemic is to get outside and get some exercise. Slow Streets turned neighborhood streets into safe zones for kids and adults to play while keeping safely socially distanced. They also served as crucial connections for essential workers to commute safely by bike. Californians rediscovered how joyful their neighborhoods could be once speeding cars were taken out of the equation, and we suspect they will not want to go back to normal.
Best emergency repurposing of street space for commerce: Parklets for outdoor dining
Why didn’t we think of this years ago? Oh yeah, we did, but business owners screamed about losing a couple of parking spaces. Outdoor dining brings life to our shared spaces, making them safer and more fun. It creates jobs and generates local tax revenue. We hope everyone gets it now: street space is far too valuable to be used for car storage next to every sidewalk.
Worst official grievance about pandemic street changes: San Francisco CEQA appeals of Slow Streets
SF Slow Streets photo by SFMTA.
San Francisco’s pro-automobile advocates, the Coalition for Adequate Review, played the role of the Grinch and Ebenezer Scrooge rolled into one. They filed to stop San Francisco’s Slow Streets until it received a thorough environmental review. Their challenges were ultimately rejected by the SF Board of Supervisors, but they tied up staff time and held up the implementation of San Francisco’s wildly successful program. Bah humbug! Fortunately, this kind of challenge won’t be possible in 2021, thanks to the next award winner.
Best emergency legislative response to avoid unnecessary delays in good transportation projects: SB 288
For the next two years, officials who want to build a bikeway, convert a traffic lane to transit-only, or construct other specific types of bike, ped, and transit infrastructure, can do so without unnecessary delays like the one that held up San Francisco’s Slow Streets. Introduced by Senator Scott Wiener, Senate Bill 288 eliminated CEQA requirements for bike plans and other transit projects, including bus lanes, and added some easy but important requirements for engagement with disadvantaged communities. This forward-thinking law will make it faster and easier to build bikeways. Yay!
Worst unofficial grievance about pandemic street changes: a grave marker for a parking space
Someone isn't happy about traffic calming accommodations for bike & ped safety. pic.twitter.com/1a0tuSipOQ
In a year when hundreds of thousands of people have died from a deadly virus, this grave marker for a San Diego parking space, removed to make the intersection safer for bikes and pedestrians, is beyond bad taste. ‘Nuff said.
Best policy initiative to address the need to rapidly change our streets: Quick-Build
Photo courtesy of Street Plans Collective.
Quick-build design wasn’t invented in 2020, but it came into its own this year. From Paris and Milan to New York and San Francisco, cities used the quick-build ethos to reallocate public space for biking and walking. The Quick-Build method brings safety to our streets quickly and affordably, while also making for more effective and equitable outreach.
Best video featuring a bike ride (musical): I Went on a Date with a Polar Bear
CalBike’s multi-talented Development Director, Jenn Guitart, spent some of her free time during the pandemic making videos of her original songs. Her music video, “I Went on a Date with a Polar Bear and this Is What Happened” is a delightful expression of Jenn’s (and CalBike’s) deepest desires for officials and the public to understand that reducing car use (and increasing bike use!) is the best response to the existential challenge of climate change.
Best video featuring a bike ride (non-musical): Joe Biden on a bike
President-elect Joe Biden enjoying a bike ride with his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, is just one of many reasons to hope that 2021 will be better than 2020.
Best new protected bikeway: Walnut Avenue in Fremont
A lot of non-COVID-related projects got put on hold in 2020. But Fremont was able to finish the Walnut Avenue Bikeway, which features a raised cycle track, a properly protected intersection, and connections to major destinations, including BART.
Honorable mention: Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica. Santa Monica stepped up in response to the pandemic and added protected bike lanes on Ocean Avenue to bridge a gap in the city’s low-stress network. Bonus points for fast action!
Worst award-winning bikeway: North Fremont protected bike lanes, Monterey
Remember the last time you were driving in your car, and the street just ended because the city didn’t have money to build a fully connected street grid? And then the public works department asked you to be patient and told you to be grateful for incremental progress, even though the road has no useful function?
Oh, wait – that NEVER happens. Yet, the City of Monterey celebrated the completion of a 4-block protected bike lane on North Fremont Street that doesn’t connect to anything. And Caltrans thought this “bike lane to nowhere” merited an Excellence in Transportation Award. Well done, everyone. Thank you for reminding us how not to build bike infrastructure.
Best new organizational mascot: Cal the Cat
Talented artist (and former CalBike Development Associate) Minnie Phan created an illustrated mascot for CalBike that has a message for every season. Say ‘hi’ to Cal the Cat. They love you!
Best local election result: Nithya Raman unseats an incumbent on the Los Angeles City Council
CalBike made an exception to its focus on statewide races to help swing a seat on L.A.’s powerful City Council. Unlike the incumbent she ousted, Nithya Raman brings a powerful progressive voice to represent her district. With her background as an urban planner and her bike-friendly bona fides, we and the many Los Angeles social justice and bike advocates that helped get her elected have high hopes that we’ll be seeing more bikeable infrastructure in L.A. soon.
Of course, Raman is only one of several bike supporters elected this November. We’re excited to work with all the new members of the California Senate and Assembly next year.
Best new transportation funding source in California: Clean Mobility Options Grants
It’s a small sum — just $20 million — but this California program is a great use of California’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. It supports underserved communities with transportation options that do not rely on the inherently inequitable strategy of support for the private automobile. The program offered its first round of grants and will be followed soon by implementation grants to support electric shuttles, bike share and scooter sharing systems.
Looking ahead: Bike share and scooter share, as currently provided, do not serve Californians who need it most. The Clean Mobility Options for Disadvantaged Communities program is a model that can lead to the provision of shared micromobility on the same terms as public transit: ubiquitous and affordable.
Worst 1950s transportation project in 2020: Bakersfield’s new highway through a razed residential neighborhood
If you thought neighborhood-killing freeway projects were a thing of the past, think again. The project directly displaced 300 homes and 120 businesses and is set to devalue and endanger thousands of residents of the currently quiet but soon-to-be imperiled neighborhood of Westpark.
Looking ahead: Caltrans officials are not unaware of the racist and inequitable impact of their highway projects. Earlier this year Director Toks Omishakin directed the entire staff to watch the documentary Divided Highways about this country’s history of using freeway projects to destroy and divide (usually Black and poor) urban communities. That gives us hope for 2021 and beyond.
Worst Caltrans project with a happy ending: rumble strips on Highways 120, 108, and 49
It’s an old story when Caltrans completes a project with no consideration for users who aren’t in vehicles. But it’s news when the agency recognizes the problem, reverses course, and corrects the problem. In 2020, Caltrans did this not once, but twice.
The first instance was a project on Highways 120, 108, and 49 in Tuolomne and Mariposa counties. The shoulders of these state routes provided safe space to ride for the area’s many bicyclists. That is, until Caltrans installed rumble strips, obliterating the bike space. In a welcome turnaround, Caltrans took riders’ complaints to heart and removed the rumble strips so that bikes can ride free again.
Honorable Mention: Highway 67 in San Diego County suffered a similar fate with rumble strips. And again, after bicycle safety advocates brought this grave error it to the agency’s attention, they fixed it.
Looking ahead: As part of our (Caltrans-funded) project to promote bike tourism in five counties in the northern San Joaquin County and Sierra foothills, we plan to develop a process for statewide adoption that will prevent these mistakes in the first place.
Best Caltrans pivot: 2020 SHOPP funding
Caltrans’ second course-correction deserves its own award.
As you know, it makes eminent sense that Caltrans includes funding for safety upgrades for bike riders and pedestrians in every repair and repavement project. At the beginning of 2020, Director Omishakin recognized the shortfalls in its proposals for 2020 SHOPP funding and in an unprecedented request, asked the California Transportation Commission to delay funding until Caltrans could identify specific improvements and reallocate $100 million for bike and pedestrian infrastructure.
Looking ahead: CalBike is working with Caltrans to be more proactive about the next SHOPP and include bike and pedestrian projects from the beginning. We hope to have more Caltrans success stories to celebrate in 2021.
Luckiest timing of a bike event around the pandemic: California Bicycle Summit
CalBike hosts the California Bicycle Summit every two years. Our last Summit was held in Los Angeles, in person (remember what that was like?), in October 2019. We are hopeful that the restrictions on gathering will be lifted by this October, and we’ll hold our 2021 Summit, as scheduled, in October, in Oakland. Mark your calendars and we’ll see you there!
Best decision by Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon
It was well known in the California Legislature that progressive transportation reform — complete streets, lower speed limits, equitable funding priorities — faced a prohibitive roadblock in the Assembly Transportation Committee. Its Chair, who enjoys inordinate power thanks to the rules of the legislature, deferred to the oil lobby and the California Highway Patrol instead of environmental groups and safety advocates. After years of complaining, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon finally did something to remove the roadblock, replacing the Chair with sustainable transportation advocate Laura Friedman. Thank you Speaker Rendon.
https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Cal-the-Cat-in-a-mask.png25186647Dave Snyderhttps://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.pngDave Snyder2020-12-28 11:37:112020-12-28 13:41:28CalBike’s Best and Worst of 2020
If you missed CalBike’s 2021 Agenda Reveal Party, you can still get in on the fun! We recorded our December 3, 2020 event. Click below to join us virtually to review our 2020 accomplishments and unveil our 2021 agenda.
Agenda Reveal highlights (with timestamps):
1:15 Welcome from Dave
3:04 Introduction of special guests
3:22 Comments from State Senator Scott Weiner
5:53 Comments from Assembly Member Elect Steve Bennett
8:38 CalBike Board Chair Cynthia Rose
9:25 Introduction of CalBike staff
11:27 Recap of CalBike’s 2020 accomplishments
11:33 CalBike’s COVID response – Jenn Guitart, CalBike Development Director
13:28 CalBike’s proposals for removing the police from traffic enforcement – Dave Snyder
15:21 Quick-Build Guide – Jenn Guitart
17:23 Community bike shops – Jared Sanchez, CalBike Senior Policy Advocate
20:23 Shasta Bike Depot – Anne Thomas, Shasta Living Streets (a sponsored project of CalBike Education Fund)
21:40 Central Valley Bikeways Project and Bakersfield Bike Share – Forest Barnes, Lead Active Transportation Planner, Central Valley, and Asha Chandy, Active Transportation Planner (Bike Bakersfield)
24:34 Bicycle Tourism in the Central Valley, the Foothills, and the Sierras – Rob Williams, CalBike & Motherlode Bike Coalition
26:55 Motherlode Bike Coalition – Carl Baker
28:51 CalBike 2021 Agenda Reveal – Dave Snyder
Get state to incentivize whole network bike improvements
Affordable bikeshare and other last-mile transport as part of public transit systems
Complete Streets work with Caltrans
Improve design guidelines in Caltrans Design Manual to create safer facilities for bikes
34:38 Decriminalizing biking and walking – Jared Sanchez
Eliminate “jaywalking” as a crime
“Idaho stop” – bikes treating stop signs as yields
39:04 E-bike rebates – Assembly Member Tasha Boerner Horvath
[42:10 – 56:30 Breakout rooms (not recorded)]
56:37 Closing
Help CalBike make its 2021 agenda a reality: Donate today!
CalBike recently spoke with two researchers who compared trends in pedestrian and bicycle fatalities among the US, the UK, Germany, and Denmark. We outlined their findings in a post about the alarming trend in US fatalities.
Our far-ranging discussion didn’t stop with the data in their new study. The researchers had lessons to share based on their cross-cultural studies in urban affairs. They also had advice on the best way to reduce fatalities in the US (reduce speeds) and where the energy to make the change needs to come from (the grassroots).
John Pucher is a professor emeritus at Rutgers University. Ralph Buehler is a professor and the chair of Urban Affairs and Planning at Virginia Tech. Both specialize in urban transportation, and much of their research focuses on international comparisons, like their latest study. Buehler is a native of Germany, and Pucher has lived in Europe.
Citizens demand safer streets
European cities weren’t always the bicycling havens that many of them are now. “I would emphasize that many of the cities were completely destroyed during WWII,” Pucher said. “It was an explicit decision to build them back in the old pattern.”
Many European cities initially emulated the US model, building wider roads where cars could drive faster and littering their cities with parking lots. Air quality suffered, traffic fatalities rose, and parking lots ate up land in short supply in dense and compact cities. “Following the American model was a disaster,” Pucher said. “They were ruining their cities.”
Beginning around 1975, a mostly grassroots movement took back streets in big cities and small towns across Europe as “one neighborhood after another demanded traffic calming,” according to Pucher.
As a result, the majority of streets in Vienna are traffic-calmed. About 75% of all Dutch streets are calmed, and that country voted to enact a nationwide 30 kph (18.5 mph) speed limit. (The prior limit was 50 kph or about 30 mph.) Cities will have to petition for permission for higher speed limits.
The case for creating European-style infrastructure in the US
But can it work here? Is it possible to overcome resistance from NIMBYs predicting carmaggedon if communities remove even one lane of traffic to make room for safe biking? Buehler and Pucher think so. (Plus, the concept of America’s “love affair with cars” was created by an ad agency and may be a myth, according to a recent episode of The War on Cars podcast.)
Buehler recounted a presentation he gave about US bikeways to a European audience. The group thought it should be much easier to put in bikeways in the US because our roads are very wide. It’s more of a challenge on the narrow roadways in European communities. He pointed out that 40% of US trips are 2 miles or less, so biking is a reasonable choice for everyday transport.
“What it comes down to is a political willingness at all levels of government to make pedestrian and cyclist safety a priority,” Buehler said, instead of a “second thought.”
“There’s a lot more focus on moving cars,” he said. “The measures [to create bike- and walk-friendly streets] are there. They are known.” The missing ingredient is the political will to implement them.
Finding the political will to make a change
One way to help build that political will is to reframe the discussion. Decisions about the allocation of street space in the US are often treated as a zero-sum game where someone has to lose, and the “windshield” contingent sees sharing as a threat to freedom. The truth, according to Buehler and Pucher, is that Americans suffer from a lack of choice.
“In many places, you have to drive – otherwise, you are kind of an outlaw,” Buehler said. “What we have to build is a safe system but also a system that gives you choices.”
In European cities, some people drive cars, but it is not their only option. With enough grassroots pressure, we can bring transportation choices to California and the US as a whole. Imagine communities where taking transit, biking, walking, or driving a car were all safe and viable options for people to get where they needed to go.
CalBike believes in this vision. We’re working with Caltrans to reorient the car-centric agency to focus on slower, more livable streets that are safe and comfortable for all users. In 2020, we helped pass a law that will make it cheaper and easier for California communities to build bike lanes. We created a Quick-Build Guide to provide tools for making streets safer with minimal cost and time. Next year, we’ll work to get subsidies for e-bikes, which are a great way to replace car trips, as part of an ambitious agenda to make it easier and safer to bike and walk and to mitigate climate change by transitioning California from its car-dependence.
Putting the “zero” in Vision Zero: a recipe for safer streets
Pucher noted that the built environment is not the biggest obstacle to safe streets. He likes to highlight the fact that kids are the primary victims of fast traffic in our neighborhoods. By letting motor vehicles zoom through residential areas, we are “stealing space from kids.” We have a choice to make: our kids or our cars. “You have to put it in those dramatic terms,” he said.
“There are so many policy levers at the local level that ultimately determine how attractive a cycling environment you have,” Buehler said. “There are many decisions that local planners and policymakers make that determine the attractiveness of walking and bicycling.” However, he said, “If you reduce the speed, you can avoid many crashes.”
“Push for real change. Just because the governor or somebody announces Vision Zero doesn’t mean we are heading for Vision Zero,” Buehler said. “Just getting something into a policy document isn’t enough.”
Pucher noted that studies show that traffic calming more than anything else reduces traffic injuries and fatalities. Reduced speed limits have to be enforced through widespread speed cameras and red light cameras.
CalBike’s work to make safer streets a reality
California law needs to change to make these critical changes possible. Right now, a regressive law prohibits communities from setting a speed limit lower than the “85th percentile speed.” This method sets speed limits according to the (often irresponsible) behavior of drivers, not the needs of the community.
The Zero Traffic Fatalities Task Force, of which CalBike was a member, focused on reducing vehicle speeds. It found that the 85th percentile method of setting speed limits is problematic. It doesn’t allow enough flexibility to set lower limits to protect vulnerable road users. This method can also lead to speed creep, forcing jurisdictions to raise speed limits based solely on driver behavior, not road safety. In its final report, the task force recommended making it easier to set lower speed limits in areas with vulnerable road users or high rates of injuries. It recommended studying a change in California’s speed setting methodology. However, the task force didn’t take up CalBike’s recommendation to create 20 mph zones on neighborhood Slow Streets. There is still much more work to be done. CalBike will continue to look for ways to change California’s retrograde speed laws.
Speed cameras are another innovation that would save lives while reducing the role of police in traffic enforcement. Currently, California prohibits the use of speed cameras for traffic enforcement. CalBike supports speed cameras as a more effective and also more equitable way to keep our streets safe.
https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/bike-rider-in-Europe-cropped-scaled.jpg22612560Laura McCamyhttps://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.pngLaura McCamy2020-11-30 18:51:552021-01-13 19:03:02What Can California Learn about Traffic Safety from Europe?
If you’re experiencing cabin fever right now, you’re not alone. While travel options are restricted by the pandemic, there’s one way to get away, experience California, and stay COVID-safe: bicycle tourism. California’s Central Valley and Sierras have great bike rides that will give you a welcome break from daily life. Visit bikevalleytosierra.com for more on CalBike’s project to connect you with great bicycle tourism opportunities.
We will periodically repost information from our bicycle tourism website. Below are suggestions for great bike rides in and around Valley Springs, in the Sierras.
Ride, Explore, and Dine in Valley Springs
Great Bike Rides to Support Arts Education
Each spring Valley Springs holds an arts education fundraiser for Calaveras County K-12 public schools. See https://www.rideandwalk4art.com/ The three route options are available on this website, 25, 45, and 75. The routes start at Hogan Dam and wind around the Tri-Dam Lakes.
Hogan Dam Cameron Trail, New Hogan Lake
A multi-use trail starts at a small parking area north of the park headquarters. From there it travels above the water on crushed gravel and a number of interconnecting sections of road. The wide trail provides easy access to the Wrinkle Cove area, Fiddleneck area, Acorn Campground, and Oak Knoll Campground, and eventually ends at the Coyote Point Trail just north of Coyote Point. There’s intermittent to no shade so hike or bike either in the early mornings. Acorn Campground to Observation Point is a must family ride. No traffic road. Rides 4, 8, 10, miles.
Wrinkle Cove to Lime Creek, Valley Springs
Five miles out and back to practice road bike riding skills. The road is mostly flat with several short rolling hills. Light traffic, watch for deer during fall and summer. Parking at Wrinkle Cove
Sheldon Road, West of Valley Springs
My favorite ten-mile flat road and with expansive views of Sierras. My wife and I used this road to practice and prepare for bike tours in Europe and Asia. Parking is along fence lines just off Highway 26. Turn around at Escalon Belotta Road
Berkesey Lane, Rancho Calaveras
Absolutely the best two-mile road to learn how to ride a bike. This is my go-to bike road to teach grandchildren to ride a bike. Parking at either end of the road.
Gwin Mine Road, Paloma
A three-mile downhill ride to Middle Bar Road and a hilly bike ride back. This is a good ride for e-bikes.
South Hogan Road, Hogan Dam Reservoir
Below the Hogan Dam and across Calaveras River is a six-mile out and back rolling quiet rural road. The hill climbs out are challenging but, the ride back is much easier. There is very little traffic and beautiful views of Sierras.
Salt Springs and Hunt Road, Milton
The Salt Spring loop is as well known as any bike ride in the foothills partly or maybe mostly due to its use for the Copperopolis Road Race in the early spring. It’s a lovely ride with varied terrain, great scenery, and very little traffic, but the pavement is very rough. If you can set yourself up with 28C (1 1/8″) or wider tires, you’ll be fine. With 23C road tires, you may feel a bit beat up afterward.
Parking after Salt Springs Reservoir, along the road.
https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/redwood_rider_climate_ride.jpg426640Dave Snyderhttps://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.pngDave Snyder2020-11-30 16:45:572020-11-30 16:45:57Great Bike Rides in the Sierras
