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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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/thumb-scaled.jpg 1703 2560 Kevin Claxton https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.png Kevin Claxton2019-08-30 16:00:262019-08-30 17:42:48Tell Your Assembly Member to Vote YES on SB 127 for Complete Streets

Summit Plenary to Examine the New Urban Mobility

August 27, 2019/by Kevin Claxton

The “new urban mobility” — shared and networked cars and bikes and scooters and whatever’s next — promises to eliminate the need for private cars and bring about a more sustainable transportation future. But the reality is far from that promise. Thanks to heavy subsidies by their venture capital owners, Lyft and Uber’s cheap car trips have poached passengers from public transit while adding to congestion. Their drivers endanger people on bikes who have to dodge their cars in the bike lanes and along the curb. People who can’t afford Lyft and Uber — and in our racialized economy, that means disproportionately people of color — are stuck with worse options than before. Typical.

Bike- and scooter-share systems are a better option. Where they exist, their users more closely reflect the population of their community than those who hail Lyft and Uber cars. But those systems can be expensive (except where they are subsidized in rich communities like the Bay Area). These systems will get more expensive as the companies are pressured to show profitability. In addition, they’re not integrated with public transit, they are poorly regulated, and scooters can block sidewalks dangerously impeding people with disabilities. Because they must eventually turn a profit, these shared mobility options are exclusive to privileged communities where the companies can make money. This leaves large but disadvantaged cities in California’s Central Valley completely abandoned. Again… typical.

It doesn’t have to be this way. We at CalBike see great potential in this new mobility paradigm. Integrated with public transit and supported by public funds, shared bikes and scooters could replace most short car trips. A user should be able to transfer from a bus or scooter with their transit pass without paying an extra fare. Fares should be progressive across the whole system, with discounts for low-income people just as there are discounts for seniors and youth on many transit systems. Bikes and scooters should be deployed where they’re needed, not just where they are profitable. Thinking even bigger, trips in shared cars could complement public transit if deployed strategically and integrated in this same manner.

This public-centered vision does not have to shut out the private companies like Lyft, Uber, Bird, Spin, Lime, etc. Properly regulated, these companies could make a reasonable profit while providing good jobs at good wages and equitable transportation service that emphasizes efficient and healthy mobility, i.e. biking and walking. 

What would these regulations be? Are rule-breaking startups even interested? If these companies are compelled to emphasize biking and walking, will they — and their customers — become allies in our struggle to reclaim street space for bikes, scooters, and walking? Why did Lyft and Uber buy bike share companies? What does Uber do with the fact that, in central Sacramento, they saw more trips on their Jump bikes than in their Uber cars?!

These are the questions we’ll address at the California Bicycle Summit this October in our Wednesday morning plenary, The New Urban Mobility. 

The plenary will feature representatives from the companies providing this service including Lyft and Uber and the community organizations dealing with the impacts. 

Registration is open for the Summit. Register today to join the discussion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/44006449071_58830a130d_z.jpg 427 640 Kevin Claxton https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.png Kevin Claxton2019-08-27 08:00:392019-08-27 14:04:40Summit Plenary to Examine the New Urban Mobility

CALPIRG Report Identifies California Highway Boondoggles

July 3, 2019/by Laura McCamy

Last week, CALPIRG released its annual Highway Boondoggles report. The report details the way our nation’s policymakers continue to prioritize major highway expansion projects, while failing to spend the money needed to repair our crumbling infrastructure.  

“[Y]ear after year, state and local governments propose billions of dollars’ worth of new and expanded highways that often do little to reduce congestion or address real transportation challenges, while diverting scarce funding from infrastructure repairs and key transportation priorities.”

 – CALPIRG Highway Boondoggles 5, 2019

The biggest California boondoggle highlighted in this report is the High Desert Freeway in Los Angeles County. The High Desert Freeway will connect Lancaster in eastern LA County with Apple Valley in San Bernardino County, encouraging more suburban sprawl and more car-dependent communities. It is slated to cost $8 billion. 

Imagine how much could be achieved by putting that $8 billion toward expanding and upgrading transit options for Los Angeles. Or repairing crumbling city streets while adding protected bike lanes.

At a time when California needs to put all its resources and ingenuity into creating a carbon-free future, new highway construction puts this progress in reverse. There is no environmental argument for freeway construction. CalBike will be keeping a close eye on this ill-advised freeway project as it moves forward. We plan to fight hard to make California’s top priority equitable and environmentally sound transportation options.

CalBike continues to hold state leaders accountable to the priorities of reduced greenhouse gases and clean air, so we can build truly healthy communities. We believe that our state’s highway expansions are expensive, increase the state’s debt, don’t solve congestion, and of course damage our environment and the communities where we all live. Historically, big freeway projects cause the most damage in low-income communities of color, which are also disproportionately impacted by increased driving.

CalBike will lead a new campaign in the coming months that analyzes where the State of California is misusing our transportation funds on new highway expansion. This misdirection of funds keeps California from meeting state goals that have been recently identified, and which we’re far behind in achieving. Your voice will be instrumental to this work, so please stay tuned for more information.

https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/I-80_congestion-NB_news_release_crop.jpg 630 1200 Laura McCamy https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.png Laura McCamy2019-07-03 14:23:442019-07-03 14:34:37CALPIRG Report Identifies California Highway Boondoggles

Transportation and Housing Groups Demand Equitable and Interconnected Funding

June 11, 2019/by Jared Sanchez

California’s housing crisis is in the news a lot. But California has another crisis that gets much less coverage than it deserves: the disconnect between transportation funding equity and housing production. We need infill housing near transportation hubs. And we also need transportation that better serves the low-income communities that rely on it the most. We need both to be connected. As the state moves to link funds for transportation to housing performance, California needs to address both silos and ensure that equitable and integrated funding is available to the communities that need it the most.

CalBike has joined with a coalition of NGOs that work on housing and transportation issues to send a letter to Governor Newsom about his housing and transportation proposal. The letter outlines principles for equitable funding for our state’s transportation and housing justice goals, and addresses the ways the two sectors are linked.

The letter highlights the principle that our housing goals should not be defined by production numbers alone; California housing goals must also align with the state’s goals for climate, health, and equity. We must address our need for more housing in tandem with our sustainable and equitable transportation goals.

Principles for Housing and Transportation Funding Equity

The principles laid out in the letter to address how to use transportation funding to further housing goals include:

  • Prioritize the needs of low income households
  • Build new housing near existing jobs, transit, or other infrastructure in both rural and urban areas.​
  • Couple infill investments with inclusionary and anti-displacement protections.
  • Tailor strategies to meet the unique needs of different geographies, including rural communities.
  • Do not condition transit and active transportation dollars.​

CalBike is committed to the fight for transportation justice and housing justice. We will continue to work with our coalition partners, including ClimatePlan, NRDC, California Walks, Western Center on Law and Poverty, Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability, and the Safe Routes Partnership, to bring funding equity to the connected issues of transportation and housing for all Californians.

In the coming months, we will work together, as a coalition, to hold discussions with Gov. Newsom’s key leadership on this crucial issue.

Read the full guiding principles for transportation funding equity connected to housing.

https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/apartment-architectural-design-architecture-144632.jpg 1080 1920 Jared Sanchez https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.png Jared Sanchez2019-06-11 15:29:072019-06-11 15:30:14Transportation and Housing Groups Demand Equitable and Interconnected Funding

CalBike Succeeds in Getting E-bike Vouchers through the Senate

May 21, 2019/by Laura McCamy

CalBike’s e-bike and bikeshare mobility bill (SB 400, Umberg) cleared the Senate with a unanimous vote yesterday. This bill will add vouchers for e-bike and bikeshare memberships to the mobility options in a state program that provides incentives for low-income Californians to trade in polluting vehicles for clean transportation. If CalBike succeeds in getting this bill passed, it will represent a big step forward in recognizing e-bikes and bikeshare as important transportation options.

The unanimous Senate vote is CalBike’s second victory in two weeks. It shows the broad base of support for e-bikes and bikeshare as transportation choices in California. Thank you to all the CalBike members and supporters who called your state senator ahead of this vote to urge them to support this important bill.

There is more work ahead, however. We still need to get the e-bike and bikeshare mobility bill through the Assembly. After that, we need to make sure Governor Newsom signs it into law. Stay tuned for more opportunities to support clean transportation for all Californians.

 

https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/e-bike-single-man-cropped.jpg 200 544 Laura McCamy https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.png Laura McCamy2019-05-21 11:29:132019-05-21 11:29:13CalBike Succeeds in Getting E-bike Vouchers through the Senate

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/YUBA_Boda_V3_Europe_02_hires-1.jpg 1280 1920 Laura McCamy https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.png Laura McCamy2019-05-14 17:39:022019-05-16 15:18:29CalBike Moves Bike-Friendly Bills Forward in Sacramento

E-Bike Vouchers Advance in the Senate

April 26, 2019/by Laura McCamy

California residents are one step closer to being able to trade in their old polluting car for a brand new electric bicycle, thanks to the advancement of SB 400 in the California Senate.

The E-Bikes for Mobility Bill, SB 400 (Umberg), expands the definition of ‘mobility options’ in the Clean Vehicles for All program which provides vouchers to low income residents who trade in inefficient cars. The vouchers, issued by a number of regional Air Districts across the state, are good for electric, hybrid, and plug-in cars and “mobility options” like car-sharing memberships or transit passes. The new definition of mobility options will include bike sharing and electric bicycle purchases.

Assistant Director of UC Institute of Transportation Studies Laura Podolsky gave expert testimony at Tuesday’s hearing to the power of e-bikes to get people to switch from car to bike travel. A recent UC Davis policy brief reported on the effectiveness of European e-bike purchase incentive programs. As many as 50% of trips by electric bicycle would have been car trips, if the rider hadn’t had access to a pedal assist bike.

This bill, authored by Senator Tom Umberg (D-Santa Ana), has passed the Environmental Quality Committee and was just voted out of the Transportation Committee on a unanimous vote. This amendment to the Health and Safety code still has several steps to go before it becomes law, but given the early enthusiasm and support,  we are optimistic about its chances in this legislative session.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/YUBA_Spicy-Curry_Bosch_09_lores.jpg 246 329 Laura McCamy https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.png Laura McCamy2019-04-26 18:07:212019-05-01 15:31:25E-Bike Vouchers Advance in the Senate

Where We Live and How We Get There; Legislation Linking Transportation and Housing Taking Shape

March 28, 2019/by Kevin Claxton
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https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/championA.jpg 512 1024 Kevin Claxton https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.png Kevin Claxton2019-03-28 14:27:332019-05-24 11:38:58Where We Live and How We Get There; Legislation Linking Transportation and Housing Taking Shape

Los Angeles Announced as 2019 California Bicycle Summit Location; Request for Proposals, Early Bird Tickets Now Open

March 28, 2019/by Kevin Claxton

Although it’s only April, it’s already clear that conversations around bikes and biking are more connected than ever to intersecting issues like transportation justice, climate change, bicycle infrastructure, shared mobility, and the connections between transportation policy and California’s housing crisis, and continue to shape policy, activism, and innovation. As the California Bicycle Coalition celebrates our 25th year, we couldn’t be more excited to bring activists, educators, advocates, elected officials, and industry leaders together to talk about these intersections for 3 days and nights of workshops, rides, plenaries, and more at the 2019 California Bicycle Summit in Los Angeles.

Early-bird ticket sales are now open, and the deadline to apply for the steep discounts we’re working with our sponsors to offer is Friday, May 31st-just around the corner! CalBike wants everyone to be able to come to the 2019 California Bicycle Summit; we’ve set aside the largest number of tickets and transportation and housing stipends ever, and we’re committed to financing as many applications as we can. Apply for a scholarship here.
Our steering committee is developing an amazing set of speakers, but our advocate, organizer, academic, and industry friends and their breadth of perspective and expertise are what makes the California Bicycle Summit the state’s biggest and most engaging ‘bikes and beyond’ event; our Request for Proposals for workshops, rides, demonstrations, or presentations is open, and we can’t wait to hear from you; submit proposals here or reach out to Communications or Info for more details. We need help spreading the word! If you know an individual, organization, coalition, or leader with a great project, tool, story, or innovative idea California needs to know about, please share our Request for Proposals page to help make this year’s summit the best ever.
https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/quicksummitfbeventcover-e1554238453138.jpg 220 584 Kevin Claxton https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.png Kevin Claxton2019-03-28 14:26:212019-04-11 07:57:53Los Angeles Announced as 2019 California Bicycle Summit Location; Request for Proposals, Early Bird Tickets Now Open

Envisioning the Future of Transportation Advocacy; Mobility Justice Lab Series

February 21, 2019/by Kevin Claxton

 

Almost a year after the first BIPOC Mobility Justice Lab in Los Angeles, CalBike co-organized a second gathering in January of stakeholders, advocates, and representatives of a broad group of Los Angeles-area community organizations to provide the opportunity and space for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color to collaborate on local and state transportation and mobility justice issues. This time led by People for Mobility Justice, the convening  focused on relationship-building, power-building trainings and exercises, and strategizing around statewide and Los Angeles specific policy and programming possibilities: thinking beyond policing, disability justice, and government fiduciary responsibility.

The ongoing BIPOC Lab events implement two important and related parts of our strategic plan: prioritizing marginalized communities in transportation spending and policy decisions, and strengthening the power of the transportation justice movement. Ultimately, our success in Sacramento—to advocate for equitable, inclusive, and prosperous communities in which safe and healthy biking can be a key element—is dependent on the influence and power of local organizations and movements that can apply pressure from below to hold our state decision makers accountable. It was clear this time around local organizations, advocates, and activists have continued their work and built on their experiences at our last meeting and are considerably more prepared to tackle mobility injustices, at both the state-level and in the ongoing local struggles that are not just unique to Los Angeles but also align with many local struggles across the state.

What sets these BIPOC labs apart from other transportation advocacy convenings are the laboratories’ hyper focus on the way that forms of race, gender, and sexual exclusions are embedded features of our statewide mobility systems. The framework for these discussions and strategy sessions is rooted in both historical and present manifestations of colonialism and white supremacy that highlights particular forms of Indigenous and Black dispossession of land and resources. This bold frame opens up new opportunities to engage with and center government policy for historically discriminated groups while directly integrating the lived experiences of our state’s most marginalized residents.

We look forward to these transformative strategic meetings, ongoing and stronger partnerships, and substantive action in the months ahead!

https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/quicklabred-1.jpg 628 1200 Kevin Claxton https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.png Kevin Claxton2019-02-21 17:50:002019-02-22 18:38:14Envisioning the Future of Transportation Advocacy; Mobility Justice Lab Series
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  • California highway boondoggles
    California’s Budget Prioritizes Freeway Expansion Over Safe StreetsJune 9, 2025 - 5:00 pm
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