Help make sure the new money is spent wisely.

After months of negotiations with the Governor’s office, CalBike’s campaign for #betterbikeways is on the verge of celebrating a big victory for bike/ped funding. If the Legislature approves it next month, the newly created Active Transportation Program (ATP) increases funding from about $90 million to about $124 million.

The new program is undefined, however, so we need your help in making sure that the increased funding — still a palty amount compared to the approximately $12 billion total state transportation budget — is spent most effectively. Initial conversations are promising, but your letter to the Secretary of Transportation Brian Kelly will be very helpful.

With the support of UC-Davis researcher Natalie Popovich and the concurrence of the state’s bicycle advocacy organizations, the California Bicycle Coalition has released a detailed policy paper calling for an $8 billion investment in bicycle infrastructure in order to triple the rate of bicycling in the state. The ATP is a good, small, first step toward that goal, and should be approved by the Legislature, but only if it:

• Sets a specific goal of doubling cycling in five years and requires a report to the Legislature in three years on how the program is progressing toward that goal;
• Provides some large grants of $25-$50 million to incentivize the significant community-wide investments in whole networks of protected bikeways (the cornerstone of our #betterbikeways campaign) necessary to make bicycling accessible to most Californians;
• Includes the California Bicycle Coalition and other stakeholders in the development of the program to disperse the Active Transportation Program funds;
• Includes a mechanism to grow to at least $300 million right away, and more later.
• Continues to support the kinds of projects and attract the kinds of constituencies currently supported by the Safe Routes to School Program and the Bicycle Transportation Account.
• Provides funding for staff at the California Transportation Commission to manage the program effectively