Not every bicycle project begins, or ends, with a bill.
This year, while much attention will be directed to the legislature and the legislative process advocating (and opposing) bills, CalBike will also be busy advocating at the administrative level. CalBike works through this equally important side door, pushing state agencies to act on existing law and deliver bicycle projects that are already within their power to build right now.
In 2025, we attempted to pass two bike-focused bills: the Bike Highways Bill, AB 954 (Bennett), and the Quick-Build Bill, AB 891 (Zbur). While they passed the assembly, ultimately we did not get these bills past the full legislature and governor’s desk. For CalBike, that’s not where advocacy ends. In 2026, the work continues through less visible channels: digging into statute, engaging agencies, and pushing for implementation that doesn’t require waiting on new laws.
The state assembly has given a clear and unambiguous signal to Caltrans by passing both of our bills: the people of California demand safer streets and greater mode shift choices, but our agencies are not moving quickly enough.
Bike highways: the law that already exists
Within the California Streets and Highways Code (SHC), Caltrans is already tasked with implementing bike highways. A 30-year-old code section, SHC 888.2, states that the agency must “incorporate nonmotorized transportation facilities in the design of freeways on the state highway system along corridors where nonmotorized facilities do not exist.” Additionally, the agency must establish “an annual priority list of projects to be funded pursuant to this section, which shall primarily benefit bicyclists rather than other highway users.” Taken together, these requirements form a clear standard for compliance, which Caltrans has been less than transparent on.
Through our connections at Caltrans, the California Transportation Commission, and throughout state bureaucracy, we seek to learn more about how Caltrans is conforming to this law, what sort of progress has been made, and how it factors into their planning and implementation processes.
Quick-Build: follow the program, follow the outcomes
Caltrans already operates a version of the quick-build approach through its Highway Maintenance Safety (HM-4 Safety) Pilot Program, a roughly $48 million-per-year effort designed to deliver short-lead, quick-turnaround safety improvements on state highways. According to Caltrans’ own fact sheet, the program funds projects that can be initiated and completed within a single fiscal year, with minimal environmental or right-of-way delays, and has exceeded its two-year targets for pedestrian safety and other countermeasures. CalBike seeks to determine the efficacy of the pilot and how well it’s serving our most vulnerable road users, people walking and biking.
What remains unclear, and what CalBike will uncover in 2026, is how these quick-build investments are selected, where they are deployed, and whether they are meaningfully improving safety for people walking and biking on the state highway system.
Matching Policy to Proposals
The California State Transportation Agency, which sits atop all transportation departments including the California Transportation Commission and Caltrans, publicly set a standard for itself in October 2025, with Secretary Toks Omishakin stating that recent investments demonstrate “California’s strong commitment to creating a modern, resilient transportation system that enhances local streets and strengthens connections between neighborhoods, job centers and schools…” He further commented, “we are building a safer, more connected and future-ready transportation network that serves all Californians.” (https://dot.ca.gov/caltrans-near-me/district-1/d1-news/d1-news-release-2025-10-20).
CalBike shares these goals and will be tracking whether the agency’s actions match its words.
Meeting this commitment will demand more than statements and funding announcements. It requires transparency about what’s being built, accountability for what isn’t, and measurable results for the people most at risk on our streets.
