Press Release: Preserving Bikeways Bill, SB 569 Passes Assembly Transportation Committee

Preserving Bikeways Bill, SB 569 Passes Assembly Transportation Committee

CalBike-sponsored legislation protects state investments in safe bicycling infrastructure.

SACRAMENTO — The California Bicycle Coalition today applauded the Assembly Transportation Committee’s passage of SB 569, authored by Senator Catherine S. Blakespear and sponsored by CalBike. SB 569, the Preserving Safe Bikeways bill, establishes a public process before a local agency removes or weakens an existing bikeway. 

By advancing SB 569, the Assembly Transportation Committee recognized that removing a bikeway is a serious decision with real consequences for public safety. The bill now moves to the Assembly Floor after passing the committee by a vote of 13-2.

“Communities spend years planning, funding, approving, and building bikeways. SB 569 makes sure those safety investments cannot be removed hastily, quietly, or without a clear look at the consequences for people biking, walking, and rolling.”
– Kendra Ramsey, Executive Director of CalBike.

Across California, communities are investing in bikeways, traffic calming, safer crossings, and connected routes that help people travel with more confidence. But in too many places, that progress has proven fragile. A bikeway can take years to plan and build, only to face sudden removal after political backlash, changes in leadership, or pressure from a small group of opponents.

SB 569 does not prevent local agencies from changing a street design. It simply requires a thoughtful, transparent process before an existing bikeway is removed or reduced. The bill protects public investment in bike infrastructure by requiring a bikeway built with state General Fund dollars remain in place for 20 years; should a local agency wish to remove or revise the facility, a public process must take place and the safety and mobility of non-motorized users must be maintained. 

SB 569 would require local agencies to:

• Require bikeways constructed with state General Fund dollars to be maintained for 20 years from allocation, unless a removal or revision maintains vulnerable road user safety, mobility, and accessibility.
• Provide a public comment period before a bikeway is removed or reduced.

Bikeways are public safety infrastructure. They help reduce conflict on streets, give families more transportation choices, and make it possible for more Californians to bike for everyday trips. Preserving that infrastructure is especially important as California works to reduce traffic violence, improve access to clean transportation, and make better use of public transportation investments.

“Safe streets should not disappear in the dark,” Ramsey said. “If a city believes a bikeway needs to be changed, the public deserves to understand why, and decision-makers should have to consider what that change means for safety. SB 569 creates a transparent process for those conversations and protects state investment.”