When the pandemic hit, the need for more bikeways and pedestrian-friendly streets became obvious. Many cities used quick-build techniques to create safe, high-visibility facilities to protect people who get around by active transportation. CalBike partnered with Alta Planning + Design to create a Quick-Build Guide, which we still offer as a free download. 

In our recent interview with Wes Marshall, author of the excellent book, Killed by a Traffic Engineer, he said that quick-build is ideal because it allows traffic engineers to do the kind of iterative design that engineers always do in other fields. Yet, too many traffic engineers are scared to try anything new, even if it will increase safety. They remain wedded to the MUTCD and other manuals with outdated, car-centric, and — as Marshall details in his book — often incorrect ideas about safe road design.

An excellent way to show California transportation planners that it’s okay to quickly add safety features for people riding bikes or walking is to have the state’s own engineers use quick-build design. That’s what the Quicker and Better Bikeways Bill, AB 2290, aims to do.

OmniBike Bill Part 2

Last year, Assemblymember Laura Friedman authored the Omnibike Bill, AB 1909, which made several changes to California’s Vehicle Code to make it more bike- and pedestrian-friendly. This year, CalBike is sponsoring Friedman’s Quicker and Better Bikeways Bill, which also makes multiple changes in state policy to better serve people using active transportation.

In addition to authorizing a quick-build pilot at Caltrans, AB 2290 limits state funding for Class III bikeways, except on streets with speed limits of 25 mph or less. Class III are shared lanes with bicycles and cars, often marked with sharrows or Share the Road signage. This bikeway type can be effective on low-speed streets, especially those designated as bike boulevards with traffic calming features or traffic diversion. However, they can become a design cop-out when road builders don’t want to take the time and effort to find space for a protected bikeway on fast or heavily trafficked streets.

The third provision of the Quicker and Better Bikeways Bill requires projects funded by the Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Program to include bikeways planned for that roadway and included in an adopted bicycle or active transportation plan. In CalBike’s review of Caltrans planning documents, we find that the agency often notes planned bike routes or pedestrian safety improvements, sometimes with a high level of need, but still fails to include them in its projects.

Help us win quicker, better bikeways

The Quicker and Better Bikeways Bill has passed the Assembly. Before it can become law, it needs to get out of the Senate Appropriations Committee, pass the full Senate, and be signed by the governor. None of these steps is certain, but the Appropriations Committee may be the biggest risk. Good bills can easily get killed in this committee with little explanation or debate.

Help get this crucial bill over the finish line. Please email Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Anna Caballero today.