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Tag Archive for: Active Transportation Program

California’s Transportation Spending Has the Wrong Priorities

May 14, 2025/by Jared Sanchez

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Jared Sanchez, jared@calbike.org, 714-262-0921

Sacramento — CalBike is disappointed to see no increase in funding for active transportation in Governor Gavin Newsom’s May revise. As it has become clear there will be no leadership from Washington on climate change, active transportation, and safe streets, it’s more imperative that California step up and work toward its goals on climate and safety.

Last year’s budget stripped $400 million from California’s highly effective Active Transportation Program (ATP), which funds biking and walking infrastructure around the state. The deep cut left this essential program crippled. It was only able to hand out 13 grants in the most recent cycle, leaving many shovel-ready safe streets projects in limbo, waiting for funding.

“Active transportation projects give us the biggest bang for our buck,” said CalBike Policy Director Jared Sanchez. “Yet the governor consistently cuts sustainable transportation while leaving funding for our unsustainable legacy transportation systems untouched.”

Four hundred million dollars might build a few miles of highway, but it goes a long way for active transportation infrastructure. Restoring that money to the ATP could greenlight two dozen critical projects to build safe bikeways, intersections, paths, and more.

CalBike calls on the legislature to step up where the governor has not and restore the $400 million taken from the ATP. It’s time to stop throwing money at expensive highway boondoggles that worsen the climate crisis and invest in a transportation system that will carry California into the future, which includes active transportation as a key component.

https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/California_State_Capitol_in_Sacramento.jpg 1000 1500 Jared Sanchez https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.png Jared Sanchez2025-05-14 14:26:202025-05-14 14:26:20California’s Transportation Spending Has the Wrong Priorities

California Legislators Stand Up for the Active Transportation Program

March 18, 2025/by Jared Sanchez

The Active Transportation Program (ATP) provides one of the only statewide funding sources dedicated to biking and walking infrastructure projects. It is chronically underfunded, receiving far more excellent applications than it can greenlight, and recent cuts have made the situation even more dire. 

Now, 13 senators and assemblymembers have signed on to a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, and Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, who chairs the Assembly Budget Committee. They are throwing their support behind the campaign to restore $400 million taken from the ATP in 2024.

Deep cuts to bike infrastructure

The ATP was targeted for cuts by the governor in the past two tight fiscal years. In 2023, legislators were able to restore funding for this program, which is one of California’s most equity-focused transportation programs and also one that reduces greenhouse gas emissions by making biking, walking, and taking transit safer and more appealing. 

In 2024, legislators were only able to restore $200 million of the $600 million originally cut from the program. That allowed Cycle 7 of ATP grants to move forward, but the reduced funds meant that only 13 projects got funding, and local communities are rethinking their reliance on the ATP.

A demand to restore funding

Last year’s budget deal between the governor and the legislature called for restoring the $400 million cut from the ATP if future funds became available. CalBike and our allies have campaigned for the restoration of those funds, and that’s exactly what the letter signed by these legislators asks for. They note that $400 million could fund an additional 36 high-scoring projects from the ATP’s Cycle 7.

It’s rare for legislators to go on the record with a demand like this, and we commend them for supporting active transportation. If any of these legislators represents you, please send them a message thanking them.

Catherine Blakespear, Senate District 38

Damon Connolly, Assembly District 12

Mike Fong, Assembly District 49

Mark Gonzalez, Assembly District 54

Mike Gipson, Assembly District 65

John Laird, Senate District 17

Liz Ortega, Assembly District 20

Blanca Pacheco, Assembly District 64

Nick Schultz, Assembly District 44

José Solache, Assembly District 62

Esmeralda Soria, Assembly District 27

Tom Umberg, Senate District 34

Chris Ward, Assembly District 78

Budget Request Letter ATPDownload
https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/QB-3.jpg 256 768 Jared Sanchez https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.png Jared Sanchez2025-03-18 15:20:212025-03-18 16:53:43California Legislators Stand Up for the Active Transportation Program

California’s Transportation Budget Must Prioritize Green Transportation

January 10, 2025/by Jared Sanchez

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Jared Sanchez, jared@calbike.org, (714)262-0921

CalBike: California’s Transportation Budget Must Prioritize Green Transportation

Sacramento — CalBike applauds Governor Gavin Newsom for leaving funding intact for the Active Transportation Program (ATP) in his proposed budget, after two years of steep cuts. The ATP is the state’s only dedicated funding source for infrastructure that supports biking, walking, and public transit. 

However, the governor’s budget doesn’t go far enough and preserves backward-facing investments that bake in decades of warmer temperatures and climate catastrophes. To have a realistic chance of mitigating the multiple disasters California faces due to climate chaos, we must stop investing in old ways of moving goods and people and reimagine our transportation systems.

The last budget cut two-thirds of the ATP budget, giving the California Transportation Commission(CTC) only enough funding to approve the top 13 projects out of dozens of worthy applications for grants. This budget should restore the $400 million taken from the ATP, allowing CTC to greenlight more green transportation infrastructure projects.

But that isn’t enough. The ATP is chronically underfunded, slowing the pace of California’s transition to a state that prioritizes safe passage for people using low- and no-carbon transportation options. CalBike is asking the legislature to double ATP funding going forward.

“The Active Transportation Program represents a tiny fraction of California’s transportation expenditures, yet it delivers powerful benefits for climate change mitigation,” says Jared Sanchez, CalBike’s policy director. “You can build a bike lane, upgrade a sidewalk, or add a bus-only lane for a fraction of the cost to build and maintain highway lanes. California should be investing much more in infrastructure like bicycle highways and connected biking and walking networks to make our communities healthier and safer from the ravages of climate disasters.”

State highway money (perhaps $1B) continues to build climate-killing roadways that increase traffic, fail to mitigate congestion, and work in opposition to the state’s climate goals. We must begin to shift our transportation spending to carbon-neutral options if we are to have any hope of stopping or reversing climate change.

https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/2020-agenda-slider-1.jpg 430 1200 Jared Sanchez https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.png Jared Sanchez2025-01-10 19:51:182025-01-10 19:51:19California’s Transportation Budget Must Prioritize Green Transportation

Active Transportation Program Struggles After Deep Funding Cuts

November 8, 2024/by Jared Sanchez

Last week, the California Transportation Commission released staff recommendations for the 2025 Active Transportation Program (ATP). The news is dire: $2.5 billion in requests were made, but the California Transportation Commission (CTC) had only $100 million to award in statewide grants, enough to greenlight just 13 projects over the two-year funding cycle.

Budget cuts that punch down at vulnerable road user safety

The ATP was one of only two transportation programs cut in the 2024 budget, despite the fact that it’s the only statewide funding source for biking and walking infrastructure projects and is chronically underfunded and oversubscribed, even without budget cuts. The governor initially recommended cutting all the funding from this program; negotiations with the legislature restored $200 million, allowing the ATP’s Cycle 7 to proceed, even though it was only able to fund 4% of the applications.

The total funding available for the three components (statewide — $84 million, small urban/rural — $16 million, and $68 million for Metropolitan Planning Organizations) that comprise the ATP is $168 million for Cycle 7 instead of the normal amount, which varies from $300 million to $600 million. This leaves an unprecedented shortfall in funding for the CTC’s most oversubscribed and competitive program. 

A tiny but critical transportation program

The projects funded by the ATP are critical to meeting California’s climate, safety, and equity goals. The state budget agreement reached in 2024 leaves room for additional funding that would allow additional projects to be built, though there’s no guarantee the funds will become available. And, even if the legislature finds an additional $400 million for the 2025 ATP, program needs will continue to remain greater than the funding the state allocates for this vital program.

Only nine projects have so far been recommended to receive funding through the statewide component and four for the small urban and rural component in the 2025 ATP. These projects were scored at 95 points or higher, which means only the very top projects got funded, while many worthy applications will have to look elsewhere for funding or may not get built.  

CalBike advocates for more money for the Active Transportation Program

For CTC to have approved projects scoring at least 85, which for the most part are very strong and deserve funding, the ATP would need an additional $1 billion in funding. Two years ago, CalBike advocated for the state to spend $2 billion on bikes and succeeded in increasing the ATP allocation to $1 billion for Cycle 6. That allowed the CTC to greenlight many more active transportation projects, but it wasn’t enough to fund all the worthwhile proposals. However, that year saw a budget surplus, and the governor has tried to claw back those additional funds in the past two deficit years. 

The ATP should get at least $1 billion in funding every cycle. That’s not enough, and it’s still a tiny fraction of California’s transportation spending, but it would be an overdue signal that our state understands the value of active transportation in fighting climate change and making our streets safer and more equitable. We’ve said it before — California can’t be a climate leader if it continues to invest in highways instead of active transportation and transit. We look forward to working with state leadership this year to significantly restore the ATP through the budget process and not allow further reductions to the program.

The ATP is a classic example of induced demand, also known as “build it and they will come.” Since the program’s inception, the volume of applications for funding has grown. More significantly, the number of high-quality projects that significantly improve the safety and comfort of people who bike and walk on California’s streets has increased. 

This dedicated funding source, which CalBike’s advocacy helped establish, tapped into a deep well of unmet need for separated bikeways, sidewalk gap closures, protected intersections, and more. Californians want and need the ATP. California should fully fund this program, which provides great value for a fraction of the cost of building or maintaining highways.

https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/thumb-3.jpg 367 550 Jared Sanchez https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.png Jared Sanchez2024-11-08 13:18:412024-11-08 13:18:42Active Transportation Program Struggles After Deep Funding Cuts

CTC Invites Public to Weigh in on Active Transportation Program

July 11, 2024/by Kendra Ramsey

The California Transportation Commission (CTC) will hold a workshop next Wednesday to get public input on some choices it needs to make in administering Cycle 7 of the Active Transportation Program (ATP). The good news is that there will be a Cycle 7 since the governor’s proposed $600 million cut was partially rolled back. But funding will be less than $200 million, around one-third of the usual amount available for biking and walking infrastructure projects around the state.

Still, we are encouraging people who care about safe streets to attend next Wednesday’s meeting, if possible, to show the strong support the ATP has in the community and to help make the best of a bad situation.

  • What: 2025 Active Transportation Program Budget Update Workshop
  • When: 10:00 am to 12:00 pm, Wednesday, July 17
  • Where: Zoom; register here.

Choice one: Should CTC create a contingency list?

It’s a given that the ATP will have more worthy, shovel-ready applications than it can fund. In the budget agreement between the governor and the legislature, the possibility of backfilling the additional $400 million cut from the program was left open. CTC proposes creating a list of projects that would be next in line for funding if more money becomes available. 

CalBike encourages you to support a contingency list. It’s the most efficient way to quickly distribute funds. Also, it will be a good way to build support in the legislature for finding the rest of the money, as senators and assemblymembers see projects in their districts that could be funded.

Choice two: How should CTC break ties?

The ATP funding cutoff point often falls among multiple projects with the same score. Within the adopted 2025 ATP Guidelines (Section 20), there are three criteria CTC uses to break ties and select which projects get the funds, but there are so many worthy projects that these aren’t always enough. The current tiebreakers are which project is most shovel-ready, followed by which has the higher scores on application questions with the two highest point values. CTC will present a list of additional possibilities at the meeting and ask attendees to weigh in.

We know the ATP and Complete Streets have strong support. Showing up and voicing our opinions at every opportunity shows our elected officials that we are united in the desire for more and better facilities for bicycling and walking. While we work on increasing funding for these deserving projects, it is also critical to weigh in on how the available funding will be spent.

https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/15238601937_f33c0ab197_o-scaled.jpg 1456 2560 Kendra Ramsey https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.png Kendra Ramsey2024-07-11 12:30:352024-07-11 12:30:35CTC Invites Public to Weigh in on Active Transportation Program

Budget Deal Partially Restores Active Transportation Funding

June 24, 2024/by Brian Smith

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Jared Sanchez, jared@calbike.org, (714)262-0921

SACRAMENTO — CalBike appreciates the Legislature and Governor’s efforts to restore the $600 million cut from the Active Transportation Program in the governor’s May Revise. The final budget, announced over the weekend, restores $100 million in the 2024-2025 fiscal year, with another $100 million promised for 2025-2026. The remaining $400 million could be restored by future appropriations, leaving the door open for future growth of the program. 

CalBike led the coalition that pushed elected leaders to deliver on their promises and restore full funding to the only dedicated state funding source for projects that make our streets safer for people riding bikes, walking, and taking transit, especially in disadvantaged communities where safe street infrastructure is most lacking.

“We are running out of time to change our transportation systems to protect the lives of Californians and our climate,” said CalBike Policy Director Jared Sanchez. “Californians want safe streets. I hope this budget deal signals willingness to commit to funding infrastructure that supports carbon-free transportation options and reduce the horrendous toll of traffic violence on our streets.”

The $100 million restored in the current budget comes from the General Fund rather than our state transportation funds. As California transportation dollars continue to surge with federal funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, state leaders have made bold claims about how much highway funding already supports active transportation on Caltrans projects. CalBike will hold them accountable to those claims by pushing for passage of Senator Scott Wiener’s Complete Streets Bill, SB 960. The Complete Streets Bill is a critical step toward mandating implementation of biking, walking, and transit facilities on state highways.

“Given the difficult budget year, we appreciate the final budget agreement protecting $200 million for the Active Transportation Program,” said CalBike consultant Jeanie Ward-Waller. “However, we have more work to do to continue to grow the most equitable and sustainable transportation program in future years. We look forward to working with the legislature and the governor to prioritize more active transportation funding in the future.”

https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/evanbdudley_CALBIKE-24-233-1-scaled.jpg 2560 1708 Brian Smith https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.png Brian Smith2024-06-24 15:27:292024-06-25 11:14:54Budget Deal Partially Restores Active Transportation Funding

CalBike Commends Legislature for Rejecting Active Transportation Cuts

May 29, 2024/by Laura McCamy

For Immediate Release: 5/29/24

Contact: Jared Sanchez, 714-262-0921, jared@calbike.org

SACRAMENTO—The legislature’s budget proposal, released today, rescinds the deep cuts to the Active Transportation Program (ATP) proposed in the Governor’s Budget and plans to backfill those cuts with state highway funding. CalBike thanks the legislature for recognizing the value of the ATP and maintaining funding commitments to critical walking and bicycling projects.

CalBike policy director Jared Sanchez: “I’m glad the legislature recognized the value of the Active Transportation Program. The legislature heard from its constituents and saved a popular program many local communities rely on to fund infrastructure projects.”

CalBike consultant Jeanie Ward-Waller: “The ATP is critical to meeting California’s climate goals and addressing the crisis of rising pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities on our roadways, especially in disadvantaged communities across the state. We commend the Legislature for their strong support of shifting funding from car-centric infrastructure to improve walking and biking.”

Background

The Active Transportation Program is a competitive funding source for projects that support biking and walking safety. It gives out approximately $500 million each two-year funding cycle. 

In 2022, the ATP received a one-time funding boost of $1.05 billion from the general fund budget surplus, which pushed the total for Cycle 6, awarded in 2022, to $1.6 billion. However, the ATP is chronically underfunded and oversubscribed, and even with the extra funds, many worthwhile projects don’t make the cutoff.

In 2023, Governor Gavin Newsom proposed cutting $300 million from the one-time general fund boost to the ATP; the legislature and Governor agreed to backfill the cut from the State Highway Account, and there were no ATP cuts in the final budget.

In January 2024, the governor initially proposed cutting $200 million from the ATP. He raised that to $600 million in the May Revise, a deep cut that could delay and jeopardize projects awarded in Cycle 6 and would likely eliminate a full future cycle of ATP grants. 

No corresponding cuts were proposed to funding for highway projects that increase vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and greenhouse gas emissions. There is no deficit in California’s transportation budget, which receives ample federal funding in addition to state funds.

https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/bus-bike-and-car-lanes-cut.jpg 642 1600 Laura McCamy https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.png Laura McCamy2024-05-29 16:56:132024-05-29 16:56:14CalBike Commends Legislature for Rejecting Active Transportation Cuts

Budget Deal Restores ATP Funding

July 5, 2023/by Jared Sanchez

California’s Active Transportation Program (ATP) provides dedicated funding for biking and walking improvements across the state. CalBike championed the creation of the ATP and has continued to advocate for additional funding. We applaud the legislature and the governor for restoring planned funding to the ATP in the 2023-24 state budget. With the budget deal, the ATP will continue to operate with its historic billion dollar one-time expansion and provide critical infrastructure, as we saw in the final list of Cycle 6 projects.

ATP budget in flux

In 2022, with a historic budget surplus, we asked for $2 billion for bikes in the state budget. We didn’t get the full $2 billion, but we got $1.1 billion allocated to the ATP, more than tripling previous annual funding. But, as this year’s budget deficit began to come into focus, Governor Gavin Newsom’s initial budget clawed back $500 million from the ATP. The governor promised to find $300 million of that from other sources, but that still left the program $200 million short. 

The final budget deal restored full funding. The California Transportation Commission (CTC), which oversees the ATP and scores projects submitted for funding on a scale of 1 to 100. It  approved an additional 134 projects in June, on top of projects previously approved. As Streetsblog reported, the additional funding allowed the CTC to fund projects that scored 92 and above in Cycle 5; an extra $1 billion allowed the commission to extend funding to those with scores of 89 and above in Cycle 6. 

Funding for the ATP has increased but not enough to meet demand as California communities scramble to add safe biking and walking infrastructure to streets designed to move cars at deadly speeds. Even with extra one-time funds, many worthy projects don’t make the cut. That means bike lanes and pedestrian improvements delayed or scrapped. This is why CalBike is advocating for $10 billion for bikes, or half of California’s transportation dollars to reverse the historic deficit in building active transportation infrastructure.

How does the ATP work?

If you’re wondering what Cycle 5 and Cycle 6 mean, the explanation requires a deep dive into planning timelines. Let’s start with a history of the ATP.

Created by the state legislature in 2013 to consolidate the efforts of several disparate funding sources, the ATP serves as a central hub for bike and pedestrian projects. The State Senate bill that created the ATP specifically calls for the program to “increase the proportion of trips accomplished by biking and walking” and “increase safety and mobility for nonmotorized users.”Since its inception, the ATP has funded over 800 active transportation projects across the state, benefiting both urban and rural areas. Half of the funded projects have been Safe Routes to Schools.

SB 1 (Beall, 2017), also known as the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, significantly augmented ATP’s funding, directing an extra $100 million a year to the ATP and doubling its funding.

Although the funding comes in annually, the CTC accepts applications for another cycle of ATP grants every two years. Cycle 5 was in 2021 and Cycle 6 was this year. Just to make the math more confusing, the grants are distributed over five years, since it can take time to complete the projects.

In 2021, the ATP approved grants for 49 projects in Cycle 5, barely 10% of the applications received. Funded projects included:

  • $30 million for Connecting Canoga Park – beautifully detailed with maps and renderings here.
  • $10 million for Safe Routes to School in Koreatown, Los Angeles – with extensive detail on crosswalk and safety features here.
  • $1440 for the Pollock Pines Pony Express Trail Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvements – outlined here.

$10 billion for bikes

The one-time boost in ATP funding allowed CTC to greenlight three times as many projects in Cycle 6 as in Cycle 5 (15 Bay Area projects, plus rural grants, and the 134 projects approved in June, for a total of more than 150). That still left many excellent biking and walking infrastructure projects without state funding. 

The ATP isn’t the only funding source for active transportation infrastructure. Local and regional monies pay for projects as well. And there are billions more in the state transportation budget that should shift. With the threat of climate crisis looming ever larger, we need to create space for low- and no-carbon transportation fast, and that requires much more support at the state level. 

CalBike is asking our elected officials to spend less on building climate-killing freeways and more on Complete Streets and people-centered transportation infrastructure. Look for our new Complete Streets Campaign, coming later this year. And, of course, we’ll continue to push for $10 billion for bikes.

https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/CalBike-Insider-Image4.png 720 1280 Jared Sanchez https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.png Jared Sanchez2023-07-05 17:38:262023-07-05 17:47:39Budget Deal Restores ATP Funding

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