bike highway Archives

New Directions for Bike Highways

August 27, 2025/by Kendra Ramsey

On August 20, CalBike held its latest online Summit Session: Bike Highways: Creating a Path to the Future of Bicycling. Panelists included two staffers from Assemblymember Steve Bennett’s office, Arwen Chenery and Atticus Reyes. Bennett authored the Bike Highway Bill, which CalBike is sponsoring. We also heard from Mauricio Hernandez of Alta Planning + Design, and, joining from Bogotá, Colombia, Lorena Romero of BiciActiva.

The Summit Sessions are a way to continue the discussions started at our biennial California Bicycle Summit throughout the year, and the online format allows us to bring in voices from across the U.S. and the world.

Watch the full webinar.

Bike highways are happening in California

Chenery and Reyes shared the journey of the Bike Highway Bill this year, as it got watered down from a pilot in two regions to a planning recommendation because of budget concerns. Bennett plans to introduce legislation next year to move forward with a specific bike highway in his district, spanning cities from Santa Paula to Ventura. The Santa Paula Branch Line Trail follows a railroad right-of-way, and a fully connected bike highway along the route would connect residents in lower-income communities with opportunities for education and jobs. Parts of the route are already built; Bennett hopes to get state help to close the gaps and create an intercity bike route.

Bike highways are already happening in California. Participants called out several of them:

Vine Trail in Napa is nearly finished and stretches 47 miles from Vallejo to Calistoga.
The SMART train in Sonoma and Marin right-of-way includes a multi-use path parallel to the train for most of the route, also known as the Great Redwood Trail.
CV Link, a 40-mile bikeway in the Coachella Valley, is partially open.

Design principles for bike highways

Hernandez shared some design best practices for bike highways, a topic the highly engaged attendees were very interested in. He outlined principles for bike highway design:

Providing direct routes between regional destinations
Primarily separated and dedicated bike facilities
Allowing for higher-speed travel
Low-effort routes with minimal elevation changes and limited friction at intersections
Increasing mobility by giving people fast routes between regional destinations and connecting with local bike routes

He noted that, while the facilities are generally designed for bike riders traveling around 18 mph, bike highways can also accommodate slower users, with minimum speeds around 7.5 mph. Hernandez led attendees through more design specifics; you can view his presentation below. Even people walking are often allowed on bike highways, but they are designed to prioritize bikes and limit the number of people walking.

The slides below and the recording contain a wealth of practical and technical information Hernandez shared.

Mauricio Hernandez – CalBike Webinar (Final082025)Download

Lessons from Bogotá

Romero shared the history of Bogotá’s bike highways, called ciclorutas, the connection to the city’s famous Ciclovia, and the effect of connected, protected bikeways on biking in the city. She emphasized the importance of culture, sharing photos of existing bicycle infrastructure from 10 years ago, when BiciActiva was formed, with cars and trucks parked in them.

Romero painted a picture of persistence, working with local governments, and persuading neighborhoods to get on board with new bike facilities. The change in the perception of bicycling is a critical component of the shift that has made Bogotá one of the cycling capitals of the world.

Welcome to Bogota_EN Download

CalBike Announces Online Summit Session on Bike Highways

July 30, 2025/by Kendra Ramsey

This Is What a Bike Highway Could Look Like

June 9, 2025/by Jared Sanchez

The Bike Highways Bill, AB 954, passed the Assembly by a wide margin, showing strong support for protected, connected bikeway networks. CalBike is sponsoring this bill, authored by Assemblymember Steve Bennett, which will create a pilot project pathway to create bike highway networks in two regions.

The networks could be planned using existing segments of fully separated bike paths and on-street protected bikeways, as well as new facilities. Creating a regional network that allows riders to seamlessly get where they need to go without facing missing links or dangerous intersections is the magic of the bike highways plan. This project could significantly increase bicycle mode share and become a model that can be replicated throughout California.

Although we don’t have complete bike highway networks yet, there are several existing bikeways used for long-distance bike commuting. We spoke to some of the people using one of these bikeways in Southern California.

“AB 954 is our chance to link the enormous stack of bicycle benefits with well-connected, longer-range networks. In Burbank, for instance, major bike paths including the Chandler, the San Fernando, and the Channel Bikeways, do not connect to each other or to the Los Angeles River Bike Path. Without safe, direct connections, these human-powered corridors remain isolated and ineffective. Bike highways are the way to weld segments together into something truly useful. By linking these networks, we unlock a complete system where biking becomes not just possible, but a life-affirming celebration for all.” — Kreigh Hample, Project Coordinator for Walk Bike Burbank and the Burbank Advisory Council on Disabilities

Southern California Trails

The San Gabriel River Trail is a 35.4-mile multi-use path. The LA County website lists mountain biking as one of the uses and seems to view the trail from Seal Beach to Azusa as recreational. We reached out to users via Reddit and found at least one bike rider who uses it for commuting as well as recreational rides.

“The SGRT is one of the few places where cyclists can truly bike without ever encountering the crazy drivers of LA,” Justin Williams told CalBike. “I use the path to commute to work and on the weekends for fun. It is one of the only ways to cross the 405 without on/off ramps… PCH gets sketchy, and I wouldn’t recommend it to my friends.”

The trail passes through numerous cities, including Norwalk and El Monte, and could provide the basis for a bike highway network if connected with local bike routes.

An anonymous commenter rides the San Gabriel River Trail but prefers the Santa Ana River Trail farther south for recreational rides because of poor pavement in some sections of the SGRT. The San Gabriel River Trail is shared with horseback riders, and some sections are gravel rather than asphalt.

The Santa Ana River Trail is an ambitious project to build 110 miles of trail from the San Bernardino National Forest to the Pacific Ocean in Huntington Beach. This trail, which started construction in 2005 and is 60% complete, will ultimately pass through San Bernardino and Santa Ana. It will end at the Pacific Coast Highway, a few miles south of Beach Boulevard, a state route that CalBike evaluated as part of our Incomplete Streets report.

While these two trails are largely intended for recreational bike riding, they could provide the spine for connected, protected bike highway networks, allowing people to travel by bike between and within Southern California communities. There are numerous trails like this throughout California. With your help, we’ll pass the Bike Highways Bill and experience the positive impact of truly regional bikeway transportation networks.

Fate of Quick-Build and Bike Highways in Suspense

April 30, 2025/by Jared Sanchez

CalBike’s two priority bills will likely end up in the Suspense File in the Assembly Appropriations Committee shortly because both have price tags that require scrutiny in Appropriations. The Quick-Build Bill (AB 891, Zbur) provides Caltrans with an opportunity to incorporate quick-build methods, thereby improving safety for vulnerable road users. The Bike Highways Bill (AB 954, Bennett) would create two regional bikeway network pilots, testing the impact of bike highways on transportation mode shift. The Suspense File could be a stop on the way to a floor vote or a chance for opponents of these measures to axe them behind the scenes without having to publicly oppose the popular proposals.

Quicksand for quick-build and bike highways

Once bills arrive at the Appropriations Committee and get placed in suspense, they could, in theory, be voted out of committee at any time. In practice, however, the Quick-Build Bill and the Bike Highways Bill — plus some of the other measures CalBike supports — are likely to move forward to the Assembly floor or get buried in an unmarked grave during a fast-moving hearing with little or no opportunity for testimony from supporters or opponents.

May 23 is the last day for bills to leave committees in their first houses in the 2025 legislative year. The Assembly Appropriations Committee will hold a hearing at which it will vote some of the bills in the Suspense Files out, sending them to a vote of the full Assembly. The rest will not be voted down but will simply “stay in suspense.”

Most of the decisions about what bills live or die will be made before May 23. As we’ve previously covered, the Suspense File provides a way for lawmakers and lobbyists to work behind the scenes to stop bills they oppose.

Saving critical bills from suspense

The suspense process makes the Appropriations Committee chairs two of the most powerful people in the California Legislature. This year, the chair in the Assembly is Bay Area Assemblymember Buffy Wicks. We’re gathering petition signatures and, once the bills go into the Suspense File, you can use our action tool to easily send Assemblymember Wicks emails about the Quick-Build Bill and the Bike Highways Bill. Or visit our Take Action for Bike Month page to find both those actions and an action to support full funding for the Active Transportation Program.

Inside the Black Box of Appropriations

April 30, 2025/by Jared Sanchez

This post was originally published on May 10, 2023. It was updated on April 30, 2025.

In May, California’s appropriations committees wield their influence in the legislative process, as the state’s budget begins to come into focus. Appropriations committees in both the Senate and Assembly have outsize power and can affect the passage of a bill in unexpected ways. Here’s a look behind the scenes.

Kill bill

A recent CalMatters investigation found that, in the 2023-24 two-year legislative session, 2,043 bills didn’t make it to the governor’s desk. Only 25 of those were voted down; the rest died in committee, many of them in Appropriations.

If a California senator or assemblymember wants to kill a bill, one of the sneakier ways to do so is in the legislative appropriations committees. One member with the ear of the appropriations chair can get a bill put into the committee’s “Suspense File,” possibly never to return.

What’s behind this seemingly undemocratic quirk of California’s legislature, and what can we do about it?

What is the appropriations committee?

In both the California State Senate and Assembly, as legislation moves through the process, any bill that requires expenditures over a certain threshold or has any fiscal impact will advance to their respective appropriations committees. The committees must approve any additional costs before the bill goes to a full vote.

How a bill gets killed in Appropriations — the Suspense File

Led by the Senate and Assembly appropriations committees, any legislation that meets a certain fiscal threshold will be placed in the Suspense File (cue ominous music). Generally, if the cost of a bill is determined to be $50,000 or more to the General Fund, or $150,000 or more to a special fund, that bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File.

Many bills stay in the Suspense File until the fiscal deadline passes, then disappear from the legislative process entirely. The Suspense File was developed as a mechanism for slowing the process and giving legislators a way to consider all the bills that are going to put significant pressure on the budget.

What really is the Suspense File?

The Suspense File is among the most opaque and secretive practices at the Capitol, and it allows legislative leaders to not only shelve proposals that are too expensive but also more quietly dispatch those that are controversial or politically inconvenient. It’s well known at the state Capitol that powerful legislators can use the Suspense File as a political tool to keep controversial bills from reaching the Assembly or Senate floor — typically with no explanation, and often without a public vote.

Coming back from the dead: moving bills out of the Suspense File

A bill still has a fighting chance until the Suspense File hearing, when the appropriations committees consider all the bills in the file and decide which get to move on for debate. Lobbyists, legislators, and constituents play an active and important role in deciding which bills move forward.

How CalBike fights for bills we support, with your help

Like any other civic process, shedding light and making noise can influence the course of a bill in Appropriations. When one of CalBike’s bills goes into the Suspense File, we work behind the scenes to convince key legislators to move it forward. We also ask our members to send emails and make calls to support the bill.

Sometimes that works, and sometimes a good bill dies in appropriations. Knowing how the process works helps us fight for measures that improve biking, equity, and joy. We couldn’t do it without your help.

Which bills can you help get off suspense this year?

Our two priority bills, the Quick-Build Bill (AB 891, Zbur) and the Bike Highways Bill (AB 954, Bennett), could be placed on suspense in May. You’ll find actions you can take to move these critical bills and others forward on our Bike Month Action page.

Gearing Up for Bike Highways

April 1, 2025/by Jared Sanchez

The Bike Highways Bill, AB 954, one of CalBike’s sponsored measures, would create a pilot to build connected, protected bike networks in two California regions. This sounds exciting, but since California doesn’t have any bike highways yet, it’s helpful to step back and explain the concept.

What is a bike highway?

The most basic definition of a bike highway is a connected, protected bikeway network that allows people to move quickly and safely over longer distances. That might look like a scaled-down version of a car freeway, with limited access, interchanges, and even elevated sections to pass over other roads.

But a bike highway network doesn’t need all the bells and whistles to fulfill its mission of providing safe, swift passage for bike riders. Some communities already have many of the pieces of a bike network and they simply need to be knit together to create a bike highway.

The Ohlone Greenway, a Class 1 separated path that travels through multiple cities, following a right of way under elevated Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) tracks and cutting through the middle of blocks beside parks, is an excellent example of what’s possible. It’s identified as part of the East Bay Greenway in a Caltrans study of Bay Area bike highways. The greenway has been extended over time, and there are plans to extend it further south; it could be extended and connected to other protected bikeways, either on- or off-street. To become a fully functional bike highway, the network would need improved street crossings, clear signage, and connections to more of the most common destinations in the region. The Caltrans study details what’s possible and outlines the benefits of building bike highways.

Another example is the LA River Path, an eight-mile Class 1 path that follows the Los Angeles River. The path is slated for expansion and is integral to LA’s plan for a car-free Olympics in 2028.

Other cities have segments that could be built out into bike highways. These might look like pathways through parks, beachside bikeways, rails-to-trails facilities, and protected bikeways on city streets. The key features are connection, safety, and speed.

As with all bicycle networks, the trickiest element is safe street crossings, particularly at busy intersections. Bike highways need intersections where bicycle safety is a primary concern, not a nice-to-have. Protected intersections could include bicycle traffic signals with bike-only phases.

Auckland example

Several years ago, Sam Corbett of Alta Planning + Design gave a presentation on the bicycle highway network in Auckland, New Zealand at the California Bicycle Summit. Auckland has an impressive network of separated bikeways, often with colorful pavement, sometimes elevated to allow continuous passage without navigating intersections.

While the realities of dense urban spaces and funding limitations may not allow California to build beautiful bike highways like those in Auckland, we can take them as an aspirational example. This bill is the first step on that journey.

View Sam Corbett’s presentation about Auckland for some inspiration!

Beautiful Bikeways of Auckland NZ Download

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1f2c6YWm3vREpb4uBX-MWoBBD5pXzPiRs/view

CalBike’s 2025 Legislative Agenda

February 25, 2025/by Jared Sanchez

The deadline to submit legislation in Sacramento has passed, so we have a preliminary look at CalBike’s legislative agenda. Despite new limits on the number of bills each legislator can submit, there are many bills of interest to people who care about active transportation and safer streets.

Some of the bills we expect to support (or oppose) have been filed but the specific language is still in the development stage, so we’ve put them on our watch list for now. We’ll provide updates as bill provisions become clearer.

Here are the bills CalBike is sponsoring, supporting, or monitoring at the very beginning of the legislative session.

CalBike sponsors bills for better bike infrastructure, e-bike classification

CalBike is sponsoring or co-sponsoring three bills we think will bring significant positive changes to California streets and make our shared spaces safer for vulnerable road users.

Caltrans Quick-Build Pilot (AB 891, Zbur): Quick-build allows public agencies to respond quickly to unsafe road conditions by adding paint, planter boxes, soft-hit bollards, and other inexpensive infrastructure for bicycle and pedestrian safety. This bill would establish the Quick-Build Project Pilot Program within Caltrans, allowing the agency to implement more Complete Streets on state-controlled roadways without a yearslong planning and funding process. Many local governments already use quick-build to test new bikeways and other active transportation infrastructure; this will allow the same safety interventions on the state routes that serve as local main streets or popular bike routes.

Bicycle Highways Bill (AB 954, Bennett): California has a highway system for motor vehicles, so why not an interconnected network of separated bikeways that allow for safe, fast bicycle transportation? This bill would create a pilot program at Caltrans. It’s an excellent step toward making the bike an appealing and convenient transportation option for more Californians.

Illegal E-Motorcycle Classification (SB 455, Blakespear): Much of the concern about e-bikes on California streets is actually about electric motorcycles and mopeds illegally marketed as e-bikes and often sold to underaged riders. Selling e-motorcycles as e-bikes allows sellers to circumvent California regulations about registration and licensing and puts unsuspecting buyers at risk. The language of the bill is still being written, but the author’s intent is to clarify state regulations, remove gray areas, and specify penalties for violations.

CalBike’s active transportation slate

We’re starting the session with five excellent bills in our active transportation slate. Look for more bills to be added to this slate.

School Streets Bill (AB 382, Berman): For now, this bill is a placeholder with provisions to be added. If it’s similar to Berman’s 2024 school zone safety bill, it will clarify and strengthen regulations to keep students safe from traffic violence as they walk into school. We look forward to working with our partners and the sponsor as this bill evolves.

Caltrans Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment (AB 1132, Schiavo): Extreme weather events, made more frequent by climate change, impact California’s transportation systems. Highway 1 has repeatedly been shut down by slides in Northern California, as were train tracks in Southern California. Fires in Paradise and Los Angeles showed the vulnerability of our escape routes. This bill requires Caltrans to identify what makes communities resilient to climate-caused transportation disruptions. It’s an excellent first step toward making all California communities more climate resilient.

Remove Bikeway Roadblocks Bill (SB 71, Wiener): Green transportation champion Senator Scott Wiener is building on his past work to make it easier to build transit and active transportation projects. California’s CEQA environmental review law has been used to stall the building of bikeways and the adoption of bike plans. In recognition of the fact that public transit, biking, and walking have positive environmental impacts, this seeks to make a current temporary CEQA exemption permanent.

Sustainable Transportation Permitting (SB 445, Wiener): Climate disasters are accelerating; we must accelerate our responses. One of the best antidotes to climate change is providing no-carbon transportation options. To that end, this bill speeds up the permitting and construction of sustainable transportation projects. It will have the additional benefit of allowing communities to fix dangerous roadways more quickly, thus reducing the heavy toll of traffic violence.

Safe Crossings Save Lives (SB 671, Cervantes): This bill would beef up requirements for walk signals to make them more pedestrian-friendly. One of the most important provisions is a requirement for the state to inventory the status of existing pedestrian signals. This will show which intersections aren’t using the latest technology or programmed for maximum pedestrian safety; it will highlight where funding and maintenance are needed and improve safety at intersections.

Bills we’re watching

There are a number of bills that could get added to CalBike’s support list once their provisions are clearer, and some we might oppose. In addition to the bills listed below, we are watching several bills that we don’t have all the details about. Check our Legislative Watch page for updates as we learn more.

State highway work zone speed safety program (AB 289, Haney): Establishes a speed enforcement system through Caltrans.
E-bike reflector requirement (AB 544, Davies): This bill would require e-bikes to have a rear red reflector or light visible at 500 feet at all times of day.
E-bike clarification (AB 545, Davies): Further clarification of the definition of an e-bike to include fully operable pedals and a motor that can’t exceed 750 watts.
Highway Design Manual: Increase Fire Department authority (AB 612, Rogers): This bill would give local fire departments greater say in active transportation improvements.
Illegal Electric Motorcycles (AB 875, Muratsuchi): The illegal e-motorcycle bill CalBike is sponsoring clarifies the regulations differentiating e-bikes from motorcycles. This bill invites police officers to confiscate e-motorcycles, which could lead to disproportionate enforcement against BIPOC Californians.
The Safe, Sustainable, Traffic-Reducing Transportation Bond Act of 2026 (AB 939, Schultz): This bill would put a $20 billion state bond on the 2026 ballot. The money would be divided among a range of transportation projects, including active transportation and micromobility. We’re looking forward to more details about where the funds would go.
Higher fines for minors not wearing helmets (AB 965, Dixon): This bill is exactly what the name says.
E-bike Disclosure for Parents and Minors (AB 968, Boerner): This bill would add a requirement that e-bike manufacturers and distributors include a warning about risks and responsibilities if a minor operates the bike.
Intelligent Speed Assistance for Dangerous Drivers (AB 981, Gipson): The governor vetoed the bill we cosponsored to add ISA to all new cars in California. This would require people convicted of reckless driving offenses to install the system in their cars.
Caltrans Slower Streets (AB 1014, Rogers): A bill to lower speed limits on state highways.
Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act of 2025 (AB 1243, Addis): This bill would put a price on damage caused by greenhouse gas emissions and require emitters to pay into a superfund program administered by CalEPA.
Regional housing needs and transportation plans (AB 1275, Elhawary): This bill would move California toward integration of housing and transportation plans to build more housing near transit, jobs, schools, etc.
San Francisco Bay Area Local Revenue Measure (SB 63, Wiener/Arreguin): This is a third try at authorizing legislation to develop a predictable operational revenue source to ensure the future of Bay Area transit providers.
Study for road and safety improvements (SB 78, Seyarto): A Caltrans study to identify high-collision spots and projects to improve safety at those locations.
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (SB 220, Allen): Updates rules about membership on the board of directors of LA Metro.
EMotos (SB 586, Jones): Yet another bill targeting the proliferation of two-wheeled electric vehicles, this one creates an eMoto category of off-road vehicles.
Polluters Pay Climate Superfund Act of 2025 (SB 684, Menjivar): The senate counterpart of Assembly Bill 1243 (see above).

We will undoubtedly add, remove, and move bills on this list. CalBike’s Legislative Watch page has the most up-to-date information. Subscribe to CalBike’s newsletter for regular updates on the most crucial bills for active transportation and periodic reassessments of the status of all the bills we’re supporting or watching.

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