The Better Bikeway Design Bill (AB 1266 – R. Rivas) moved forward in the Senate Transportation Committee yesterday, after passing the Assembly in mid-May. The bill provides important bikeway design guidelines for planners and public works departments.

Bike lanes often disappear at intersections, which are the site of most collisions and greatest confusion for all users of the road. The Better Bikeway Design Bill directs Caltrans to develop and embed better guidance into its design guidelines for where to place bike lane markings at intersections with turn lanes for automobiles.

“This common sense bill is another piece in our ongoing campaign to work with Caltrans to develop the nation’s best bikeway design guidance,” said CalBike Executive Director Dave Snyder. Snyder testified at the hearing yesterday to support the bill, which inspired an exchange with Chairman Beall about the Dutch reach and the dangers of the door zone.

The next step for the Better Bikeway Design Bill is to move through the Senate Appropriations Committee.