Every two years, CalBike gathers bike advocates, transportation planners, government staffers, and more from around the state and globe at the California Bicycle Summit to exchange ideas and shape best practices for safer streets. In 2026, the Summit will return to Sacramento on April 23 and 24. Attendees will also have the opportunity to join CalBike on Wednesday, April 22, for a rare bicycle-focused optional lobby day in our state’s capitol.
Early bird registration for the 2026 Summit will open on November 1, 2025. We’ll also issue a call for workshop proposals later this fall. Opportunities for scholarships and sponsorships will also be available.
A historic venue
The 2026 Summit will be held at the Tsakopoulos Library Galleria in downtown Sacramento. In addition to several spaces for breakout sessions and networking, attendees will enjoy the Library Galliera’s expansive five-story atrium for keynote speeches and plenaries.
The central downtown location allows for a short, three-block walk to the Capitol Mall for participants in our optional pre-Summit Lobby Day. We will also enjoy easy access to nearby bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure for mobile sessions on foot and by bike.
Two days of inspiring plenaries and breakout sessions
The Summit will include two plenary sessions and numerous breakouts on topics ranging from design, planning, and policy to infrastructure and activism. We’ll hear from state agency staffers, elected leaders, advocates, bike industry representatives, and more. The breakout sessions generate inspiring discussions, create new connections, and offer actionable resources that attendees can take home to their communities and organizations.
Bike tours and cultural events
No California Bicycle Summit would be complete without bike rides. In San Diego in 2024, we offered several biking and walking sessions led by our local hosts to show off the infrastructure and history of the area.
We’ll also host a social event where attendees can meet up with friends old and new.
Lobby day
Our Sacramento location allows us to host an optional Lobby Day the day before the Summit. Participants will gather in the late morning for a training session on a set of key campaign issues provided by CalBike staff. We’ll break for lunch, then visit assemblymembers, senators, and staff in the afternoon.
A lobby day gives us the chance to show our representatives in Sacramento the power of the movement for active transportation. We’ll talk with them about ongoing challenges, such as active transportation funding, as well as bike-friendly bills in the 2026 session.
On February 20, 2025, CalBike held the first in a series of virtual Summit Sessions, a quarterly webinar series continuing the groundbreaking discussions of the California Bicycle Summit throughout the year. Over 150 people attended the webinar, Creative Approaches to Funding Active Transportation Infrastructure, where a panel of speakers shared diverse resources municipalities can use to fund biking and walking infrastructure.
Thinking outside the ATP
The Active Transportation Program (ATP) is California’s only dedicated funding source for bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure projects. The program disburses grants in two-year cycles, funded through federal and state sources including Senate Bill 1 gas tax funds. The program is consistently oversubscribed and only able to award the highest-scoring projects, demonstrating the need for additional funding sources for active transportation projects.
California Transportation Commission Deputy Director for Traditional Programming Laurie Waters gave a high-level overview of six programs beyond the ATP:
State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP)
Caltrans State Highway Operation and Protection Program (SHOPP)
Local Streets and Roads Program
Local Partnership Program
Solutions for Congested Corridors
For each program, Waters outlined the amount of funding available, what percentage of it is competitive versus granted to agencies based on a distribution formula, the types of projects typically funded, and the name of the program manager at CTC. Her slides are below. Relevant to the discussion, CalBike won a major victory in 2024 with the passage of the Complete Streets Law, which will increase active transportation and transit improvements in SHOPP projects in coming years.
Brianne Logasa, an associate planner with the California Strategic Growth Council (SGC), and Marc Caswell, an advisor with SGC, presented on Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities (AHSC) funding for transportation projects. AHSC receives 20% of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, with revenue generated through California’s Cap and Trade program.
The minimum grant through AHSC is $10 million, with transportation projects capped at $15 million. A typical project might include infill affordable housing, park space, sidewalks and paths, and bikeways. This funding can be used for a range of amenities beyond sidewalks and bike lanes, including bike racks, wayfinding, lighting, and bike racks on buses.
Local agencies can partner with developers to implement active transportation elements in coordination with new housing development. By pairing sustainable transportation with infill housing, AHSC is an effective way to combat climate change. This program rewards projects with a bold vision for transforming neighborhoods.
Omar Atayee, a principal engineer with the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), presented on the Imperial Avenue Bikeway Project, which was funded in part by an AHSC grant. He broke down the elements of this ambitious San Diego project covering more than three miles of a major urban street.
The foundation for the project was SANDAG’s regional bike plan, with Imperial Avenue as a connection on its regional bikeway network. Atayee walked through the multiple funding sources the agency used to secure funding for the project and the partnerships that made the project work. The Imperial Avenue Bikeway provides a real-world example of the types of transformative projects that can be funded through a combination of sources, including AHSC.
Joey Juhasz-Lukomski, a program manager at the Shared Use Mobility Center, a nonprofit that works with the California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) to implement several sustainable transportation funding programs, including the Clean Mobility Options (CMO) program. CMO Grants allow up to $100,000 for needs assessments to ensure SANDAG was using the funding where it was most needed.
Projects can include up to $1.8 million for capital costs and four years of operations for bikeshare, car share, and other mobility pilot programs.
Juhasz-Lukomski also talked about funding through the Sustainable Transportation Equity Project (STEP), also funded through CARB. STEP offers grant funding for things like zero-emissions transit, bike lanes, bikeshare, infrastructure, education, and tree planting. At least one community benefit organization (CBO) or local or tribal government needs to be part of every STEP project.
At the moment, no additional rounds of funding for CMO and STEP have been secured, but the state transportation budget could provide additional rounds if legislators see value in these programs. Juhasz-Lukomski’s slides are below.
Every two years, CalBike hosts the California Bicycle Summit, bringing together advocates, planners, agency staffers, and members of the bicycle community to share insights and dream up a future full of bicycles. In February, we will launch a series of free virtual sessions to bring our community together for thought-provoking and insightful discussions year-round.
First virtual summit session announced for February 20, 2025
The first virtual summit session is “Creative Approaches to Funding Active Transportation Infrastructure.” The new administration in Washington makes it likely that federal funding for active transportation projects will decrease. But local governments and bicycle advocates can still find creative ways to fund infrastructure, planning, and education projects.
The session will also address alternatives for funding active transportation infrastructure beyond the Active Transportation Program (ATP), which routinely has far more applications than it can fund.
Our initial webinar will feature programs managed by the Strategic Growth Council, the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), the California Air Resources Board, and the California Transportation Commission (CTC).
Presenters:
Brianne Logasa and Marc Caswell, California Strategic Growth Council
Joey Juhasz-Lukomski, Shared Use Mobility Center
Laurie Waters, California Transportation Commission
Mary McGuirk Lizarraga or Omar Atayee, San Diego Association of Governments
We hope you can join us.
What: California Bicycle Summit Virtual Session
When: Thursday, February 20, 2025, 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
There have been lots of remembrances of Bill Walton, who died May 27, 2024, at age 71. He touched the lives of many people. Here at CalBike, we remember him as someone who loved bikes and supported the goal of making our state more bike-friendly.
Known primarily for his legendary career on the basketball court, including national championships at UCLA and as an NBA All-Star, Walton dedicated his retirement to championing the cause of cycling. He was a notable sight on his custom extra-large-framed bicycle and wearing Grateful Dead gear, often seen riding the hills and valleys of San Diego County.
Walton was active among grassroots bicycling groups around the state, regularly participating in San Diego’s Bike the Bay, attending events for Bike Bakersfield, and speaking out for protected bike lanes. In an interview with San Diego’s Better By Bike page, he said, “Protected bike lanes are fantastic. They give us the sense of safety and security that we must have, your own personal routes and style will vary, but always think safety and security, know and follow the laws/rules, find the best routes with the least traffic, the most safety and greatest protection, and the best pavement.” Walton appreciated the new bike facilities near his home in La Mesa.
On a bike rideBill Walton with CalBike Board member Cindy Parra. Bill Walton statue
Former CalBike Executive Director Dave Snyder said, “I had the pleasure of meeting Bill Walton in 2015 at a fundraiser for CalBike in his home. He spoke with such love and passion for how bicycling can bring joy and so much more. It was perhaps the most eloquent tribute to our movement I’ve ever heard. He was special. RIP Bill.”
Former CalBike board member Josh Cohen posted this remembrance on Facebook: “We all know what a cool guy and great athlete Bill Walton was, but some don’t know he was also an AVID cyclist. So much so that he opened his house to the 2015 California Bicycle Coalition Board of Directors in-person meeting. I had no idea who he even was — just that he was super charismatic and likeable. And he had drums and Grateful Dead stuff everywhere! He later signed a letter to Paul Koretz in support of protected bike lanes from the Purple Line Extension to UCLA. Thanks for the smiles, Bill Walton! See you on the next lap…”
Through his nonprofit, Bikes for Humanity, Walton demonstrated his unwavering commitment to making bicycles accessible to those who might not otherwise afford them. His work in adaptive bike advocacy opened up the joy of cycling to countless individuals in California and beyond. His career and activism after his time on the basketball court had a profound impact on the lives of many people. He will be missed.
https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Bill-Walton-with-CalBike-board.jpg15001999Andrew Wrighthttps://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.pngAndrew Wright2024-05-31 17:19:142024-05-31 17:19:14Remembering Bill Walton, Friend to CalBike
The California Bicycle Summit held in San Diego, April 18-19, 2024, was filled with information sharing, coalition building, networking, and new ideas. A group forming to advocate for bicycle education in K-12 classrooms gathered steam. Large groups visited San Diego’s biking and walking infrastructure. And plenaries and breakout sessions delivered thought-provoking discussions.
We asked CalBike staff and some San Diego partners to share their favorite moments from the Summit.
Kendra Ramsey, CalBike Executive Director:
What a whirlwind! Hosting my first California Bicycle Summit as Executive Director felt like prom and final exams all rolled into one! It took a tremendous amount of work with our local partners, with our great speakers from throughout the state, and with our staff to get the Summit to fruition, and I think the results speak for themselves. Everyone I saw was either smiling, in deep conversation, or listening raptly to speakers. Everywhere I looked, people were connecting over shared successes or challenges, the love of the bicycle, and the love of the work that we all do.
We had serious and challenging conversations, but I also felt so much optimism hearing the good things that are happening in our communities and through strong partnerships. I made many new connections and re-connected with friends and colleagues I’ve only seen virtually for the past few years. All in all, the California Bicycle Summit was perhaps one part professional conference, one part party, with a big dash of hope for the future mixed in.
Laura Keenan, Families for Safe Streets:
As families who have lost loved ones to traffic violence or have survived crashes ourselves, Families for Safe Streets members support each other and share our stories to save lives and other families from our pain. The California Bicycle Summit was an incredible opportunity to meet key people and organizations working to make our streets safer across California, learn about their work, and empower them to partner with crash victims. We were even able to meet several crash survivors, assure them that they aren’t alone, and give them an outlet to share their stories to improve street safety for all road users. I look forward to working with many of these groups and individuals going forward to help humanize traffic deaths.
Andrew Wright, CalBike, Individual Giving Manager:
As a relative newcomer to the movement, having joined CalBike in the fall of 2022, I relished the opportunity to attend the California Bicycle Summit and be fully immersed in emerging tactics and trends from the best and brightest in active transportation.
I was lucky to be the designated staff for the mobile sessions, including SDCBC’s wonderful walking tour, which helped to orient me to San Diego. My favorite session, though, was the ride around San Diego’s bike facilities, with input from San Diego city officials, SANDAG, and Eco-Counter, whose combined perspectives gave a fully informed view of how effective bike infrastructure is possible and the rigorous approach taken to assess its effectiveness. I was struck by the dedication and expertise of the local leaders and left with a renewed determination to see these excellent facilities deployed across a broader cross-section of California.
The closing plenary, featuring young artists who bicycle from across San Diego (see their work here), was the perfect send-off.
Chloé Lauer, San Diego County Bicycle Coalition Executive Director:
The 2024 CalBike Summit was an incredible success, thanks to the visionary and organizational leadership of the CalBike Staff and Board; our local San Diego mobility organizations, grass-roots cycling groups, agency staff, and elected officials; and our incredible partners from across the state who brought their local know-how to us through engaging workshops, panels, and talks.
As a first-time attendee, I was thrilled to connect with more California leaders in the space. I felt at home seeing many familiar faces, some of whom I had just recently met in Washington DC during our California delegation meetings on lobby day on Capitol Hill at the National Bike Summit.
It was an honor that the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition was entrusted to play a key role in several events, including a downtown walking tour leading to the Welcome Event at our offices, opening remarks at the first-day plenary session, and a lunch-time plenary panel discussion featuring local grass-roots cycling groups that employ visual art to move culture. Our staff engaged in many breakout sessions and returned recharged and inspired with new ideas and a fresh commitment to the cause.
I was heartened to see CalBike’s commitment to diversity and inclusion realized with panels made entirely of people of color and sessions led in both Spanish and English. Of course, there is more to be done, and I hope that next time, we can have even more community members in attendance and provide additional scholarships and accessible pricing.
Laura McCamy, CalBike Communications Specialist:
I love hearing new ideas that change the way I think about something, and that happened so often at the Summit that I left overflowing. For example, at a session on design, a presentation about the role of street lighting in pedestrian safety highlighted the fact that pedestrian fatalities have stayed flat during daylight hours; the entire increase in deaths has come after dark. The role of new lighting technologies and what we can do to create safer street lighting are concepts I’ll take with me.
It was also great to see in person people I often communicate with over Zoom or via email. I loved the energy of the participants and the terrific questions that pushed the discussions into new territory. I’m already looking forward to the next one!
Kevin Claxton, CalBike Director of Advancement:
What a joy to return for my third California Bicycle Summit and second on staff at CalBike. While I wasn’t able to attend many sessions as I ran around managing the event, I heard from many attendees about the high-quality presentations and fervent conversations happening around the venue.
Thanks especially to our speakers, local partners, and steering committee for shaping an outstanding and diverse program. I’ve had the honor of producing several major events in my career, and the California Bicycle Summit truly stands out as the most rewarding. I know that not only are we offering a fantastic event experience, but the passionate conversations and ideas sparked throughout the Summit have the potential to transform California’s communities for the better.
https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/evanbdudley_CALBIKE-24-109-scaled.jpg17082560CalBike Staffhttps://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.pngCalBike Staff2024-05-06 15:48:492024-05-07 17:19:48California Bicycle Summit in San Diego Delivers Inspiration, Excitement
Attendees at the California Bicycle Summit, April 18-19, 2024, in San Diego, fall into many categories and job descriptions. One notable type of participant is mayors. Three current or former California mayors will speak on panels, and more will be attending the conference.
Mayors play a crucial role in the fight for safe streets. Residents often reflexively object to changes that affect travel lanes and parking on local streets. When elected officials cave to the loudest voices in the room, advocates must work even harder to achieve liveable, human-scale community streets. However, a mayor willing to weather initial opposition and support a new bikeway, transit-only lane, or protected intersection can help push these changes through. And forward-looking politicians may reap the benefits of solid support for Complete Streets as people grow to love them once they are in place.
Here are some of the mayoral insights we’ll have at the Summit next week.
Rey León, Mayor of Huron
Huron Mayor Rey León (also executive director of The LEAP Institute) was instrumental in his small Central Valley community winning a Clean Mobility Options grant from the California Air Resources Board to create a municipal bike-share program. He’ll join a panel on Thursday at 11:45 a.m. to discuss a significant financial hurdle to implementing community-led bike-share: insurance costs. “Rey León is the most effective mayor I’ve ever met personally and a strong bike champion,” said CalBike executive director Kendra Ramsey. You’ll want to hear what he has to say.
Meghan Sahli-Wells, former mayor of Culver City
Meghan Sahli-Wells earned the title of Biking Mayor by steering her community’s first bicycle and pedestrian master plan, creating a local Safe Routes to School program, and bringing CicLAvia to Culver City. She will speak on the panel “Seniors Challenging Climate Change through Active and Public Transportation” on Thursday at 11:45 a.m. The panel will discuss the role of active transportation in combating climate change and how to meet the needs of the growing number of seniors who want to get around by bike.
Alex Fisch, former Mayor of Culver City
Alex Fisch, another former Culver City council member and mayor and now a Special Assistant Attorney General, will speak Friday at 9:00 a.m. on a groundbreaking quick-build project completed during his tenure as mayor. The panel will highlight the impact of elections on our built environment: Culver City removed the much-hailed project and added a car lane after Fisch left office.
Registration closes at midnight on April 12. We hope you’ll join us for these and many other fantastic sessions at this year’s Summit.
https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/thumb-3.jpg367550Kendra Ramseyhttps://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.pngKendra Ramsey2024-04-11 22:58:382024-04-11 22:58:39Mayors Make Crucial Connections for Bike Riders at California Bicycle Summit
CalBike and our allies in and out of the legislature have passed landmark state legislation to make our streets safer. However, the ultimate effects of state policies can depend on local awareness and implementation. At the California Bicycle Summit, to be held April 18-19, 2024, in San Diego, several sessions will examine the impacts of past and pending state legislation on local programs and infrastructure.
Deploying new tech to solve an old problem
As long as California has Class II bike lanes delineated only by paint, vehicle drivers will illegally park in them. However, thanks to a bill by Assemblymember Christopher Ward, signed into law in 2023, municipalities have a new tool to keep bike lanes clear: photo enforcement. A breakout panel at 10:30 am on Friday will show how new tools, combined with authorizing legislation, give communities the power to issue parking citations using cameras mounted on city vehicles. Assemblymember Ward will be on hand to talk about the new law; he’ll be joined by representatives from the City of Santa Monica and Hayden AI, which manufactures devices that can be used in enforcement.
Barriers to bicycling
CalBike opposed a 2021 bill that places a high insurance burden on shared micromobility operators. We succeeded in limiting the amount and excluding bike share from the requirements. However, insurance remains an obstacle, particularly for nonprofit programs funded through CARB’s Clean Mobility Options grants. A panel at 11:45 am on Thursday will explore how California’s fraught insurance market negatively affects bike and scooter sharing, and what we can do about it.
Complete Streets: back and better than ever
CalBike’s policy director, Jared Sanchez, and consultant Jeanie Ward-Waller will lead a discussion on a crucial piece of active transportation legislation on Friday morning at 9:00 am. Senator Scott Wiener, with sponsorship and support from CalBike and allies, has presented Complete Streets bills in the past, most recently in 2019. The current bill relates only to streets maintained by Caltrans, but state routes bisect many communities, serving as rural main streets and critical urban thoroughfares. Requiring Caltrans to build infrastructure that serves people biking, walking, and taking public transit, as well as people driving cars, will make local communities safer.
This is just a sampling of the sessions on state action and local results. Register today to join the discussion. Advance registration closes Friday, April 12 at 11:59 pm, and a limited number of walk-up tickets will be available.
https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Chris-Hwang-Summit-22-scaled.jpg17082560Kendra Ramseyhttps://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.pngKendra Ramsey2024-04-02 18:10:152024-04-02 18:10:16California Bicycle Summit: Local Impacts of State Legislation
CalBike’s work centers on changing policies in Sacramento. The upcoming California Bicycle Summit will bring together diverse perspectives from across our state, and we’ll also engage with advocates from around the world. The Summit, which will be held in San Diego on April 18-19, 2024, includes speakers from the Netherlands, Finland, Mexico, and Colombia, including a bilingual session in Spanish and English.
Cross-border bicycle diplomacy
San Diego is closer to Mexico than most parts of California, and the city is inextricably linked with Tijuana, just across the border. The 4:00 pm session on Thursday, April 18 — Bi-National Active Transportation Coordination in the San Diego and Tijuana Region — will be led by SANDAG regional planner Madai Parra, in collaboration with the City of Tijuana Mobility Commission (led by Tomas Perez Vargas) and Alianza por la Mobilidad Activa A.C. (led by Elizabeth Hensley and Daniel Gomez Patino). The panel will highlight active transportation efforts in each jurisdiction and the years of collaboration to plan a potential bi-national bicycle border crossing program with U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
On Friday, April 19, at 10:30 am, a bilingual Spanish-English panel will address the power of storytelling to shape our transportation future. CalBike alum and current executive director of Transform Jenn Guitart will be joined by Charis Pérez of Latino Health Access and Lorena Romero Fontecha from BiciActivo Radio. Fontecha is also an independent bike advocate from Bogotá, Colombia. This session will examine how cultural stories about biking, walking, and other forms of transportation affect our ideas about how we get around.
The view from Europe
The Netherlands has a well-deserved reputation as a leader in adopting bicycling for everyday transportation. In a 10:30 am session on Thursday, April 18, we’ll hear from a representative from the Netherlands’ Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, the agency responsible for transportation and infrastructure in the Netherlands. The session will discuss active transportation as an integral part of transportation policy and feature representatives from industry to talk about what employers can do to incentivize bike commuting.
On Friday, April 19, at 9:30 a.m., the Summit will host a session on edge lane roads, a shared road treatment popular in the UK that is making inroads in the U.S. At 2:30 p.m., you can attend a session on Helsinki’s bicycle infrastructure, including bicycle superhighways, and the return on investment that the city has realized.
Representatives from the Dutch Cycling Embassy and the Finnish Cycling Embassy will be on their respective panels. How cool is that?
Have you reserved your spot at the California Bicycle Summit? The 2022 event sold out, and a limited number of walk-up tickets will be available. Buy your ticket now to be at the center of discussions of the hottest topics in active transportation.
https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Amsterdam-bike-rider-scaled.jpg17072560Kendra Ramseyhttps://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.pngKendra Ramsey2024-03-29 16:49:132024-03-29 16:49:13California Bicycle Summit Includes Global Perspectives
When the California Bicycle Summit comes to San Diego on April 18-19, it will include sessions that take participants outside the venue and onto the streets to view some of the improvements the city has made for people biking and walking. Mobile sessions are a chance to experience infrastructure and culture in this diverse and evolving city.
For those arriving on Wednesday, the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition will lead a walk from the venue to its offices for a brief welcome reception alongside CalBike and local partners Bike SD and Circulate SD. Along the approximately two-mile route, participants will learn about downtown’s active transportation infrastructure, local attractions, and restaurants of note. If you can’t attend on Wednesday afternoon, this mobile session will repeat on Friday, April 19.
On Thursday, attendees can choose between two mobile sessions to view San Diego bikeways. Riders of all ages and abilities are welcome at both sessions. The shorter route is flat, and the longer route includes a slight grade. Both bike sessions will highlight one of the region’s most transformative projects, SANDAG’s Pershing Bikeway in Balboa Park. Both sessions will be led by project staff involved in planning and building the infrastructure on the route, and staff from Eco-Counter.
In addition to a repeat of Wednesday’s walking session, Friday includes a mobile session highlighting historic Chicano Park in Barrio Logan and a ride on the Bayshore Bikeway. Participants will learn about the history of Chicano Park and the struggles of the neighborhood, which have often centered around discriminatory transportation and infrastructure policies.
A small fleet of approximately 20 electric bikes will be provided for use at the mobile sessions by our sponsor Rad Power Bikes. Pre-registration for mobile sessions will not be offered, and loaner bikes will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Participants may also bring their own bikes, or you can rent a bike for the day from Unlimited Biking. Use code CALBIKE24 for a 20% discount.
If you haven’t registered for the California Bicycle Summit yet, get your ticket today to reserve your spot at California’s essential bicycle conference.
https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/evanbdudley_2022-bike-tour-scaled.jpg17082560Kevin Claxtonhttps://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.pngKevin Claxton2024-03-15 16:56:552024-03-15 17:06:01San Diego Bicycle Summit Will Include Sessions on Wheels and on Foot
CalBike’s Complete Streets Campaign launch webinar showed strong support for Complete Streets, with 300 people in attendance. Panelists at Complete Streets on Caltrans Corridors touched on what Senator Scott Wiener’s Complete Streets Bill, SB 960, does, why it’s important, and what people can do to support its passage.
What the 2024 Complete Streets Bill does
Senator Wiener recounted how, when Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed his previous Complete Streets Bill in 2019, the governor said he wanted to give new leadership at Caltrans a chance to implement the agency’s own policies. Senator Wiener said it’s clear now that not enough has changed, and we need legislation to force Caltrans to take the safety of people biking and walking seriously.
Jeanie Ward-Waller, a former Caltrans deputy director and a consultant with CalBike, noted that Caltrans has identified $15 billion in needed improvements in bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure on state-controlled roadways. However, the agency only has plans to invest $3 billion in active transportation over the next 10 years and has programmed only $280 million in the next three years. In a state that spends $20 billion on transportation annually, there’s no excuse to allocate so little to active transportation.
Laura Tolkoff from SPUR outlined a provision of the 2024 Complete Streets Bill that’s a revised addition to Complete Streets legislation: a focus on public transit. SB 960 would require Caltrans to add elements such as bus priority lanes on highways, bus boarding islands, and seating at bus stops when it repaves a state route served by transit.
The Complete Streets Bill also removes barriers to adding safe infrastructure where local roads intersect with state routes. Caltrans’ reluctance to upgrade intersections has created danger zones that communities have been powerless to remedy. This is yet another reason we urgently need to pass SB 960.
The fight over El Camino Real
Bringing statewide policy down to the local level, Sandhya Laddha from the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition presented her group’s ongoing struggle to add bikeways on a 41-mile stretch of El Camino Real that connects San Francisco and San Jose. Caltrans has plans to repave half of this stretch in the next five years, but getting safe bikeways included on this critical route has been an uphill battle.
SVBC’s advocacy has won support from local communities and government officials for better bike infrastructure. She said Caltrans is the biggest barrier, calling it a “black hole.”
Laddha envisions an Open Streets event along all 41 miles of El Camino that would show the potential of the roadway, which serves as a main street in 19 cities and towns, to be a vibrant community corridor.
Watch the Complete Streets on Caltrans Corridors Webinar
What you can do to pass the Complete Streets Bill
Attendees were engaged, and the question-and-answer session was lively. One of the most often asked questions was, “What can we do?” Speakers encouraged attendees to contact members of the Senate Transportation Committee, which will hold its first hearing on the Complete Streets Bill on April 9.
If you’d be willing to come to Sacramento on April 9 or take other action to support the Complete Streets Bill, please give us your contact information using the form below.
https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/protected-bikeways-act.jpg6841024Jared Sanchezhttps://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.pngJared Sanchez2024-03-13 14:49:382024-08-06 13:35:01Hundreds Attend CalBike Complete Streets Campaign Launch with Senator Wiener
