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Webinar: A National Discussion on Decriminalizing Jaywalking

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On May 3, 2021, CalBike co-hosted a national panel discussion on decriminalizing jaywalking. Leading academics, advocates, and legislators discussed local efforts to end the enforcement of jaywalking. They shared lessons learned and steps to success. 

CalBike has joined a surging national movement to repeal unjust jaywalking laws by co-sponsoring the Freedom to Walk Act (AB 1238, Ting). More and more cities and states are rethinking rules that criminalize walking. From Virginia to California to Kansas City, decriminalizing jaywalking is no longer a radical idea but an increasingly viable policy proposal. 

The discussion included:

  • Nine reasons to decriminalize jaywalking from Charles Brown of Equitable Cities
  • Michael Kelley on how BikeWalkKC used a review of the municipal code ordered by Kansas City’s mayor as an opening for decriminalizing mobility
  • Writer Angie Schmitt on shifting the responsibility for safety from individuals to system designers
  • And much, much more

You can watch the full presentation here:

These national efforts highlight the need to protect vulnerable pedestrians against racially biased, pretextual policing, inequitable fees and fines, and unnecessary and potentially lethal interactions with law enforcement. More and more cities, counties, and states are considering repealing jaywalking laws. And the movement to ensure that safe and accessible walking is a key component of a sustainable transportation system continues to grow stronger.

Kansas City becomes the first to repeal jaywalking laws

Since our national discussion, Kansas City, MO, became the first city in the country to repeal its jaywalking laws. This repeal followed strong efforts from BikeWalkKC. We hope that CalBike’s campaign will make California the first state to decriminalize jaywalking statewide.

Eliminating jaywalking laws is an important step towards a more just society. Protests following George Floyd’s murder by a police officer led to a movement to re-examine the role of policing in our communities. As part of this reflection, jurisdictions began to look at discriminatory enforcement of jaywalking laws. Examination of jaywalking citations in Kansas City clearly showed that Black pedestrians were disproportionately targeted. The City Council’s repeal removes a tool for biased policing. 

CalBike is committed to reforming traffic laws to reduce inequities and racially biased policing. Eliminating laws against jaywalking is an essential step toward this goal. By co-sponsoring the Freedom to Walk Act, we hope to end the enforcement of unjust jaywalking laws in California. At the same time, this will facilitate healthy and safe travel modes that are necessary to meet California’s environmental goals.

Decriminalize-Jaywalking-graphic

Studies Show Increases in Biking and Bike Safety in Numbers

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A spate of new studies has shown that both biking and bike safety grew during the pandemic. The research found that more bikes on the streets leads to safer biking and that “build it and they will come” works well for cycling infrastructure. Perhaps the most exciting of the recent studies broke down bike ridership data from 2020 and found that the increase in cycling was greater than the aggregate numbers indicate.

Here are summaries of this exciting new research about biking and bike safety over the past year.

COVID-19 impacts on cycling, 2019–2020

Ralph Buehler, a professor and chair of Urban Affairs and Planning at Virginia Tech, and John Pucher, Professor Emiriats of Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University, collaborated on COVID-19 Impacts on Cycling, 2019–2020. The researchers, whose work CalBike has highlighted before, drilled down into the data on increased cycling during the pandemic to reveal a more nuanced picture of the increase in bike ridership.

In the U.S., for example, 12% more people rode bikes in 2020 than in 2019. However, fewer people rode during commute times in cities like Portland, OR, and Washington, DC, dragging down the average. In addition, fewer people biked in specific locations as governments instituted lockdowns and people stayed home during regional COVID flareups. The researchers found similar patterns in cities around the world. 

In reality, cycling numbers weren’t steady in 2020 but varied widely in response to local pandemic conditions. When you exclude lockdown periods, the increase in bike ridership is dramatic, almost doubling in Paris and increasing by 17% in New York City.

“If anything good came out of the COVID pandemic, then it is that communities redesigned streets for the use of cyclists, pedestrians, and outdoor socializing,” Buehler told CalBike. This has shown us that we can use street space for things other than cars. This new use is healthier, more pleasurable, and more sustainable.”

“The COVID crisis has demonstrated dramatically the crucial importance of cycling, both as a backup alternative to public transit and as an extremely healthy, safe, and immunity-enhancing form of physical activity for physical, mental, and social health,” Pucher added.

Safety in numbers for cyclists

If you have ever done a group bike ride or just ridden a city street where bikes outnumber cars, you know the feeling of safety and increased visibility from sharing the road with lots of bikes. A new study from the Department of Safety and the Environment Institute of Transport Economics in Oslo, Norway, gives us the data to back that up.

Unlike other studies of the correlation between increases in biking and bike safety, this research was able to control for other factors affecting safety. It used seasonal variations in bike ridership at fixed locations to determine safety in numbers. Notably, the study counted instances of car drivers failing to see bike riders and near-misses that didn’t result in collisions. This is critical because, while collisions between bikes and cars may be infrequent, daily near-misses create a justifiable sense of danger among bike riders.

The study found that, as the cycling season progressed and other road users expected to encounter bikes on the road, there were fewer near-misses. The more bikes there were, the more drivers saw bikes and were able to coexist safely with riders.

Next time you’re in a local planning meeting and someone says that creating facilities that encourage biking will endanger people who bike, you can cite this study. It’s great to have concrete evidence that the more people ride bikes, the safer all bike riders are on the streets.

Provisional COVID-19 infrastructure induces large, rapid increases in cycling

The world’s pandemic year provided a laboratory for researchers to study the effects of better infrastructure on cycling adoption without waiting years for cities to build new bike lanes. Researchers used data from bike counters in 106 European cities to study the effects of pop-up COVID bike lanes on ridership.

The study found that bike riding rose between 11% and 48%, according to data from 736 bicycle counters. Those numbers may be too low since they don’t account for lockdown periods as Buehler and Pucher’s research did. Even using these numbers, the researchers estimated that the bicycling infrastructure added to these cities during the pandemic will pay off, leading to health benefits valued between $1 billion and $7 billion per year.

Increases in biking and bike safety don’t only benefit the health of people who ride and their local communities. A new study that assessed the economics of electric vehicle purchase incentives found that e-bikes are the best investment for the climate as well.

E-Bikes Are the Best Climate Investment for California

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DATE May 10, 2021

CONTACT:
Dave Snyder, Executive Director, California Bicycle Coalition, 916-251-9433, dave@calbike.org



STUDY: E-Bikes Are the Best Climate Investment for California



SACRAMENTO – A recent study found that subsidies for electric bikes are more cost-effective than electric car incentives at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from private cars. Yet very few programs to incentivize the uptake of the best climate investment exist. As lawmakers in California contemplate billions of dollars in spending to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from private cars, including $1.5 billion to subsidize electric cars, they have a chance to also support electric bikes with a bill being advanced by the Assembly.  

AB 117, the E-Bike Affordability Bill (Boerner Horvath), would establish a pilot program to incentivize the purchase of electric bicycles as a means of reducing vehicle miles traveled (VMT), reducing air, water, and noise pollution, and helping Californians get more exercise. To implement the program, legislators must allocate $10 million in the budget being negotiated among the capital’s leaders this month.

“If California is serious about tackling climate change, promoting e-bikes needs to be front and center,” said Assemblymember Tasha Boerner Horvath, the bill’s author. “E-bikes help us cut out shorter car trips, reduce emissions, and move closer to our ambitious climate goals. Now is the time to make e-bikes affordable for all Californians.”

“Compared to EVs, e-bikes are carbon crushers. This fact adds urgency to the effort to help communities move away from car dependence and its terrible impacts,” said Dave Snyder, Executive Director of the California Bicycle Coalition, the sponsor of the E-Bike Affordability Act. “If California’s climate investments are supposed to prioritize solutions that have additional benefits, then this is a no-brainer. Investing in biking makes people healthier and happier, improves traffic safety, and reduces traffic congestion.”

The study focused on the greenhouse gas (GHG) impacts of subsidies for electric bikes, battery-electric cars, and plug-in hybrid electric cars in Oregon. It found that e-bike subsidies, like those in CalBike’s proposed $10M E-Bike Affordability Program, were the most cost-effective way to reduce GHG emissions.

Even with rebates, most Californians can’t afford electric cars. Fewer than 1% of vehicles registered in California today are all-electric. The E-Bike Affordability Program provides purchase incentives targeted at low-income residents, putting zero-emissions transportation within reach for many more Californians. Plus, e-bikes plug into a regular wall outlet and cost about $0.01 per mile to operate — no need for charging stations.

“Electric bicycles (e-bikes) have been found to offer a promising solution to reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) impact of a region’s passenger transportation system….The literature shows that despite having slightly higher lifecycle emissions than conventional bicycles, privately owned e-bikes emit far less than other motorized modes.”

From The E-Bike Potential: Estimating regional e-bike impacts on greenhouse gas emissions, Published in Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, October 2020

Proposed Law Would Bring the 15-Minute City and Bicycle Highways in California

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Despite ambitious goals, California has made little progress toward building safe and convenient bike routes. Safe bikeways don’t connect the destinations people need to reach. Roads and intersections that prioritize cars make bike trips unpleasant at best, dangerous at worst. A bill working its way through the legislature could change this landscape. AB 1147 (Friedman) would emphasize people-centric concepts like 15-minute cities and bicycle highways in new transportation plans.

California’s investments in active transportation infrastructure are not big enough nor strategic enough to create genuinely bike-friendly communities. However, one of California’s strongest champions for bicycling, Assembly Transportation Committee Chair Laura Friedman, has introduced a bill that could make a huge difference. 

AB 1147 would hold regions accountable for their goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles. It provides tools and incentives to achieve these goals, including a new block grant program that has CalBike very excited. 

Onramp to the bicycle highway

The block grant program in AB 1147 supports two kinds of planning and infrastructure efforts. One is inspired by the idea of a 15-minute city. A 15-minute city is a place where practically everything people need is accessible by a 15-minute bike ride or walk. The other is a program to fund the development of bicycle highways.

We’ll repeat that since you probably just dropped your coffee: bicycle highways. A bicycle highway is a limited access, fast-moving, separated route for bikes only. Imagine riding across town without dodging cars or pedestrians. 

Of the few examples in the United States, the Minneapolis Midtown Greenway best illustrates a separated bikeway connected to the street grid by highway-style ramps. Bicycle highways create safe places for the majority of people who don’t feel safe sharing streets with cars. At the same time, they also serve confident riders who seek fast and convenient bike trips. 

The bill’s grant program for 15-minute cities could provide funding for CalBike’s proposed bikeway network grant program. The program would provide substantial funding to communities willing to design safe bikeways that offer continuous connections to key destinations. It would also include incentives to avoid the compromises that create roadblocks in otherwise connected networks. For example, the bill would discourage city officials from refusing to approve parking or traffic lane removal that’s necessary to bridge a gap in an otherwise safe, low-stress bikeway network. 

What is a 15-minute city?

Friedman’s grant program may be Inspired by the commitment of the Parisian mayor to make Paris a 15-minute city. A 15-minute city is a city where residents can reach the services they need within 15 minutes without getting in a car. The 15-minute city requires mixed-use zoning where grocery stores and other shops, schools, medical offices, and workspaces are situated among or near residences. 

Cities use different definitions of the 15-minute city radius: it could be walking distance, biking distance, or 15 minutes on public transit. 

That’s why Friedman suggested that the Strategic Growth Council (SGC) host the 15-minute city grant program. The SGC brings together people from multiple state agencies to coordinate efforts to create a more sustainable California. AB 1147 would fund multi-faceted planning and land-use changes needed to increase density. This will bring key destinations closer to where people live. The 15-minute city could be coming to a neighborhood near you if AB 1147 becomes law.

Next steps for AB 1147

This bill is a wonky piece of legislation with dozens of provisions about compliance and policies and process. It only has a number, not a name. But sometimes visionary change comes in a deceptively bland wrapper. Assembly Bill 1147 is a truly innovative piece of legislation that could open the door to more liveable communities, more humane commutes, and stronger neighborhoods.

CalBike strongly supports the concepts of bicycle highways and 15-minute cities. We are working with legislators to ensure the bikeway network concepts in AB 1147 are clearly defined and fully funded. 

Initially, funding for the projects in this bill was slated to come from the Active Transportation Program (ATP). However, the ATP is already oversubscribed. We don’t want to see funding stripped from other worthy active transportation projects to meet the very worthy goals of this initiative. Instead, a group of nonprofits is asking that the funding come from California’s $15 billion budget surplus.

We are excited to watch the evolution of this revolutionary bill. Stay tuned for opportunities to voice your support as it makes its way through the legislature and to the governor’s desk.

CalBike to Host National Panel on Decriminalizing Jaywalking

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On May 3, 2021, at 1:00 pm Pacific time, CalBike will join our cosponsors of the Freedom to Walk Act (AB 1238, Ting) and leading experts on pedestrian safety to host a national panel discussion on decriminalizing jaywalking.

The discussion will be held on Zoom and all are welcome to attend. The event is free but preregistration is required.

CalBike is committed to reforming traffic laws to reduce inequities and racially biased policing. Eliminating laws against jaywalking is an essential step toward this goal. By co-sponsoring the Freedom to Walk Act, we hope to decriminalize jaywalking in California. But this movement should be national, so we created a webinar to connect people working on this issue from across the country.

The panel discussion will be moderated by Dr. Charles Brown of Equitable Cities and John Yi from Los Angeles Walks, a co-sponsor of AB 1238. The panelists are Angie Schmitt, Author of “Right of Way,” Caro Jauregui from California Walks (also a co-sponsor of AB 1238), Patrick Hope, a delegate in the Virginia House of Delegates, and Michael Kelley from Bike Walk Kansas City. Jared Sanchez from CalBike will introduce the session. Additional hosts are 3MPH Planning + Consulting and Arrested Mobility.

We look forward to this opportunity to build a national movement to decriminalize jaywalking. We hope you will join us.

Jaywalking Webinar flyer

Assembly Transportation Committee Supports Freedom to Walk Act

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April 26, 2021

For Immediate Release

Contact:

Assembly Transportation Committee Supports Freedom to Walk Act

First Step to Decriminalize Jaywalking in California

Sacramento – The California Assembly Transportation Committee voted 12-2 to support AB 1238, the Freedom to Walk Act. This measure will eliminate jaywalking laws, making it legal for pedestrians to make mid-block crossings and cross against traffic lights.

The Freedom to Walk Act, sponsored by Assemblymember Phil Ting, is a necessary step to right historic injustices. Jaywalking citations are disproportionately issued to Black Californians, and policing these infractions provides an opportunity for biased and pretextual policing. Decriminalizing jaywalking will remove an unjust burden from low-income Californians, who can least afford to pay the fines. Low-income residents are also more likely to live in neighborhoods that lack infrastructure for people who walk, making jaywalking unavoidable. 

‘’We applaud the Assembly Transportation Committee for advancing this important bill,” said Jared Sanchez, CalBike Senior Policy Advocate. “Their strong support is a sign that California is ready to leave these regressive and oppressive laws in the dustbin of history, where they belong.”

“The incredible rate at which pedestrians are dying from crashes should compel us to understand why fellow Californians navigate as such, not criminalize them. This is just the first of many steps in our fight to provide all those who walk and roll with a little more dignity. We look forward to the work ahead,” shared John Yi, Executive Director of Los Angeles Walks.

“The decriminalization of “jaywalking” is the first step in ensuring a culture of belonging on our streets for all road users. We will continue to work towards ending the current dangerous car culture across the state that is accepted as the norm and prioritizes drivers, “ said Caro Jauregui, Co-Executive Director of California Walks. 

CalBike, California Walks, and Los Angeles Walks are sponsoring the Freedom to Walk Act, which has strong support from a broad base of community organizations. To date, more than 85 groups and individuals have signed on to a letter supporting AB 1238. Supporters include the Ella Baker Center, Courage California, Disability Rights California, and the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights. Elected leaders supporting the measure include Berkeley City Councilmember Rigel Robinson, Albany Mayor Ge’Nell Gary, and Albany Vice Mayor, Preston Jordan.

On May 3, CalBike will join Los Angeles Walks and California Walks to host a national discussion on decriminalizing jaywalking. All are welcome to attend.

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Roundup of CalBike 2021 Legislation

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After COVID sidetracked much of California’s legislative agenda (and all of CalBike’s bills) in 2020, this year is off to a busy start. CalBike 2021 legislation includes three bills we are sponsoring that will be crucial in creating a more equitable, bicycling-friendly California. Your team in Sacramento is actively working on four additional bills and keeping an eye on another 16 pieces of legislation. 

CalBike’s sponsored bills

In 2020, we laid out a plan for reducing the role of police in traffic enforcement. Every pretext for a police stop is an opportunity for police to target, harass, and attack Black and brown Californians. 

It will take more than a change in traffic laws to change a culture of brutality toward BIPOC people from law enforcement. However, we think that two bills we’re sponsoring that legalize commonsense behaviors help reduce opportunities for pretextual policing. 

Ending unjust “jaywalking” laws

The Freedom to Walk Act, AB-1238 

Authored by Assemblymember Phil Ting, this bill will repeal jaywalking laws. It makes legal the common practice of safely crossing a street mid-block or crossing against the light if there’s no traffic present. 

Decriminalizing walking across the street is a step toward correcting years of neglected infrastructure. Many residents of underserved neighborhoods have no choice but to “jaywalk” on streets without adequate sidewalks, crosswalks, or traffic controls. In addition, jaywalking is inequitably enforced, with Black Californians more than four times as likely to be stopped as their white counterparts.

The Freedom to Walk Act will take off the books a “crime” that harms no one and often reflects commonsense choices by pedestrians in a car-centric world.

The Freedom to Walk Act was approved by the Assembly Transportation Committee on April 26 and will soon come before the full Assembly for a vote. Show your support for this critical bill: sign the petition to decriminalize jaywalking.

Bringing the “Idaho stop” to California

Bicycle Safety Stop Bill, AB 122 

In 1982, Idaho made it legal for people on bikes to treat stop signs as yields. Many states have since followed suit, including Oregon, Washington, and Delaware. A study from Delaware found that, after the bike-stop-as-yield became law, crashes involving bikes and cars at intersections decreased by 23%. This bill will bring California in line with our West Coast neighbors and improve bike safety.

If AB 122 becomes law, it will be legal for people on bikes to do what most of us already do: slow down at a stop sign, proceed if the way is clear, or stop and yield to pedestrians or other traffic. Legalizing the bicycle safety stop also counters racial disparities by removing one more pretext for potentially lethal police traffic stops.

The Assembly approved the Bicycle Safety Stop Bill on April 22, by a vote of 53-11. We’ll need your help to get it through the California Senate. In the meantime, sign the petition to show your support for the Bicycle Safety Stop Law.

CalBike’s E-Bike Affordability Program

Our third sponsored bill is part of a campaign that CalBike has been working on for several years. We know that e-bikes are very effective at replacing car trips, and we know we need to drastically reduce driving to avoid the worst impacts of the climate crisis. In 2019, we passed SB 400, which added e-bikes to the Clean Cars 4 All program. This year, we’re looking for greatly expanded funding to make e-bikes affordable to more Californians.

E-Bike Affordability Bill, AB 117

The E-Bike Affordability Bill creates a program to give purchase incentives for e-bikes, much like the electric car program run by the state. However, the bill doesn’t set the amount of funding. In addition to passing AB 117, we will advocate for initial funding of $10 million for e-bikes in the budget process. 

The E-Bike Affordability Bill unanimously passed the Assembly Transportation Committee and will soon be ready for a floor vote. We need lots of support to make this vital program a reality. Sign the petition to demand that California subsidize e-bikes as it does electric cars.

Other priority legislation

CalBike is supporting or opposing several additional bills. We are working to ensure that the needs of people who rely on active transportation are heard in Sacramento.

Improving transportation planning

AB 1147: Transportation Plan Improvements (Friedman) 

AB 1147 will require regional transportation agencies to ensure that their transportation plans meet California’s goals to reduce the miles people travel in their cars. It calls for a grant program to build the safe biking infrastructure to achieve a “15-minute city.” That’s a place where every typical destination can be reached by most people with a 15-minute bike ride. CalBike is working with the author to ensure that the grant program incentivizes city leaders to build truly effective networks, even when they impact car traffic or parking.  

Opposing a threat to bike and scooter sharing

AB-371: Death to Shared Mobility Bill (Jones-Sawyer)

AB 371 rehashes an onerous insurance requirement that CalBike managed to kill in the legislature last year. It would require scooter and bike-share systems to carry insurance not just to cover their legitimate liability for product defects and malfunctions (which they already do) but to cover any injury to someone using their systems, no matter what the cause. The cost of this would drive micromobility systems out of California. Plus, there’s no carve-out for municipal systems, like the one operated by LA’s Metro or nonprofit bike libraries. We support a provision in the bill to make devices accessible to vision-impaired people for reporting purposes, but the rest of this measure is toxic. CalBike is working hard to defeat it.

AB-550: Speed Safety Systems Pilot Program (Chiu)

This measure will allow six California cities to establish pilot programs to enforce speed limits with cameras. The cities on the list are Oakland, San Jose, and San Francisco in northern California; Los Angeles and two other cities to be determined in Southern California. The bill imposes strict limits on programs to protect privacy and limit fines (including add-on fees) to $125. Automated enforcement of speed limits has proven to reduce crashes dramatically. Because of the limitations included in this bill, CalBike may make an exception to our typical refusal to support enforcement as a traffic safety strategy. 

Lowering speed limits for safety

AB 43: Makes It Easier to Lower Speed Limits (Friedman, Ting, Chiu, and Quirk)

AB 43 reforms the infamous 85th percentile rule. This rule requires agencies to set speed limits at the nearest 5-mph increment to the speed of the 15th fastest driver out of 100. In effect, this rewards drivers for speeding. The bill will broaden exceptions to the rule and allow for speed limits as low as 20 mph and 15 mph. Lower speeds are crucial for neighborhood Slow Streets.

CalBike 2021 legislation watch list

The bills we are watching include measures to do away with parking minimums in buildings near transit, setbacks to keep oil drilling away from homes and schools, school zone speed cameras, and more. Our Legislative Watch page has the full rundown, including the latest status of all this year’s bills.

CalBike couldn’t do the work we do in Sacramento to stand up for active transportation and people who ride bikes without the support of our many members. Please consider joining or renewing your membership today. 

CalBike’s Bicycle Safety Stop Bill Passes Assembly

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For Immediate Release

Tuesday, April 20, 2021

Contact: Dave Snyder, 916-251-9433, dave@calbike.org

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

Earth Day Victory for Bicycling
CalBike’s Bicycle Safety Stop Bill Passes Assembly

Today, the California Assembly took a historic step by voting 53 to 11 in favor of the Bicycle Safety Stop Bill (AB 122, Boerner Horvath, Friedman, Ting). Most Democrats and two Republicans supported the bill. The bill will replace the requirement that people on bikes stop at stop signs with a requirement to yield and slow and stop if necessary for safety, including to yield the right of way to pedestrians. More than 75 organizations across the state signed a letter in support of the bill. 

“To cut down on car emissions, promote healthy living, and improve equity, we need neighborhoods that encourage safe bicycle riding,” said Assemblymember Tasha Boerner Horvath, the bill’s original author. “We know from the example of other states that when riders are allowed to yield at stop signs, they choose safer streets and will spend less time in dangerous intersections. It’s time for California to live up to its values and start encouraging — not penalizing — smart riding in our state.”

“Bicycling is good for California in so many ways: it improves our health, our economy, and our environment. We’re grateful to our thousands of members who agree with that and contacted their assembly members to ask them to remove this nonsensical obstacle to safe and reasonable biking,” said Dave Snyder, Executive Director of CalBike.

The Bicycle Safety Stop Bill doesn’t change existing right-of-way laws. Instead, AB 122 reforms the rules of the road to conform to safe and logical bike riding. It will improve predictability at intersections and mutual respect among road users. 

If AB 122 becomes law, California will join the list of states that have implemented the safety stop: Idaho, Delaware, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Delaware, Arkansas, Utah, and North Dakota. None of those states has reported any safety problems with the new rule. A recent study in Delaware found that collisions involving bicycles at intersections decreased by 23% since the safety stop became legal. CalBike has created a video to explain how the bicycle safety stop works.

After unsuccessful attempts at passing this legislation in the past, CalBike pursued the issue this year in an environment of growing support for reducing the police role in traffic enforcement. Unnecessary laws that are difficult to follow pose a risk of traffic stops with tragic endings for people riding bikes, especially Black and Latinx people.

Transportation Committee Endorses E-Bike Affordability

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CalBike’s E-Bike Affordability Bill (AB 117) had its first victory on Monday when the Assembly Transportation Committee voted unanimously in support of this essential program. Committee Chair Laura Friedman and Member Buffy Wicks asked to be included as co-authors. 

Dave Snyder, Vista City Councillor Corinna Contreras, and a number of representatives of environmental groups and individuals spoke in support of the bill during the hearing. Brian Simmons testified eloquently about how his e-bike was essential to his mental and physical healing after losing a leg in military service. Nobody spoke in opposition.

The bill is part of CalBike’s $10M E-Bike Affordability Program. Introduced by Assemblymember Tasha Boerner Horvath, AB 117 establishes an e-bike purchase incentive program which through grants and vouchers will help make e-bikes affordable and accessible to thousands of Californians. Prior to approval, CalBike coordinated amendments among stakeholders to specify the goals of the program. Amendments also removed any reference to funding the program. For the promise of AB 117 to become real, legislators must separately include the $10 million in the state budget.

“The budget process will be key,” said Dave Snyder, CalBike’s Executive Director. “This will be meaningless without a healthy amount of funding.” The $10 million CalBike hopes to win in the 2022 budget is slated to cover the first several years of the program. Snyder hopes that e-bike purchase incentives will be so popular and successful that the state will soon allocate $10 million annually for e-bike purchase incentives. 

Funding is the key to removing barriers to e-bike adoption

E-bikes are not only greener than electric cars; they also help people lead more active, healthier lives. And the electricity to power an e-bike costs less than $0.01 per mile.

The biggest barrier to e-bike adoption has been the price. Simple e-bikes of good quality cost more than $1,500, and many of the most useful bikes can cost more than $4,000, well out of the price range for low-income Californians. CalBike’s goal for the program is to connect 10,000 Californians with affordable e-bikes. 

The next big test for AB 117 will be the vote on the floor. Many of you emailed your representatives on the Transportation Committee to build support for e-bike purchase incentives. We’ll put out a similar call when the bill comes up for a vote on the Assembly Floor. 

But the bigger test for the program will be the budget process. “It’s one thing for legislators to say they support the program in theory,” said Snyder. “It’s more important for them to support it in the budget.” 

On Monday, CalBike brings on board a campaign manager to help us win the budget fight. Your support will be critical. Please sign our petition, and include your address, so we know which district you live in to coordinate our advocacy. And please share the petition in your networks.  

We can’t avoid the worst effects of climate change unless we transition our transportation sector to cleaner vehicles—quickly. E-bikes are one of the best ways to replace car trips with clean, green transportation. Your support will help us pass and fund this important e-bike affordability program.

Book Review: Cycling for Sustainable Cities

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MIT Press has just published an important new book of scholarly research on bicycle trends: Cycling for Sustainable Cities. The book covers topics ranging from safe bicycle infrastructure to social justice considerations for bicycle planning to cycling in a variety of cities and countries around the globe. It is an essential volume, filled with actionable data, that will instantly become essential for bike planners and advocates.

Cycling for Sustainable Cities cover

The editors are urban transportation researchers and professors, Ralph Buehler and John Pucher. CalBike interviewed them last year about their research on U.S. traffic fatalities and what California can learn about traffic safety from Europe. The book is a follow-up to and, to some extent, an update of their 2012 volume, City Cycling.

An essential and accessible reference for bicycle advocates

While the chapters are surveys of scholarly research, the writing style is accessible and the information is easy to digest. The contributors include bicycle advocates and bike program managers, as well as academics. CalBike’s Executive Director, Dave Snyder, is one of the authors of the chapter about cycling advocacy on three continents (North America, Europe, and Australia).

Whatever bicycle transportation topic you want to nerd out about, you’ll probably find it here. The chapter on bicycle parking is a welcome reference on a vital but too often overlooked topic. The bikeshare chapter includes valuable insights about what leads bikesharing systems to success or failure.

The chapter on e-bikes covers a subject that is at the top of mind at CalBike. The e-bike research showed that, given the chance to try out e-bikes, people start to use bikes for more and longer trips. But, not surprisingly, surveys find that e-bike riders trend older and wealthier. CalBike’s e-bike affordability program is a great way to bridge that gap and get more people on e-bikes.

“It’s rare that a scholarly book of data and research can serve as an essential reference in the age of global internet searches, but this is that book,” said Snyder. “It’s like a guidebook for bicycle advocacy and planning.”

Cycling for Sustainable Cities is an enlightening read as well as an excellent reference book. It’s a must-read for bicycle advocates.

Join a webinar for a deep dive into Cycling for Sustainable Cities

The first webinar on the book takes place on March 31. Anyone can register.

  • What: Zoom webinar hosted by the Palm Beach Transportation Planning Authority (MPO)
  • When: Mar 31, 2021, 9 am Pacific Daylight Time
  • Topic: Cycling for Sustainable Cities
  • Register in advance for this webinar: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_7QmUJnFQSr6aqih4Ym8kfQ
  • After registering, you will receive a confirmation email from Eventbrite with information about joining the webinar. You’ll get a Zoom link and password, both specific to you, which you will need to access the webinar on March 31.

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Sacramento, CA 95814
© California Bicycle Coalition 2025