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Tag Archive for: Idaho stop

Governor Newsom Vetoes Bill to Improve Bike Safety

October 11, 2021/by Jared Sanchez

For Immediate Release: October 11, 2021

Contact: 

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

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

Governor Newsom Vetoes Bill to Improve Bike Safety

Sacramento – The Bicycle Safety Stop Bill (AB 122 – Boerner Horvath, Friedman, Ting) had broad support from the Assembly, the Senate, and people who ride bikes. CalBike is disappointed that Governor Newsom vetoed a bill that would make it legal for people on bikes to treat stop signs as yields. 

Similar laws are on the books in 10 other states and have been proven to reduce collisions and improve conditions for bike riders. CalBike created a video to explain how the bicycle safety stop works, and more than 75 organizations across the state signed a letter supporting the bill.

“Governor Newsom showed today he doesn’t understand the needs of people who use bikes for everyday transportation. This commonsense law would have reduced conflict between bike riders and car drivers,” said Dave Snyder, Executive Director of CalBike. “I’m disappointed that, while climate change ravages our state, the governor blocked a popular measure that would have helped more people choose carbon-free transportation.”

CalBike Senior Policy Advocate Jared Sanchez said, “CalBike hears complaints every year about punitive sting operations that have nothing to do with safety and are sometimes used as a pretext to stop Black and Latinx people. These police interactions too often have tragic results. The Bicycle Safety Stop Bill would have been a step towards making the streets safer for every Californian.” 

Assemblymember Tasha Boerner Horvath, the bill’s original author, said, “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.”

In Delaware, a recent study found that collisions involving bicycles at intersections decreased by 23% after the state made the safety stop legal. The governor’s veto prevents California from joining a long list of states that have implemented the safety stop: Idaho, Delaware, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Arkansas, Utah, Oklahoma, and North Dakota. None of those states have reported any safety problems after implementing this rule.

###

https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Stop-as-Yield_Graphic_3.jpg 1200 1200 Jared Sanchez https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.png Jared Sanchez2021-10-11 11:23:092021-10-11 11:40:08Governor Newsom Vetoes Bill to Improve Bike Safety

CA Senate Transportation Considers Bicycle Safety Stop

June 25, 2021/by Kevin Claxton

For Immediate Release: 6/25/21

Contact:

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

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

CA Senate Transportation Considers Bicycle Safety Stop on Tuesday, June 29

SACRAMENTO – The Bicycle Safety Stop Bill (AB 122, Boerner Horvath, Friedman, Ting) will be heard in the California Senate Transportation Committee on Tuesday, June 29, 2021.

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. The California Bicycle Coalition created a video that explains how bicycle safety stops work in the real world. The bicycle stop-as-yield is proven to increase safety for people on bikes.

“The Bicycle Safety Stop Bill doesn’t change existing right-of-way laws. Instead, AB 122 reforms the rules of the road to accommodate the safe and logical bike riding that people are already doing. It also removes a pretext for police to harass Black Californians,” said Dave Snyder, Executive Director of CalBike.

“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.”  

In April, the California Assembly voted 53 to 11 in favor of the Bicycle Safety Stop Bill.

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.

Unnecessary laws that are difficult to follow pose a risk of traffic stops with tragic endings for people riding bikes, especially Black people.

https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Safety-Stop-thumbnail-compressed.png 272 481 Kevin Claxton https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.png Kevin Claxton2021-06-25 13:00:002021-07-23 19:11:10CA Senate Transportation Considers Bicycle Safety Stop

Call to Action for Bike-Friendly California Legislation

June 22, 2021/by Kevin Claxton

The many bike-friendly bills CalBike is tracking and the one bad bill we are opposing are moving through the Senate after passing the Assembly. Several of them have hearings in the next two weeks. CalBike is reaching out strategically to our members who have legislators on key Senate Committees: Transportation, and Judiciary. If you are one of those people, your call or email to your State Senator could make the difference in making California more bikeable, our streets safer for all users, and future generations safer from the climate crisis. 

If your senator isn’t on one of those committees, we’ll be sure to tell you when the issue is up for a floor vote and it’s time for you to reach out.  

Want to do something now? Make a donation to support this critical work. Any amount makes a difference.  

Here’s your guide to emailing and calling to help push bike-friendly bills forward.

AB 371: Save Bike-Share

This bill would impose burdensome and unprecedented insurance requirements on bike-share and scooter-share operators. CalBike would like to see bike and scooter sharing become elements of public transportation systems, operated by transit authorities and priced like other forms of transit. AB 371 would take California in the opposite direction. If it passes, no shared mobility systems, public or private, will be able to operate in our state.

Status:

In the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Hearing Date:

TBD (postponed from 6/22)

Take Action:

  • Use CalBike’s tool to email your senator and tell them to vote NO on AB 371.
  • The bill will come before the Senate Judiciary Committee soon. If your senator is on the committee, call them and urge them to kill AB 371 in committee. Here’s the list of committee members:
    • Senator Thomas J. Umberg (Chair) – Orange County: (916) 651-4034
    • Senator Andreas Borgeas (Vice Chair) – Fresno/Oakdale/Sutter Creek: (916) 651-4008
    • Senator Anna M. Caballero – Salinas/Modesto: (916) 651-4012
    • Senator María Elena Durazo – Los Angeles: (916) 651-4024
    • Senator Lena A. Gonzalez – Long Beach/South LA: (916) 651-4033
    • Senator Robert M. Hertzberg – San Fernando Valley: (916) 651-4018
    • Senator Brian W. Jones – El Cajon/Escondido: (916) 651-4038
    • Senator John Laird – Monterey/Santa Cruz: (916) 651-4017
    • Senator Henry I. Stern – Simi Valley/LA: (916) 651-4027
    • Senator Bob Wieckowski – Hayward/Fremont: (916) 651-4010
    • Senator Scott D. Wiener – San Francisco/Daly City: (916) 651-4011

AB 122, the Bicycle Safety Stop Bill

Also known as the Idaho stop, the bicycle safety stop allows people on bikes to treat stop signs as yields. The safety stop has been proven to reduce collisions involving bicyclists in states that have adopted it. AB 122 (Boerner Horvath) easily passed the Assembly, but it’s meeting more opposition in the Senate.

Status:

In Senate Transportation Committee

Hearing Date:

Tuesday, 6/29/21

Take Action:

  • Use CalBike’s tool to email your senator and tell them to support the Bicycle Safety Stop Bill, AB 122.
  • Or, if your senator is on the Transportation Committee, make a phone call to ask them to support this and our other bills that will be heard by them in the next few weeks. Jump to the list of committee members and their contact information to reach out to them directly.

AB 1238, the Freedom to Walk Act

The Freedom to Walk Act would repeal California’s unjust jaywalking laws. These laws shift blame for unsafe driving from car drivers to walkers, are unfairly enforced against Black Californians, and initiate potentially deadly police interactions. AB 1238 (Ting) is an essential step toward safer streets for all.

Status:

In Senate Transportation Committee

Hearing Date:

Tuesday, 6/29/21

Take Action:

  • Use CalBike’s tool to email your senator and tell them to support the Bicycle Safety Stop Bill, AB 1238.
  • Multiple bills that are important for safer streets will come before the Senate Transportation Committee next week. Jump to the list of committee members and their contact information to reach out to them directly.

AB 117, the E-Bike Affordability Act

CalBike’s E-Bike Affordability Program would help 10,000 low-income Californians buy the cleanest electric vehicle: an electric bike. AB 117 (Boerner Horvath) creates the program, and the budget process will provide the funding to make it happen.

Status:

In Senate Transportation Committee and ongoing budget negotiations

Hearing Date:

Thursday, 6/24/21

Take Action:

  • Use CalBike’s tool to email your senator and tell them to support the E-Bike Affordability Bill, AB 117.
  • If you are a constituent of one of these six legislators, contact them to ask them to include $10 million for e-bikes in next year’s budget:
    • Assemblymember Phil Ting – San Francisco: (916) 651-4019
    • Senator Bob Wieckowski – Hayward/Fremont: (916) 651-4010
    • Senator Nancy Skinner – East Bay: (916) 651-4009
    • Assemblymember Richard Bloom – Santa Monica: (916) 319-2050
    • Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon – Los Angeles: (916) 319-2063
    • Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins – San Diego: (916) 651-4039
  • Multiple bills that are important for safer streets will come before the Senate Transportation Committee next week. Jump to the list of committee members and their contact information to reach out to them directly.

AB 1147, Reform Regional Active Transportation Planning

This visionary bill would pave the way for 15-minute neighborhoods and bicycle freeways. AB 1147 (Friedman) will incentivize the kinds of changes California needs to make our communities more livable and climate-resilient.

Status:

In Senate Environmental Quality Committee and ongoing budget negotiations

Hearing Date:

Thursday, 7/1/21

Take Action:

  • Sign CalBike’s petition in support of AB 1147’s forward-thinking active transportation planning reforms
  • If your senator is on the Environmental Quality Committee, contact them and ask them to vote YES on AB 1147:
    • Senator Benjamin Allen (Chair) – Hollywood/Westside/South Bay: (916) 651-4026
    • Senator Patricia C. Bates (Vice Chair) San Diego/Orange County: (916) 651-4036
    • Senator Brian Dahle – Redding/Gold River/Grass Valley: (916) 651-4001
    • Senator Lena A. Gonzalez – Long Beach/South LA: (916) 651-4033
    • Senator Nancy Skinner – East Bay: (916) 651-4009
    • Senator Henry I. Stern – Simi Valley/LA: (916) 651-4027
    • Senator Bob Wieckowski – Hayward/Fremont: (916) 651-4010

More bills to watch

AB 43 (Friedman): Changes the 85 percentile rule to allow communities to set lower speed limits

Status:

In Senate Transportation Committee

Hearing Date:

Tuesday, 7/13/21

AB 1401 (Friedman): Ends mandated parking minimums for new buildings near transit, moving California away from the car dependency that’s driving the climate crisis.

Status:

In Senate Governance and Finance Committee

Hearing Date:

Not yet set

Take Action:

  • Sign CalBike’s petition in support of AB 1401 and ending parking minimums near transit.

Contact the Senate Transportation Committee

Senate Transportation Committee members:

  • Senator Lena A. Gonzalez (Chair) – Long Beach/South LA: (916) 651-4033
  • Senator Patricia C. Bates (Vice Chair) San Diego/Orange County: (916) 651-4036
  • Senator Benjamin Allen – Hollywood/Westside/South Bay: (916) 651-4026
  • Senator Bob Archuleta – Norwalk: (916) 651-4032
  • Senator Josh Becker – San Mateo: (916) 651-4013
  • Senator Dave Cortese – Campbell: (916) 651-4015
  • Senator Brian Dahle – Redding/Gold River/Grass Valley: (916) 651-4001
  • Senator Bill Dodd – Napa: (916) 651-4003
  • Senator Mike McGuire – San Rafael: (916) 651-4002
  • Senator Melissa Melendez – Murrieta: (916) 651-4028
  • Senator Dave Min – Costa Mesa: (916) 651-4037
  • Senator Josh Newman – Brea: (916) 651-4029
  • Senator Susan Rubio – West Covina: (916) 651-4022
  • Senator Nancy Skinner – East Bay: (916) 651-4009
  • Senator Thomas J. Umberg – Orange County: (916) 651-4034
  • Senator Bob Wieckowski – Hayward/Fremont: (916) 651-4010
  • Senator Scott Wilk – Lancaster: (916) 651-4021

Join CalBike’s list to get timely updates on all the bills you care about.

Check out CalBike’s Legislative Watch page for an update on all the bills we’re working on.

https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/E-bikes.jpg 1365 2048 Kevin Claxton https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.png Kevin Claxton2021-06-22 16:48:442021-06-25 09:06:00Call to Action for Bike-Friendly California Legislation

Roundup of CalBike 2021 Legislation

April 23, 2021/by Kevin Claxton

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. 

https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/California_State_Capitol_in_Sacramento.jpg 1000 1500 Kevin Claxton https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.png Kevin Claxton2021-04-23 17:46:592021-04-27 18:03:10Roundup of CalBike 2021 Legislation

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