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Tag Archive for: League of American Bicyclists

CalBike’s Work Fuels California’s Bike-Friendly Ranking

April 21, 2022/by Kevin Claxton

California ranked fourth in the League of American Bicyclists’ annual ranking of bike-friendly states, released on April 19, 2022.  Massachusetts, Oregon, and Washington rank first through third.

The League’s report on California referred to many issues that CalBike has successfully campaigned on or is currently advocating for. We know California can do better, and we’re constantly working toward a more bike-friendly state.

Here are some of the ways that CalBike’s work has helped our state retain its high ranking and how we aim to push it even higher.

How CalBike’s advocacy makes California more bikeable

The areas of progress cited in the report are all issues CalBike has worked on. We led the campaign to pass the 3-foot passing law, and we advocate for more funding for bikes in California’s transportation budget every year. That has helped double the Active Transportation Program budget to build more bikeways. Still, we have much more work to balance California’s transportation spending, so it favors biking, walking, and public transit over climate-killing freeway expansion.

The report also cites Caltrans’ progress on Complete Streets, an issue that CalBike has campaigned for and followed closely for several years. And it mentions AB 43, a measure that gives local governments more authority to lower speed limits. CalBike supported that bill, which passed in 2021, and we are now working to develop a user’s guide to AB 43 that will help local officials take back their power by creating slower, safer streets.

The report also cited official Caltrans quick-build guidance that promotes tactics to build safer infrastructure in months rather than years. We helped Caltrans develop that guidance, relying on the expertise we developed in collaboration with Alta Planning + Design. And we produced the Quick-Build Guide: How to Build Safer Streets Quickly and Affordably and a webinar in December 2020 with Alta. CalBike has distributed copies of the guide to local officials across the state, and we continue to send out copies. Request a copy of the quick-build guide for your local planning department.

California got a score of A on traffic laws & practices, policies & programs, and evaluation & planning. But there are areas where the state falls short.

More work needed for biking in California

The state gets a B for education & encouragement, a B- for infrastructure & funding, and the report cited a $2 billion gap in funding in the last ATP round. CalBike’s $2 billion for bikes campaign seeks money to fill that funding gap, bolster the ATP, and build connected bikeway networks. 

But that’s just the beginning. California ranked #7 for the share of people who bike to work (0.87%), illustrating the need for better infrastructure. California ranks 39th in per capita spending on biking and walking, a related problem.

To meet our climate goals, we must realign our transportation spending priorities away from highway-building and toward creating bicycle highways and 15-minute neighborhoods. We are actively pushing for bills to align transportation funding with California’s climate goals and transform regional planning to emphasize bikeable and walkable communities.

Many of California’s negatives relate to Caltrans, and CalBike works with that agency regularly. We have helped push Caltrans to honor its commitment to Complete Streets and improve community engagement. The report also cited California’s outdated Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), which guides local traffic engineers and often hampers reforms that would make communities safer for people on bikes. The MUTCD is an obscure but critical factor in creating bikeable neighborhoods, and CalBike is nerdy enough to have MUTCD reform as one of our priorities. 

In 2021, California had a higher share of bike fatalities than 22 other states in a country with high bicycle fatality rates that are far too high. That figure illustrates why creating safer streets accessible to people of all ages and modes of transportation is a high priority for our advocacy.

CalBike’s success is amplified by a growing alliance of organizations prioritizing traffic safety and bicycle transportation. Our allies include biking and walking groups and NGOs focused on social and environmental justice, climate change, housing, and more. And we couldn’t do it without the large and engaged community of members and supporters, like you, who take the time to write letters, call your representatives, show up at protests and hearings, donate, and get out and ride.

https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/protected-bikeways-act.jpg 684 1024 Kevin Claxton https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.png Kevin Claxton2022-04-21 17:19:342022-04-22 10:33:06CalBike’s Work Fuels California’s Bike-Friendly Ranking

California Ranks Fourth Most Bicycle Friendly State in 2022

April 19, 2022/by Laura McCamy

For Immediate Release: 4/19/22

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

California Ranks Fourth Most Bicycle-Friendly State in League of American Bicyclists 2022 Report

Sacramento, Calif. – California took 4th Place in the annual ranking of Bicycle Friendly States by the League of American Bicyclists released today in Washington, D.C.

The state Report Card found in today’s report praises California for…
“…significant advances in bicycle policy in recent years, but those advances must be institutionalized more thoroughly in local Caltrans offices and in funding decisions made by Caltrans and the state legislature. For example, while California’s Active Transportation Program has expanded in recent years, it still fails to meet the demand for biking and walking investments with a nearly $2 billion gap in funding in the last application round.”

CalBike’s $2 Billion for Bikes campaign aims to fill the funding gap identified by the League. Many excellent projects in the Active Transportation Program didn’t get funded in the last cycle due to lack of budget. Governor Newsom and the legislature have, so far, tentatively committed to $1.1 billion in additional funding for biking and walking infrastructure in the next fiscal year, which is an encouraging first step, but California needs more. 


Dave Snyder, executive director of CalBike, said of the League’s report:

“California being named the fourth most bike-friendly state is wonderful news. But California can and should be the MOST bike-friendly state in the nation. The pandemic showed us that Californians love to bike recreationally. But more Californians would love to use bikes for commuting and shopping too, if they felt the streets were safe enough. 

“While funding for bicycles in California has increased recently, we are still ranked at 39th in per capita spending and 23rd in safety nationwide. To catch up, let’s invest $2 billion in safe bikeways that reach destinations where people want to go. By vastly expanding our bike infrastructure, California can become the climate and equity leader we claim to be.“

https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/2B-for-bikes.jpeg 1150 2125 Laura McCamy https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.png Laura McCamy2022-04-19 10:59:502022-04-19 10:59:52California Ranks Fourth Most Bicycle Friendly State in 2022

What to Expect from Federal Support for Biking in 2021

January 13, 2021/by Kevin Claxton

Next week, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will be president and vice president. Control of the Senate will flip to the Democrats. This change in power could make a big difference in funding and support for biking and walking this year and beyond. With thanks to our national partners, the League of American Bicyclists, here’s what we’re looking forward to under the new administration.

Amtrak Joe

Joe Biden is famous for being a train commuter. We’ve seen him ride a bike. Those facts alone are a massive improvement over a golf cart president who gets driven everywhere.

But we have high hopes that a Biden administration will do much more to promote active transportation. Biden’s cabinet appointments have delivered on his promise to prioritize climate change. He has created a new cabinet-level position of U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate and appointed John Kerry to the role. In addition, the new administration promises that every executive branch department will address climate change. 

Department of Transportation

The most critical appointment for active transportation is the head of the US Department of Transportation. We are heartened by Biden’s choice of Pete Buttigieg for Transportation Secretary. Among the presidential candidates, Buttigieg was one of only two candidates whose transportation platform earned a perfect score from Transportation for America. As mayor of South Bend, he helped the city get Silver Level status from the League, making it among the most bike-friendly cities in the midwest. Plus, as a former mayor, he should have a good grasp of the crucial role of safe biking and walking infrastructure in building resilient communities.

The USDOT can do a lot for biking and walking. Buttigieg will appoint his own deputies to oversee the agency’s $86 billion budget. These officials will be responsible for enforcing safety, equity, and efficiency in federal transportation spending.  

For example, for the last four years, new safety regulations at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have been gathering dust. That’s thanks to an executive order forcing agencies to get rid of two regulations for every new one they implement. We expect Biden to revoke this order. Under a Biden administration, expect to see more safety regulations that benefit people biking and walking. 

A Democratic Congress

The new Democratic majority in both houses of Congress comes at a fortuitous time for transportation policy. Every five to six years, Congress writes a long-term transportation funding bill. In 2020, CalBike and many of you supported a new federal transportation funding bill called the INVEST In America Act to set national priorities for the next six years. The bill had many bike-friendly provisions, but Congress didn’t pass the bill before the 2020 elections. 

With Democratic control of the Senate, Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) will become Chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee responsible for writing the transportation bill. Politico reports that he is scrapping the old version to write a new version that will implement President Biden’s “Build Back Better” agenda. 

Two newly elected Senators will be champions of bicycling. Mark Kelly of Arizona is a bike commuter. Colorado’s John Hickenlooper invested heavily in bicycling when he was governor. These changes make significant improvements on the provisions in the INVEST In America Act a real possibility.

 

What to look for in the 2021 transportation bill

We hope to see some of CalBike’s key priorities added to the new transportation funding bill. For example, we hope to see a bikeway network grant program that will reward cities that build safe, low-stress bikeways. Our communities need bike networks that connect destinations, even when those routes are politically challenging to develop because of parking or traffic impacts. The current bill creates this vital program, thanks to lobbying from our national partners. However, the 2020 version funds the program with a measly one-time $250 million allocation. CalBike is pressing for $500 million in annual funding over the five-year lifespan of the bill.  Other national priorities now on the table include a “complete streets” requirement for all federally-funded projects and generous tax credits to businesses and individuals for bike-related expenses.

Of course, our most important work remains at the state level. But having a supportive national government will push our Governor and legislature to do even better.  We will keep you posted on the progress of the 2021 transportation funding bill.

https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/US-capitol-1-scaled.jpg 1706 2560 Kevin Claxton https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.png Kevin Claxton2021-01-13 16:33:392021-01-13 17:17:34What to Expect from Federal Support for Biking in 2021

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