Summit 2024 Archives

California Bicycle Summit: Local Impacts of State Legislation

April 2, 2024/by Kendra Ramsey

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.

California Bicycle Summit Includes Global Perspectives

March 29, 2024/by Kendra Ramsey

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.

San Diego Bicycle Summit Will Include Sessions on Wheels and on Foot

March 15, 2024/by Kevin Claxton

Bike session photo by Evan Dudley.

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.

California Bicycle Summit Opening Plenary: In Discussion with Jeanie Ward-Waller

February 5, 2024/by Kevin Claxton

The opening plenary session at the 2024 California Bicycle Summit on April 18, 2024, will include a discussion with Jeanie Ward-Waller, Director of Transportation Advocacy at Fearless Advocacy, and Kendra Ramsey, CalBike Executive Director.

Ward-Waller’s career has encompassed advocacy, including a stint as CalBike’s policy director and agency work, where she rose to Deputy Director for Planning and Modal Programs. Caltrans fired her in 2023 after she made a whistleblower complaint about the illegal use of road repair funds to widen a highway, raising a firestorm of outrage among the active transportation community. She’ll discuss the problems at Caltrans and what advocates can do to bring about change at the agency.

The plenary will also cover the California Transportation Commission (CTC), the governor-appointed body responsible for overseeing Caltrans. The CTC’s oversight is often little more than a rubber stamp, and the plenary will provide ideas on how to improve it and ways for citizens to get more involved.

30+ reasons to attend the California Bicycle Summit

The opening plenary is just one of many can’t-miss sessions. The 2024 California Bicycle Summit will include 30 workshops, two plenary sessions, rides and tours, and networking opportunities over two days on April 18 and 19.

The theme of the Summit is Crossroads, symbolizing the intersectional nature of bicycle advocacy that encompasses transportation justice and equitable streets for all. It also highlights the crossroads at which we find ourselves as a society and as a planet as the need for action to avert climate catastrophe becomes more apparent. The Summit will include sessions on infrastructure funding, advocacy strategies, mobility justice, local and state legislative action, and much more.

This year’s Summit will be held at the Wyndham San Diego Bayside, close to Old Town San Diego, the San Diego Bay, Coronado Island, and many other attractions. The conference sold out in 2022. Reserve your spot today.

2024 California Bicycle Summit to Be Held by the San Diego Bay

January 23, 2024/by Kevin Claxton

We are delighted to announce the venue for the 2024 California Bicycle Summit, to be held in San Diego on April 18-19, 2024. Meetings will be held at the Wyndham San Diego Bayside, located at 1355 North Harbor Drive.

Located between Little Italy and San Diego’s historic and very walkable Gaslamp District, the Wyndham is near the waterfront and a ferry to Coronado. Explore San Diego by the convenient nearby transit or rent a bike at Wheel Fun Rentals next to the hotel. Other nearby amenities include an electric car charging station and a variety of restaurants and pubs.

How to get there

The Wyndham is easily accessible by local bus or trolley. If you travel to San Diego on Amtrak, the train station where the Pacific Surfliner drops you off is less than half a mile away. The hotel has a complimentary shuttle from the airport that runs every half hour.

If you drive, you can pay for parking in the hotel garage, whether or not you’re a hotel guest. And, for those who arrive by bike, we will provide valet bike parking at the Wyndham.

Where to stay

You can book a room at the Wyndham with a conference discount. After you register, you’ll receive information on how to book at the conference rate. There are also several other hotels within easy walking distance of the venue.

To make the Summit as accessible as possible, we will also have a limited number of spaces available to stay with local CalBike members. If you’d like to request a homestay, fill out this application. If you can host an attendee, please fill out a homestay host form.

What to do at the Summit

We’re working on an exciting program, with sessions covering a diverse range of topics, including state legislation, local action, innovative funding sources for active transportation projects, and much more. Planners, agency representatives, advocates, and thought leaders on active transportation will present ideas from across California and beyond. Look for more information on the sessions soon.

While you’re at the California Bicycle Summit, you can also experience the city’s amenities on several biking and walking tours. And there are numerous restaurants nearby, including three in the hotel and many different cuisines in the surrounding neighborhoods, plus lots of other fun activities in sunny San Diego.

We hope you can join us in April for California’s premiere active transportation advocacy conference. Save your spot today.

California Bicycle Summit Advance Session Generates Excitement About San Diego Bikeways

November 30, 2023/by Kevin Claxton

More than 100 people attended CalBike’s first Summit Advance Session on November 29, 2023. The webinar featured a panel of advocates and planners from San Diego, where the in-person California Bicycle Summit will be held on April 18-19, 2024.

The Summit will be jam-packed with panels and keynotes, advancing the latest thinking on active transportation advocacy and planning. The webinar highlighted another reason to go to San Diego: a chance to tour the city’s growing miles of separated bikeways.

The session included advocacy strategies from Chloé Lauer, San Diego County Bicycle Coalition executive director, and Anar Salayev, executive director of BikeSD. Josh Clark, a senior regional planner for the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), detailed the agency’s progress in building 77 miles of bikeways and dramatic increases in ridership after the opening of protected and separated bikeways.

The COO and CDO of Circulate San Diego, Jeremy Bloom, talked about strategies to advance Vision Zero, including identifying the Fatal 15: the most dangerous intersections in the city. Everett Hauser, the City of San Diego Transportation Department’s bicycle program manager, outlined improvements, especially since the Summit was last held in San Diego in 2015. Randy Torres-Van Vleck, CEO of Tocayo Engagement and organizer of Los Cruzadores, spoke about San Diego’s role as a crossroads between the U.S. and Mexico and his hopes to organize a repeat of a 2015 cross-border ride for April’s Summit attendees.

Register for the California Bicycle Summit by December 15, 2023, to get early bird pricing.

Watch the webinar:

CalBike Announces 2024 California Bicycle Summit, Advance Sessions

November 8, 2023/by Kevin Claxton

CalBike will hold its next biennial California Bicycle Summit in San Diego on April 18 to 19, 2024. The Summit is an inspiring gathering of advocates, planners, transportation agency staffers, and elected officials who care about creating a more bikeable, walkable California. Sessions will include presentations and workshops from some of the most influential thought leaders in active transportation and transportation justice, leading discussions on how we transition to a more just, sustainable transportation system. And no Summit would be complete without bike tours, networking opportunities, movie screenings, and more.

A crossroads for climate and livability

This is a crucial time for the active transportation movement. As the pace of climate change accelerates and damage from severe weather accumulates, our window to decarbonize our transportation system shrinks. Our Summit theme for 2024 is Crossroads, because our state and our society stand at a crossroads.

We can choose the path of adaptation and mitigation, or keep building freeways as the planet heats. We can walk toward more just and sustainable systems for bringing safety to our streets, or we can continue down the path that leaves many Californians unsafe when they bike and walk. As we gather together at the Summit, we’ll strategize how to move California toward a more equitable and sustainable future.

We hope you’ll join us in San Diego to help shape the future of a movement that is crucial to our future. Register by December 15 to secure your tickets at our early-bird price.

2024 Summit Advance Session: Success Stories from San Diego

In the months leading up to the 2024 California Bicycle Summit, we will host a series of free online webinars to preview topics to be discussed at the in-person event. The first webinar focuses on our host city and the challenges that advocates and local agencies have overcome to win some important victories. These success stories will offer suggestions for accelerating change in your community.

When: Wednesday, November 29, 2023, Noon

Where: Zoom

Cost: Free but pre-registration required

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