The Latest
CalBike’s blog — sharing the biking news you need to know
1017 L Street #288
Sacramento, CA 95814
© California Bicycle Coalition 2023
Stay informed about the bicycling movement in California by reading this blog and subscribing to our monthly newsletter, the CalBike Report. Keep apprised of which bills we are supporting with our Legislative Watch page, which we update regularly.
Governor’s May revised budget ignores Active Transportation Program
/by ZacOn May 14 (Bike to Work Day in LA and the Bay Area), the Governor released his “May revise” budget proposal, and despite over $1 billion in new available revenues, we were disappointed that the Active Transportation Program (ATP) did not see an increase in funding. Earlier this spring, 120 organizations statewide called for an […]
SSTI review of Caltrans scathing and hopeful
/by ZacI just took advantage of a long plane trip to finish reading this long and thorough review of Caltrans written by the State Smart Transportation Initiative (SSTI). It’s surprising to see such stinging criticism of a state agency commissioned by another agency and it’s hopeful to see a roadmap for transformation of the agency. SSTI calls for a major […]
SSTI Independent Caltrans Review 1.28.14
/by ZacSSTI Independent Caltrans Review 1.28.14 This report, commissioned by the California State Transportation Agency, thoroughly reviews Caltrans and finds an agency in dire need of a culture change. Its indictment of the agency’s processes and perspective is scathing but it also provides a roadmap to leverage the agency’s strengths to transform it into an modern […]
How NYC is Stifling the Critics
/by ZacAccording to a new study, bicyclists are more law-abiding since the City revitalized its infrastructure with bikeways, bike sharing, and a commitment to Vision Zero. It seems that when bicyclists are respected by the City, they respect the City’s laws in kind. In New York and elsewhere, significant opposition to pro-bike initiatives has been justified with the perception that […]
Influencing the Active Transportation Guidelines
/by ZacThe California Bicycle Coalition is representing local advocates and bicycle programs as we advise the California Transportation Commission on the guidelines for the new Active Transportation Program. The ATP replaces five other funding sources for which bike projects were eligible and represents a 35{850a63fa8a72bae4d6bfa3f1eda9f619cddace10f9053ede128e2914f9ca5a15} increase in funding for biking and walking projects. This spring $130 […]
The future of California’s transportation in light of proposed changes
/by ZacA new federal transportation program has cut dedicated bike/ped funding by a third, but it maintained the program’s flexibility. The California Transportation Agency has proposed using that flexibility to actually increase bike/ped funding. However, the increase of approximately 30{850a63fa8a72bae4d6bfa3f1eda9f619cddace10f9053ede128e2914f9ca5a15} is part of a plan to eliminate a number of long standing bike/ped programs into a […]
Delivering on the promise of California’s Active Transportation Program
/by ZacBicycling and walking will receive a 35% boost in dedicated state funding thanks to a bill just signed by the Governor. The bill restructures pedestrian, bicycle, trails, and Safe Routes to School programs into a single $129 million fund called the Active Transportation Program. The fund represents by far the largest state set-aside for bicycling […]
The Active Transportation Program and Why It’s Important
/by ZacA major victory for CalBike this year has been the increase in funding of the newly-created Active Transportation Program (ATP). Months of negotiations and hard work have resulted in the increase of the ATP’s budget from $90 million to $129 million. California’s transportation budget is $12 billion. Active transportation in the budget is dedicated towards […]
Brown’s confusing reason for vetoing SB 910 doesn’t make the problem go away
/by ZacThis afternoon Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed Senate Bill 910, our bill to establish three feet as the minimum passing distance when drivers pass bicyclists from behind under most circumstances. We share the disappointment of the thousands of Californians who contacted their legislators and the Governor on behalf of this bill and of author Sen. Alan […]
Biking because it’s fun
/by ZacI love it when the head of the Environmental Protection Agency Region 9 says that “environmental benefits” aren’t even in the top three reasons why he bikes. I met Jared Blumenfeld years ago when he did an amazing job as head of the SF Department of the Environment. Because he was an everyday bicycle rider, I was thrilled to […]
CalBike Supports the ATP, but it’s only a very small step toward the $8 billion needed
/by ZacThe new federal transportation program has cut dedicated bike/ped funding by a third, but it maintained flexibility. The California Transportation Agency has proposed using that flexibility to consolidate a number of programs into the single Active Transportation Program. It eliminated important long-standing programs, like the Bicycle Transportation Account and Safe Routes to School, but increased […]
Budget Deal a bad one for biking
/by ZacSacramento lawmakers approved a budget this week that showed no explicit increase for the most efficient transportation investment: bicycling. They did make significant new investments in other elements of sustainable communities — public transit, affordable housing near transit, for example — but they failed to recognize the need for funding to retrofit our streets and […]