Legislation

GOAL: Ensure that new and amended state laws make it possible for more Californians to safely choose bicycling for transportation and recreation.

We advocate for bicycling at the State Capitol by sponsoring legislation as well as tracking bills that are favorable or unfavorable to bicycling.

BILLS WE’RE SPONSORING

SB 1464 (Lowenthal): Safe passing

Summary: Amends California Vehicle Code Section 21750 to specify three feet as the minimum passing distance for motor vehicles overtaking bicycles in the same lane.  The bill is written to resolve concerns expressed last year by Gov. Brown when he vetoed SB 910, a similar bill sponsored by CBC.

Current law: When overtaking other motor vehicles and bicycles, drivers must pass at an unspecified “safe distance.”

Status: Approved 8-0 by the Senate Transportation & Housing Committee on 4/17/12.

AB 819 (Wieckowski): Modern bikeway design standards

Summary: Authorizes Caltrans to establish an experimental process for allowing cities and counties to install and evaluate protected bike facilities like those described in the Urban Bikeway Design Guide from the National Association of City Transportation Officials.

Current law: Cities and counties must follow bikeway design standards contained in Chapter 1000 of the Highway Design Manual, which does not contain standards for some of the protected bikeways reflected in the NACTO guide.

Status: Assigned to the Senate Transportation & Housing Committee for a hearing on 5/8/12.

BILLS WE’RE FOLLOWING

SB 1380 (Rubio): Exempting certain bike plans from environmental review requirements. 

Summary: Most bike plans would not have to undergo extensive environmental review if this bill becomes law. It exempts certain specified potential impacts — including those from bike parking, signage, and lane re-striping — from the requirements that they must be studied to make sure the impacts will not be significantly negative for the environment. It would save local agencies millions of dollars that could be better spent actually making the streets safer.

CBC position: SUPPORT AND CAMPAIGN FOR

Status: Next step is a floor vote on the Senate. Write a letter to Senator Rubio today. Here’s a sample letter!

SB 1310 (Simitian): Cell phone penalties

Summary: Raises the base fines for violating the existing ban on hand-held cell phone use and texting by drivers from $20 to $30 for a first offense and $50 to $60 for subsequent offenses and adds a point to a driver’s record for a 2nd or subsequent violation.

The bill extends the existing bans to bicyclists, however, fines would be $20 for a first offense and $50 for subsequent offenses (without additional court costs and administrative fees), with no point on a bicyclist’s driving record for a violation.

CBC position: SUPPORT

Status: Assigned to the Senate Appropriations Committee for hearing on 4/30/12.

SB 1339 (Yee): Regional Commuter Benefit

Summary: Authorizes a 4-year pilot program in the San Francisco Bay Area to adopt a commute benefit requirement. The benefit would enable commuters in companies with 50 or more full-time employees to receive subsidies for transit, vanpools or carpools, or employee shuttles, with pre-tax dollars as permitted by the IRS.

CBC position: SUPPORT

Status: Assigned to the Senate Committee on Environmental Quality for a hearing on 4/30/12.

AB 441 (Monning): State planning

Summary: Includes health and equity criteria in documents that the state uses to provide guidance on transportation planning and development. The bill would encourage regional transportation planning agencies to consider the health and equity implications of planning decisions as included in the California Transportation Commission Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) Guidelines.

CBC position: WATCH

Status:  Assigned to the Senate Transportation & Housing Committee for a hearing on 2/16/12. Because the bill failed to be voted out of the committee by 4/27/12, it is now dead.

AB 1989 (Carter): State park bicycle facilities

Summary: Imposes a $2 surcharge on each new bike sold in California to help fund bicycle facilities in state parks.

CBC position: OPPOSE

Status: 4/24/12 hearing in the Assembly Water, Parks & Wildlife Committee cancelled at the author’s request. Because this bill failed to be voted out of the committee by 4/27/12, it is now dead.

AB 2245 (Smyth): Exempting Class II bike lanes from CEQA

Summary: This bill would exempt Class II bikeways (aka bike lanes) constructed in the roadway from CEQA analysis.  It is unclear what the impact of this bill would be as it seems that such bike lanes are already categorically exempt from CEQA review requirements.

CBC position: PENDING

Status: Assigned to the Assembly Natural Resources Committee for a hearing on 4/16/12. Because this bill failed to be voted out of the committee by 4/27/12, it is now dead.

PAST LEGISLATION