CalBike Legislative Update: Bike Friendly Bills at the Midpoint
For Immediate Release: 5/29/24
Contact: Jared Sanchez, 714-262-0921, jared@calbike.org
SACRAMENTO – May 24th marked the halfway point for Active Transportations Bills in the California Legislature this year. All bills had to be voted out of the house where they originated.
Here’s where CalBike-supported bills stand halfway through the 2024 legislative session.
CalBike Priority Bills Moving Forward
2024 Complete Streets Bill: Passed by the Senate, headed for the Assembly
SB 960, authored by Senator Scott Wiener, would require Caltrans to implement safe infrastructure for people bicycling and walking when it repaves a state route that serves as a local street. The 2024 version includes transit upgrades, which is a welcome addition.. We need everyone’s help to make sure legislators know this bill has strong support. Find the latest action on CalBike’s Complete Streets Campaign page.
Safe Vehicles Save Lives Bill: Passed by the Senate, headed for the Assembly
SB 961 is the second half of Senator Wiener’s safer streets package, along with the Complete Streets Bill. The requirement for truck side guards, a cheap fix that would make truck collisions less deadly, was removed, due to lobbying by the trucking industry. The provision requiring intelligent speed assist (ISA) software on new vehicles starting in 2027 survived, though it was changed from speed limiters, which would prevent speeding, to warnings that alert drivers when they exceed the speed limit. CalBike still strongly supports this bill as a measure to move California closer to Vision Zero. We hope truck side guards will come back to the legislature in the future.
Quicker and Better Bikeways Bill: Passed Assembly, headed for the Senate
AB 2290 by Assemblymember Laura Friedman will limit state funding for Class III bikeways (or bike routes marked with sharrows rather than separated bike lanes) to streets with speed limits under 20 mph, remove loopholes.It will also strengthen requirements for creating Complete Streets on state and local street projects funded by the Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Program created by SB 1, and create a quick-build pilot at Caltrans. It passed the Assembly but may be headed into opposition in the Senate.
CalBike Also Supports – Leaving their First House
AB 2086, Schiavo, Caltrans Accountability and Transparency Bill: Passed Assembly, in Senate
This bill will bring greater transparency to how Caltrans spends its budget and enhance a public dashboard to make it easier to access agency data.
AB 2259, Boerner, California Bike Smart Safety Handbook: Passed Assembly, in Senate
This bill requires the DMV to create a bicycle safety handbook that includes information on, among other things, existing laws regulating bicycles and e-bikes.
AB 2583, Berman, Lowering Speed in School Zones: Passed Assembly, in Senate
This bill would establish a default speed limit of 15 miles per hour in school zones during certain hours.
AB 2669, Ting, No Bridge Tolls for People Walking and Biking: Passed Assembly, in Senate
This bill ensures that people walking or bicycling across a toll bridge in California will never pay a fee. It makes permanent a temporary measure that sunsets next year and primarily affects bridges in the Bay Area.
SB 689, Blakespear, Bike Lanes in Coastal Areas: In Assembly
This bill would make it easier to convert an existing motorized vehicle travel lane into a dedicated bicycle lane near the coast, ending requirements for a traffic study to process a coastal development permit or an amendment to a local coastal program.
SB 1216, Blakespear: Passed Senate, in Assembly
Prohibiting Class III Bikeways: This bill would prohibit public agencies and the ATP from installing a Class III bikeway (sharrows) on a street that has a posted speed limit greater than 30 miles per hour. It duplicates a provision in the Quicker Better Bikeways Bill that will be reconciled as both of these bills move forward.
SB 1271, Min: E-Bike Battery Standards: Passed Senate, in Assembly
This bill sets certification requirements for batteries on all e-bikes sold, rented, or leased in California, mirroring some local statutes. A provision to clarify e-bike classifications was dropped from this bill; we hope that comes back because the market would benefit from more clarity about what is an e-bike vs. a moped.
SB 1509, Stern: Unsafe Speed Penalties: Passed Senate, in Assembly
This bill would increase accountability for reckless drivers who endanger the lives of pedestrians, cyclists, and other drivers by speeding. Specifically, it would increase the number of points a driver is given by DMV if they are caught driving more than 25 mph over the speed limit on roads with a speed limit of 55 mph or less.
Two-year Bills Now in Second House
AB 6, Friedman, Regional Prioritization for Clean Transportation
This measure requires regional transportation agencies to prioritize and fund transportation projects that significantly contribute toward regional and state climate goals.
AB 73, Boerner/Friedman, Bicycle Safety Stop
This bill would legalize stop-as-yield for bike riders over 18.
AB 833, Rendon, Neighborhood Unification Bill
This bill requires Caltrans to prepare a plan for adding caps to freeway segments to reunite disadvantaged, underrepresented urban communities.
Bills that Died
The No Freeway Expansions for Freight Bill, AB 2535 by Assemblymember Mia Bonta, would have taken away one of Caltrans’ justifications for adding new freeway capacity. We need fewer highways, not more; every new lane induces new demand and increases GHG emissions. Unfortunately, this excellent bill died in committee.
The Bike Lane Protection Act, AB 2744, aimed to protect bike riders from right hooks, but solving this problem with dedicated space for bikes approaching intersections is complex. This was a valiant effort to create safer intersections, and though it died in committee this year, we hope it keeps getting developed and returns in the future.
