CalBike In the News 2023
Articles, editorials, news features, and podcasts
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© California Bicycle Coalition 2025
From lowriders to speed cameras, California’s new traffic laws taking effect in 2024 cover a lot of ground.
“Dooring” and “doored,” colloquialisms among bicyclists, refer to a collision caused by a driver or passenger opening a car door into an oncoming cyclist.But collisions such as these, they say, can be prevented with greater awareness and better infrastructure.
Representatives from the State of California are in Dubai, United Arab Emirates right now for COP28, the climate summit where world leaders make agreements to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Our state is promoting itself as a climate leader, and in some respects, that’s accurate. But California can’t claim the mantle of responsible climate stewardship while it continues to build freeways that increase emissions and pollute vulnerable communities.
California is still spending billions of dollars on highway and interchange expansions that increase reliance on driving, drain household budgets, and make traffic worse. Governor Newsom should step in.
OCTOBER 17, 2023
Speed cameras and intersection daylighting approved by Gov. Newsom for Oakland streets
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 413 and Assembly Bill 645 late last week, among 900 pieces of legislation sent to him by lawmakers this year.
There’s no bigger source of climate pollution in California and across the country than transportation. Some of California’s newest laws should help — and some of the bills vetoed by Newsom might have too.
A bill designed to increase visibility at crosswalks in California was signed into law Tuesday by Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Studies show tons of reasons why e-bikes are good for communities and individuals.
Earlier this summer, Brodee Champlain Kingman, a 15-year-old, was hit and killed by a driver while riding an e-bike in the city of Encinitas. Following his death and another crash that involved a car striking a teen e-bike rider, the city declared a state of emergency. Officials blamed “conditions of extreme peril … caused by the increased prevalence of [e-bikes], other similar electric or motorized mobility devices, and traditional bicycles on city streets.”
California is embracing the future of transportation by investing in electric bikes (e-bikes), an eco-friendly mode of transit that is garnering immense interest across the state. With the California Bicycle Coalition (Cal Bike) leading the charge for over three decades, the state’s transportation landscape is experiencing significant changes.
A radio show dedicated to the idea that people should be able to ride bikes safely, and roads aren’t just for cars.
Fight Back: Talking Back To Bikelash with CalBike’s Kevin Claxton.
AUGUST 2, 2023
E-bike programs and other green transit efforts are sprouting throughout the state. Will they catch on?
Long Beach aims to launch an e-bike lending program to provide residents with up to 40 bikes — in one of the latest efforts in California to increase accessibility with green transportation.
In areas like Los Angeles, investing into a car is becoming a more difficult situation as folks sometimes are priced out from getting a new pair of wheels or are frustrated with the traffic that can offset its importance. These accessibility terms, along with the greater issue of the climate crisis, has made folks turn to alternatives like electric bikes. As popularity grows, however, what policies are out there to regulate those riding E-bikes on roads? There is the recent AB 530, which would prohibit those younger than 12 to ride EBs and also create a state licensing process for drivers.
Riding a bike instead of taking a car is good for your health and for the planet. But in car-centric California, most people still rely on vehicles for daily trips like commuting to work. For cyclists in the state, that means getting around can be risky, especially when they’re asked to share a road with two-ton metal boxes that are often moving very fast. So what would it take to make cycling safer in California, and how can we improve the state’s biking infrastructure to encourage more riders?
In the end, when Governor Newsom signed the budget, the claw-back of ATP funds was gone.
MAY 18, 2023
Senator Portantino Presents Resolution Proclaiming May as National Bike Month in California
Senator Anthony J. Portantino (D – Burbank) made a significant stride in promoting cycling and bicycle-friendly communities in California with the introduction of Senate Concurrent Resolution 67 (SCR 67). Today, on the Senate Floor, Senator Portantino presented SCR 67, which proclaims May 2023 as National Bike Month in the state of California.
This last workgroup discussed the “final proposed criteria” for the program, including eligibility, funding, and application process.
The Assembly Transportation Committee readily passed a few key bills to improve safety for people on foot and on bikes (and everyone else) on Monday.
Officials are experimenting with rebates, vouchers and tax credits to lower the cost of electric bicycles and ease car congestion.
There is a lot of pressure to get the program right, and a lot of interest and participation in program workgroups. And questions.
Electric bikes — or e-bikes as they’re known — are more popular than ever. Kids use them to get to and from school, surfers ride them to their favorite spot, and many people view them as an alternative to cars.
California is about to affix a variety of different cities and states within the US providing rebates and tax credit for electrical bicycles. California’s Electrical Bicycle Incentives Venture has been over a yr within the making, and we lately noticed new updates to the deliberate rebates.
How long does it take to get an e-bike rebate program off the ground? That question is being asked across the country as bike shops in Hawaii seem unaware that their state has a rebate program (the program went live last July 1) and Washington, D.C. lawmakers begin to work on passing their own rebate program.