California Can’t Afford Not to Build Better Bikeways, Quickly

Time is running out for all of us to deal with climate change. If we keep driving at the rate we always have, we will drive ourselves into climate armageddon. That’s why it’s critical to pass Assemblymember Laura Friedman’s Quicker and Better Bikeways Bill (AB 2290).

The bill will create a quick-build pilot at Caltrans, which takes a notoriously long time to plan and build new infrastructure. The bill also addresses two ways agencies avoid building truly safe bikeways. It prohibits our public agencies from spending state active transportation money on sharrows on roads with high speed limits. And it mandates that these agencies include any bike facilities in their own plans when repairing a roadway — no more using lack of funds as an excuse to shortchange people who bike.

The Quicker and Better Bikeways Bill is in the Assembly Appropriations Committee, a place where many excellent measures are quietly killed. CalBike is working with our allies to ensure AB 2290 gets the support of this crucial committee.

For more background on this measure, please see California Must Seize the Opportunity to Quickly Build Better Bikeways. Check out all the bills we’re following on our Legislative Watch page.