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CalBike ED Statement on 2024 Legislative Session

October 7, 2024/by Kendra Ramsey

This was a good year for bike-friendly legislation in Sacramento. Not every bill CalBike supported passed, and many excellent ideas died in the legislature, but we achieved significant wins that show the value of our long-term strategy and set the table for safer, more equitable streets moving forward.

Complete Streets: A long road to victory

Senator Scott Wiener has stood by the promise of Complete Streets on Caltrans corridors for years, introducing bills in 2017, 2019, and 2024. Each time, CalBike stepped up as a sponsor and strong supporter of the legislation. We know state routes that serve as community main streets are often deadly for people biking and walking; CalBike has worked with Caltrans and campaigned for Complete Streets on these roads steadily for the past several years.

Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed the Complete Streets Bill in 2019, saying Caltrans should get a chance to live up to its own Complete Streets policies. When Senator Wiener introduced another Complete Streets Bill (SB 960) this year, we knew we had to show the governor that Caltrans needed more than internal policy directives to change decades of car-centric transportation planning.

So CalBike’s policy director, Jared Sanchez, requested project documents completed since the 2019 veto to fact-check Caltrans’ claims that it was devoting significant funds to biking and walking improvements. Our research demonstrated where Caltrans was falling short; the results of that investigation are in our report, Incomplete Streets: Aligning Practice with Promise in Caltrans Projects.

The loss in 2017 and veto in 2019 were discouraging, but CalBike never stopped pushing for access and safety on state routes because we know that building legislative support behind a good idea can take time. That’s why we will continue to work to decriminalize common, safe bike riding behaviors such as treating stop signs as yields. We will encourage Caltrans to adopt a quick-build pilot, a provision in a bill that died this year but is much needed. We’ll continue to fight freeway expansions that threaten our climate and our neighborhoods.

Whether we achieve these advances quickly or slowly, CalBike will not stop championing better biking. We celebrate 30 years of advocacy in 2024 and look forward to the next 30; we are in it for the long haul.

More reasons to celebrate

In this legislative session, we also supported the Transportation Accountability Act (AB 2086), along with our allies at the Greenlining Institute and Transform, which dovetails with our Complete Streets work. We co-sponsored a new law ensuring bridges remain toll-free for people biking and walking across them. We helped pass laws that will lead to safer bikeways and safer e-bikes.

Our work for next year and the years ahead

In the near term, we will be meeting with Caltrans to talk about the implications of the Complete Streets law and our suggestions for implementation. We’re still formulating our agenda for 2025, but we know we’ll be advocating for more funding for active transportation projects and a swift and just transition of our transportation systems to give every Californian the opportunity to choose biking as a safe and healthy mobility option.

Bike-Friendly Wins and Losses (but Mostly Wins) in 2024

October 7, 2024/by Jared Sanchez

Governor Gavin Newsom has either signed or vetoed all 600 bills that made it to his desk this year. Nine of the bills CalBike supported made it to the governor’s desk — he signed seven and vetoed two. Another eight bills CalBike supported died in the legislature. In addition, two e-bike pilot measures we were watching became law, and one e-bike restriction died in the legislature.

Of course, the huge news from this legislative session is that Complete Streets on Caltrans corridors is now California law with the signing of SB 960, strengthening the mandate for Caltrans to update our state routes to serve all users when it does maintenance projects.

Here’s our legislative recap.

Complete Streets crosses the finish line

It took three tries, with bigger coalitions and campaigns each time, but Senator Scott Wiener’s Complete Streets Bill, SB 960, is now the law in California. This is a huge victory for advocates of safer streets and active transportation access. Caltrans maintains thousands of miles of state routes, many of which serve as community main streets. Because the agency has historically managed these roads with the goal of maximum motor vehicle throughput, they are among the most deadly streets for people walking and biking.

What will change now that the Complete Streets Bill is law?

The Complete Streets Bill was modified (watered down) during the legislative process, a common occurrence. But the final version includes a strong mandate requiring Caltrans to do a better job of using State Highway Operation and Protection Program (SHOPP) funds to build much-needed bikeways, sidewalks, bus boarding islands, and more.

In addition, the scrutiny on Caltrans has ramped up since it fired Jeanie Ward-Waller last year. The campaign for the Complete Streets Bill and CalBike’s Incomplete Streets articles and report shone a light on trends and practices that fail to protect the safety of vulnerable road users. CalBike will continue to work with the agency and assess its progress to comply with state law and build Complete Streets wherever feasible.

Specifically, SB 960 will:

Require Caltrans to commit to four-year targets for adding Complete Streets improvements to state roadways.
Create policy for implementing transit-priority facilities and transit stops on state-controlled streets and highways.
Speed the process at Caltrans for granting permits to local governments or transit operators that want to build Complete Streets networks that encroach on or overlap with Caltrans rights of way.

More good news

Here are four more excellent bills that CalBike supported and the governor signed.

Transportation Accountability Act, AB 2086 (Schiavo): The transparency and reporting this new law mandates will help advocates like CalBike monitor progress on the Complete Streets law.
Banning Bridge Tolls for People Walking and Biking, AB 2669 (Ting): This makes permanent a measure that would have sunset next year, allowing toll-free crossings for people who walk or bike across toll bridges. It will have the biggest impact in the Bay Area, which has several toll bridges with bicycle and pedestrian lanes.
Bike Lanes in Coastal Areas, SB 689 (Blakespear): This new law limits the ability of the Coastal Commission to block the development of new bikeways on existing roads in coastal areas.
Limits on Class III Bikeways, SB 1216 (Blakespear): Class III bikeways are lanes shared by bike riders and car drivers. While they may be appropriate for neighborhood streets and in some other contexts, they are sometimes used in place of more protective infrastructure because the cost is much lower. This new law will limit the use of state funding to create Class III bikeways on high-speed routes.

E-bike bills roundup

E-bikes were on the minds of legislators, with a number of bills introduced to regulate or restrict e-bikes and e-bike riders.

CalBike supported two of these bills, which the governor signed. The E-Bike Modification Bill, AB 1774 (Dixon), prohibits the sale of devices that can modify e-bikes to provide an electric boost beyond top speed limits that meet the definition of e-bikes. This addresses concerns about modified e-bikes that reportedly allow riders to go much faster than the 28 mph boost allowed under Class 3, the fastest classification of e-bikes.

The E-Bike Battery Safety Standards Bill, SB 1271 (Min), requires all e-bikes sold in California to have safety certifications for their batteries. This will help prevent most battery fires, since they are usually caused by substandard batteries. It also clarifies what can be advertised and sold as an e-bike, placing further guardrails on out-of-class two-wheel devices.

In addition, two bills we were watching became law. Both are local pilots to allow cities to add more age restrictions for riding an e-bike. State law already prohibits anyone under 16 from riding a Class 3 e-bike but places no restrictions on Class 1 and 2.

E-Bike Restrictions in Marin County, AB 1778 (Connolly): This bill would prohibit a person under 16 years of age from operating a Class 2 electric bicycle and require any person operating, or riding upon, a Class 2 electric bicycle to wear a helmet. This is a pilot for Marin County.
E-Bike Pilot Age Restrictions, AB 2234 (Boerner): This bill would create a pilot program in San Diego County that would prohibit a person under 12 years of age from operating an electric bicycle of any class.

Speed controls: vetoed

Governor Newsom vetoed two bills CalBike supported, and both addressed unsafe motor vehicle speeds. The Safer Vehicles Save Lives Bill, SB 961 (Wiener), was a companion to the Complete Streets Bill that would have required most cars, trucks, and buses sold in California to include passive intelligent speed assist (ISA) by 2030. Passive ISA gives drivers a signal when they exceed the speed limit by 10 miles per hour and can help prevent speed-related collisions, saving lives. The original version of the bill also required freight trucks to install sideguards, an inexpensive add-on that prevents people walking or bicycling from being dragged under the rear wheels in a collision. Sideguards not only save lives but also reduce drag, improving fuel efficiency. We hope both of these excellent safety measures become law in California and nationally.

The governor also vetoed the Unsafe Speed Penalties Bill, SB 1509 (Stern), which would have increased penalties for people caught speeding more than 25 mph over the speed limit on roads with speed limits of 55 mph or less. Speed is a significant factor in fatalities of vulnerable road users, so this is a regrettable veto.

Get the final results of all the bills CalBike was supporting or following on our legislative watch page.

End-of-Session Legislative Recap: Big Wins for Safer Streets

September 9, 2024/by Jared Sanchez

This legislative session was momentous for people biking and walking. Eight bills CalBike championed to bring safer streets to Californians are on Governor Gavin Newsom’s desk. The bills represent significant opportunities to make our roads safer, especially for vulnerable road users. While we also lost some good bills along the way, the end-of-session inflection point leaves us in an optimistic place.

Here’s a full recap.

Growing support for Complete Streets

Senator Scott Wiener’s Complete Streets Bill, SB 960, passed the legislature and awaits the governor’s signature. We’ve been here before: in 2019, Senator Wiener’s Complete Streets Bill passed the legislature only to be vetoed by the governor. However, there are reasons for hope this time.

In 2019, Caltrans had a new leader and the governor stated in his veto message that he wanted to give the agency a chance to reform its practices without legislative oversight. Five years on, CalBike examined Caltrans’ record and found that, while there are some positive changes in the way it handles infrastructure serving people who bike and walk, there is still much more that needs to improve. Our widely read Incomplete Streets series, which also ran in Streetsblog California, highlighted some of the recent projects that fell short of serving all road users.

We look forward to a future where our state road maintenance considers the safety and comfort of all users on every project. The Complete Streets Bill will help us get there. We hope Governor Newsom signs it.

Seven more excellent bills the governor should sign

While the Complete Streets Bill is CalBike’s top legislative priority this year, we are also excited about these seven bills we support, which are one signature away from becoming law.

Safer Vehicles Save Lives Bill, SB 961 (Wiener): The second half of Senator Wiener’s street safety package, which CalBike sponsored along with the Complete Streets Bill, will require most cars, trucks, and buses sold in California to include passive intelligent speed assist (ISA) by 2030. ISA gives drivers a signal when they exceed the speed limit by 10 miles per hour and can help prevent speed-related collisions, saving lives. It is already required in Europe and uses existing technology that is widely available.
Transportation Accountability Act, AB 2086 (Schiavo): An excellent complement to the Complete Streets Bill, this measure will require Caltrans to account for where California’s transportation dollars go. It will be an essential tool for advocates who want to make sure our spending matches our climate and equity goals.
Banning Bridge Tolls for People Walking and Biking, AB 2669 (Ting): This bill makes permanent a measure that sunsets next year. It allows toll-free crossings for people who walk or bike across toll bridges. It will have the biggest impact in the Bay Area, which has several toll bridges with bicycle and pedestrian lanes.
Bike Lanes in Coastal Areas, SB 689 (Blakespear): This bill limits the ability of the Coastal Commission to block the development of new bikeways on existing roads in coastal areas.
Limits on Class III Bikeways, SB 1216 (Blakespear): Class III bikeways are lanes shared by bike riders and car drivers. While they may be appropriate for neighborhood streets and some other contexts, they are sometimes used in place of more protective infrastructure because the cost is much lower. This bill would limit the use of state funding to create Class III bikeways on high-speed routes. It was originally in conflict with a provision of AB 2290, but since that bill died in the Senate Appropriations Committee, we’re happy to see this measure reach the governor’s desk.
E-Bike Battery Safety Standards, SB 1271 (Min): This bill requires all e-bikes sold in California to use batteries with safety certifications. It will help prevent most, if not all, battery fires, as those are usually caused by substandard batteries.
Unsafe Speed Penalties, SB 1509 (Stern): Continuing the speed theme, this bill would increase penalties for speeding more than 25 mph over the speed limit on roads with speed limits of 55 mph or less.

One bill signed already

Governor Newsom often waits until the last day to sign or veto a raft of transportation bills, but he’s gotten a head start this year. The E-Bike Modification Bill, AB 1774, prohibits the sale of devices that can modify e-bikes to provide an electric boost beyond top speed limits that meet the definition of e-bikes. This addresses concerns about modified e-bikes that reportedly allow riders to go much faster than the 28 mph boost allowed under Class 3, the fastest classification of e-bikes.

The ones that didn’t make it

California’s legislature has two-year sessions, so bills that weren’t ready for prime time at the end of 2023 could become two-year bills, with an opportunity for modification and passage in 2024. This August marked the end of a two-year cycle, so the bills that didn’t make it are no more. If their authors or other legislators want to move their concepts forward, they will need to introduce new bills next session.

There were a lot of excellent proposals that didn’t make it, often because of budget considerations. But we also know that it can take time for a new concept to garner enough support to become law. We hope many of these bills will return in some form in the future.

Here are the bills that died.

Quick and Better Bikeways, AB 2290 (Friedman): This excellent bill would have created a quick-build pilot at Caltrans and required bicycle or pedestrian facilities identified in an active transportation plan to be included in projects funded by Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation dollars. A third provision banning funding for Class III lanes was included in a separate bill, so it will make it to the governor. This measure made it almost all the way through the legislature but fizzled at the last minute because of fiscal concerns, a common issue in a tight budget year.
No Freeway Expansions for Freight, AB 2535 (Bonta): This bill to protect environmentally burdened communities from freeway expansions to accommodate more freight trucks is an important policy idea that we hope returns in a future session.
Regional Transportation Planning, AB 6 (Friedman): Carried over as a two-year bill, this measure would have required regional transportation plans to prioritize projects that support California’s climate goals.
Bicycle Safety Stop, AB 73 (Boerner): The author held back this bill in the last session and didn’t move it forward this year. This commonsense measure would allow people on bikes to legally treat stop signs as yields when it’s safe to do so. Another study showing the safety of this bike-friendly law was just released and the evidence continues to mount for the safety and efficacy of legalizing stop-as-yield. We hope a committed legislator will pick up this cause next year. CalBike is ready to campaign for the safety stop.
Freeway Caps, AB 833 (Rendon): This measure would have built caps over freeways in disadvantaged communities.
Bicycle Safety Handbook, AB 2259 (Boerner): This bill would have required the DMV to create and distribute booklets about safe bike riding.
School Slow Zones, AB 2583 (Berman): This bill would have established a default speed limit of 15 mph in school zones.
Intersection Safety Act, AB 2744 (McCarty): This bill would have changed the rules on adding right turn lanes and when car drivers could make right turns across bike lanes and crosswalks. It’s a complex problem, worthy of finding a solution, but even active transportation advocates were divided about the best approach. We hope to see future legislation to make intersections safer, and we’re looking forward to being part of the discussion.

CalBike was also watching a number of other bills. Check our Legislative Watch page to find the status of all the 2024 legislation affecting active transportation.

CalBike Legislative Update: Bike Friendly Bills at the Midpoint

May 29, 2024/by Brian Smith

For Immediate Release: 5/29/24

Contact: Jared Sanchez, 714-262-0921, jared@calbike.org

SACRAMENTO – May 24^th 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.

Legislative Update: Bike-Friendly Bills at the Midpoint

May 28, 2024/by Jared Sanchez

On Friday, May 24, bills had to be voted out of the house where they originated. Only two of the bills we supported died in committee, and one we opposed was amended so we were able to switch our position to neutral. The legislative process includes many amendments along the way, and we continue to fight for changes to make our measures stronger as our legislative agenda passes to the next house.

Here’s where our bills stand at the halfway point of the 2024 legislative session.

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 adds transit, which is a welcome improvement. CalBike is working behind the scenes for a strong bill that will require Caltrans to meet its obligations to vulnerable road users. We need everyone’s help to make sure legislators know this bill has strong support. Find the latest action on our 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. We still strongly support 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) to streets with speed limits under 20 mph, remove loopholes and 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 appears headed into opposition in the Senate. Stay tuned for opportunities to take action in support of this excellent bill.

In addition to our top three priority bills, these bills CalBike supports have passed 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.

Three bills from 2023 became two-year bills and are already in their second house. The crucial hearings and votes for these bills will be in the next month. We are closely watching AB 73, the Safety Stop Bill, which we hope will get revived before the end of this session.

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.

The ones that didn’t make it

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.

CalBike’s legislation watchlist

The one bill we opposed, AB 2234 by Assemblymember Tasha Boerner, is no longer a statewide e-bike licensing bill. It has been amended to a local pilot of e-bike age restrictions and an education diversion program for tickets. CalBike has gone from oppose to neutral on this bill, but we will continue to watch it as it moves through the Senate.

Among the other bills we’re watching but haven’t taken a position on, most are advancing to the next house.

CalBike watchlist bills moving forward

These bills were two-year bills waiting to be heard or advanced out of their house of origin.

AB 832 – Cervantes: California Transportation Commission Membership
AB 1447 – Flora: E-Scooter Classification
AB 1774 – Dixon: E-Bike Modifications
AB 1777– Ting: Autonomous Vehicles
AB 1778 – Connolly: E-Bike Restrictions in Marin County
AB 1953 – Villapudua: Vehicle Weight Limits
AB 2234 – Boerner: E-Bike Pilot Age Restrictions
AB 2286 – Aguiar-Curry: Autonomous Vehicle Safety
AB 3061 – Haney: Autonomous Vehicle Safety
SB 50 – Bradford: Stop Pretextual Policing
SB 768 – Caballero: VMT Study
SB 915 – Cortese: Autonomous Vehicle Local Control
SB 936 – Seyarto: Study for Road and Safety Improvements
SB 1031 – Wiener/Wahab: San Francisco Bay Area Local Revenue Measure

CalBike watchlist bills that died

Three of our watchlist bills didn’t make it:

AB 1773 – Dixon: Banning Bikes on Boardwalks
AB 2869 – Friedman: Caltrans Trail Access
AB 3147 – Garcia: California Trails Conservancy

There are many bills impacting active transportation this year, and we’re heavily involved in budget negotiations to restore Active Transportation Program funding. There will surely be more twists and turns before the legislative session ends. Stay up to date on bike-friendly legislation on CalBike’s Legislative Watch page and track our progress on the budget on our Invest/Divest page.

2023 Legislative Recap: Big Wins for Active Transportation Slate

October 17, 2023/by Jared Sanchez

Of the bills CalBike supported that made it to the governor’s desk, six were signed into law, and two were vetoed. Several active transportation measures were put on hold before the end of the legislative session, becoming two-year bills, and some didn’t make it out of legislative committees.

Overall, it was not a good year for decriminalization measures that sought to bring more equity to the enforcement of minor infractions and fare evasion. The budget shortfall unfortunately delayed measures such as the proposal to give free transit passes to students, but we still had some critical funding wins for active transportation despite the tight purse strings.

Here’s the full recap of bills CalBike supported and monitored in the 2023 legislative session.

6 bills signed into law

Governor Gavin Newsom signed six bills CalBike championed that will make active transportation safer.

Daylighting to Save Lives (AB 413, Lee): This law creates a statewide standard of a 20-foot setback for car parking from marked and unmarked crosswalks. The measure gives communities the flexibility to set shorter or longer clearances based on the speed of the street. The extra visibility will help prevent collisions between drivers and pedestrians, reducing the horrendous toll on our roadways. The next task for advocates is to make sure local governments know about the law and add signage and curb painting to inform drivers.
Caltrans Freeway Data (SB 695, Gonzalez): As the recent firing of Jeanie Ward-Waller showed, Caltrans needs more oversight. SB 695 requires the agency to provide data on its projects in a public portal and present them at California Transportation Commission meetings. CalBike has struggled to get Caltrans data; information on how many miles are under the agency’s management and how many miles it’s adding to the freeway system, among other things, will help us understand where transportation dollars are going and better focus our advocacy.
Deadly Oversized Cars (AB 251, Ward): The increase in the size of SUVs and light trucks has coincided with a rise in pedestrian fatalities. This will study the impact of these bloated vehicles on traffic deaths and injuries and the extra wear and tear on California’s roadways. The study will recommend whether the state should levy an additional fee for oversized vehicles.
Automated Speed Enforcement Pilot (AB 645, Friedman): Perseverance delivered a big victory, getting a pilot for automated speed enforcement across the finish line after several years of setbacks for this measure. The pilot will allow six cities to use cameras to issue speeding tickets. Cameras (if placed equitably) eliminate racial bias in speed enforcement. Automating enforcement also allows cities to crack down on speeding continuously, providing a consistent disincentive to drive at dangerous speeds.
Cars Blocking Bike Lanes (AB 361, Ward): Cities can now install forward-facing parking control devices on city-owned parking enforcement vehicles for the purpose of video imaging parking violations occurring in bicycle lanes. This will give communities greater capacity to ensure that bike infrastructure isn’t illegally repurposed as car storage.
Tenancy & Micromobility (SB 712, Portantino): Landlords will no longer be allowed to prevent tenants from owning a personal micromobility device, such as a scooter or bike, or from storing that device in their dwelling unit unless the landlord provides secure, long-term storage for those devices.

2 new laws we’re watching

Two of the active transportation bills the governor signed were on CalBike’s watch list of bills we weren’t opposing but weren’t actively supporting. We’ll be keeping an eye on these new laws to pressure agencies to implement them in ways that support rather than hinder people getting around by bike.

Bike Czar at Caltrans (SB 538, Portantino): We’re concerned this position could be greenwashing rather than moving Caltrans toward bike-friendly project designs. Ward-Waller’s firing underscores that concern, but maybe the high-profile blowback from that decision will force the agency to take active transportation more seriously. CalBike will keep an eye on this position and advocate for the position to have real power to make change at Caltrans.
E-Bike Safety Study (SB 381, Min): Like much of the discussion of e-bike safety lately, this measure is a double-edged sword. If the study produces information on how to keep e-bike riders and all people on bikes safer on our streets, it could be a positive measure. However, if the study focuses narrowly on e-bikes without considering unsafe road conditions that lead to deadly crashes, it may not lead to helpful insights. We hope to have opportunities to weigh in on the implementation of this measure to ensure it helps, not hurts, people who get around by bike.

2 vetoes

Governor Newsom nixed the two decriminalization bills that made it through the legislature, displaying a bias toward listening to the voices of law enforcement groups rather than transportation justice advocates or evidence of what is and isn’t effective at crime prevention.

Safe Passage for Bikes (AB 825, Bryan)

In an ideal world, protected, connected bikeways would allow people to get around every California community by bike. Unfortunately, that’s not the world we live in, and unless our state radically changes its transportation funding priorities, we won’t have enough safe bike infrastructure for many years. In the meantime, the Safe Passage for Bikes Bill would have let people on bikes, traveling around 10 mph, share the sidewalk with people walking. While there were valid concerns for pedestrian safety, we felt the bill addressed those. With this veto, the governor has condemned people on bikes to risk their lives sharing the street with speeding, 2-ton vehicles or risk a ticket (and being racially profiled) for riding on the sidewalk. This is a loss for equitable access to our streets and freedom from harassment for people of color, who are mostly likely to be stopped by police.

The state is not guaranteeing safe passage for bikes throughout California, but local leaders can still make this a reality by decriminalizing sidewalk riding in their communities or instructing police not to ticket people on bikes where the sidewalk is the safest alternative.

Decriminalize Transit Fare Evasion (AB 819, Bryan)

AB 819 would have removed criminal penalties for people with repeat tickets for failing to pay for their transit rides. While we want transit agencies to have the funding they need to provide reliable service, we shouldn’t fund that on the backs of people unable to pay the fare. Most fare evasion tickets go unpaid, and jail time is no solution. Providers don’t have to pursue criminal penalties for fare evasion, and some California transit agencies have already eliminated it. We hope more will follow suit.

Budget wins for active transportation in a lean fiscal year

Because of the projected budget shortfall, the governor’s initial budget cut $500 million from active transportation funding. CalBike rallied our supporters to ask the legislature to restore these critical funds, and our representatives listened. The final budget restored all the funding, and, as a result, the Active Transportation Program was able to greenlight more worthy projects to make biking and walking safer.

In addition, a funding trailer bill allocated $80 million to the California Air Resources Board for clean transportation programs. CARB’s draft budget puts $18 million of that amount toward more e-bike incentives. Thanks to CalBike supporters who emailed CARB in support of this allocation. It still needs board approval before it’s final, and we’ll let the CARB Board of Directors know this measure has our strong support.

The same budget trailer bill also included funding for the Transit Transformation Task Force (AB 761, Friedman), which will develop policies to grow transit ridership and improve the transit experience for all users.

As we celebrate these wins, we’re already working on our budget priorities for 2024. Once again, we’ll be asking the state to shift more transportation spending from freeway expansion to Complete Streets and other projects that support the transition to the greenest transportation options: biking, walking, and public transit.

4 two-year bills

Four bills CalBike supported became two-year bills. These bills need to be out of committee by January 2024 and have another chance to become law in the next legislative session.

Regional Prioritization for Clean Transportation (AB 6, Friedman): Requires regional transportation agencies to prioritize and fund transportation projects that significantly contribute toward regional and state climate goals
Project Selection Process (AB 7, Friedman): Requires state transportation agencies to incorporate environmental and equity principles into their project selection process
Bicycle Safety Stop (AB 73, Boerner Horvath): Legalizes stop-as-yield for bike riders aged 18 or older
Free Transit for Youth (AB 610, Holden): Establishes pilot program that provides grants to transit agencies for the costs of creating and implementing free youth transit passes to persons attending certain educational institutions

6 bills that didn’t make it

Good ideas sometimes take more than one try to make it into law. The process often involves revising the provisions of a bill in consultation with stakeholders and the governor’s office. In some cases, it’s a question of timing and the political climate.

RIP for six excellent bills that didn’t make it out of the legislature. May they rise again.

The Stop Baseless Searches Bill (AB 93, Bryan) would have curtailed baseless searches of people biking and driving. Protecting people from police harassment is essential to creating safe streets, and we hope this measure returns in some form in the future.
The Stop Pretextual Policing Bill (SB 50, Bradford) would have limited police from stopping drivers and people on bikes for low-level infractions. It would have prevented police from stopping people on bikes solely for minor infractions such as riding on the sidewalk or riding without a light. Black and Brown bike riders are disproportionately stopped by police, so this would have been a big step forward for equitable streets.
The Equity-First Transportation Funding Act (AB 1525, Bonta) would have prioritized transportation funding for historically underserved communities. It’s a good way to begin to correct the harms of decades of underfunded streets and punitive urban planning.
Highway Pilot Projects to Reduce Emissions (AB 981, Friedman) would have required Caltrans to complete 10 pilot highway maintenance and rehabilitation demonstration projects that would have resulted in significantly reduced emissions of greenhouse gases.
California Bike Smart Safety Handbook (AB 1188, Boerner) would have created a requirement for the DMV to write a bicycle handbook. It died in Appropriations.
No More Warrants for Infractions (AB 1266, Kalra) was a bill to eliminate the use of bench warrants for minor infractions. It would have reduced the potential for violence and police overreaction at traffic stops.

CalBike End-of-Session Legislative Recap 2023

September 21, 2023/by Jared Sanchez

California’s legislators are done for the year; now it’s up to Governor Gavin Newsom which bills become law and which get vetoed. Newsom has until October 14 to sign or veto bills. If he takes no action, the bill becomes law.

There are several noteworthy bills that will improve active transportation on the governor’s desk. We had some success in the budget, restoring money initially pulled from the ATP and ensuring funding to continue the e-bike incentive program. Since this is the first year of a two-year session, several measures became two-year bills, which means they’ll get debated again early next year. And quite a few excellent bills died in the legislature.

Dealing with the realities of California’s budget deficit forced lawmakers to make some tough decisions, particularly in matters regarding funding. Here’s a recap of everything that happened with bike-friendly bills in a bruising legislative session.

The Active Transportation Slate: Bills that sit with the governor

CalBike’s slate includes six excellent bills on the governor’s desk that will make biking safer, improve transit, study a vehicle weight fee, and increase Caltrans transparency.

AB 825 Bryan: Safe Passage for Bikes

The Safe Passage for Bikes Bill allows bicycle riding on a sidewalk adjacent to a street that does not include a Class I, Class II, or Class IV bikeway. As it made its way through the legislature, this bill was amended to overcome objections from cities that wanted more authority to regulate sidewalks, particularly in busy areas. The bill will take away a justification for traffic stops that may be racially biased and give people on bikes safer places to ride on dangerous streets with no bikeways. At the same time, it includes provisions to protect pedestrians and give them the right of way on sidewalks. AB 825 is a positive step toward decriminalization and bike rider safety, and we hope the governor signs it.

Email the governor and ask him to sign AB 825 for bike safety.

AB 413 Lee: Daylighting to Save Lives

The daylighting bill prohibits the stopping, standing, or parking of a vehicle within 20 feet of any unmarked or marked crosswalk. Intersections are the most common sites of collisions involving people walking and biking. Though this measure has been amended to allow shorter daylighting in some places, we think this is a crucial measure that will improve safety by increasing visibility.

Tell Governor Newsom to sign AB 413 to daylight dangerous intersections.

AB 819 Bryan: Decriminalizing Transit Fare Evasion

This bill decriminalizes fare evasion by removing it as a misdemeanor classification. Riders can still be fined, but potential penalties wouldn’t include jail time. In our ideal world, public transit would be free and frequent, with no need for police to check fares. Unfortunately, our civic budget priorities won’t fund that at the moment, but AB 819 is a step in the right direction.

Show your support for decriminalizing fare evasion – it just takes a minute.

AB 645 Friedman: Automated Speed Enforcement

The Automated Speed Enforcement Bill establishes an automated speed safety pilot program in six jurisdictions: the cities of Los Angeles, San Jose, Oakland, Glendale, and Long Beach, and the City and County of San Francisco. Cities must give 30 days notice before the program starts, and tickets issued for the first 60 days will be warnings with no fines. Automated speed enforcement has been effective in other states, and it’s crucial to making our streets safer since speed is a major factor in collisions with serious injuries and fatalities. Assemblymember Laura Friedman has been trying to pass this measure for a few years; this is the first time it’s made it all the way through the legislature. The pilot cities are all eager to participate, and we hope the bill passes so we can get data on the usefulness of speed cameras on California streets.

AB 251 Ward: Deadly Oversized Cars

The Deadly Oversized Cars Bill convenes a task force to study the relationship between vehicle weight and injuries to pedestrians and cyclists and to study the costs and benefits of imposing a passenger vehicle weight fee. If California adds a weight fee, it could serve as a disincentive for manufacturers and consumers to make and purchase heavier SUVs and light trucks.

SB 695 Gonzalez: Caltrans Freeway Data

This data transparency measure will require Caltrans to prepare and make available information and data about activities on the state highway system on a public portal. It seems wonky, but having more visibility into Caltrans projects is crucial for advocates like CalBike because it will make it much easier to direct our efforts where they will have the most impact.

Two bills we’re watching also made it through the legislative process. SB 381 would initiate a study of e-bike safety. We support this idea if it looks at how to keep e-bike riders (and all people on bikes) safe on our streets and bikeways, but we’re concerned it could be another piece of the current e-bike panic that unfairly blames electric bikes for causing cars to crash into them. SB 538 would require Caltrans to appoint a bike czar to oversee all things bike-related at the agency. We think everyone at Caltrans should understand bike-friendly planning rather than leaving it to one person to advocate for better bikeways within the agency.

What is a two-year bill?

Every odd-numbered year is the first year of the two-year legislative session in California. Bills introduced in odd years have three paths: become law, die in the legislature or get vetoed by the governor, or become a two-year bill. Two-year bills must pass their house of origin by January 31 of the following year.

There are many reasons authors may choose to make measures into two-year bills. They may need more time to build support to pass a committee or floor vote, the bill may need more time to be amended, or the political climate wasn’t favorable this session but might be better next year.

Here are all the bills CalBike supported that became two-year bills:

Regional Prioritization for Clean Transportation (AB 6, Friedman): Requires regional transportation agencies to prioritize and fund transportation projects that significantly contribute toward regional and state climate goals
Project Selection Process (AB 7, Friedman): Requires state transportation agencies to incorporate environmental and equity principles into their project selection process
Bicycle Safety Stop (AB 73, Boerner Horvath): Legalizes stop-as-yield for bike riders aged 18 or older
Cars Blocking Bike Lanes (AB 361, Ward): Authorizes cities to install automated forward-facing parking control devices on city-owned parking enforcement vehicles for the purpose of video imaging parking violations occurring in bicycle lanes
Free Transit for Youth (AB 610, Holden): Establishes pilot program that provides grants to transit agencies for the costs of creating and implementing free youth transit passes to persons attending certain educational institutions
Transit Transformation Task Force (AB 761, Friedman): Establishes a Transit Transformation Task Force to develop policies to grow transit ridership and improve the transit experience for all users
Tenancy & Micromobility (SB 712, Portantino): Prohibits a landlord from prohibiting a tenant from owning a personal micromobility device or from storing a personal micromobility device in their dwelling unit unless the landlord provides secure, long-term storage for those devices.

Bills that didn’t make it

Six bills CalBike supported died in the legislature. We discuss two in more detail below. All are excellent measures that we hope to see return in some form in a future session.

The Equity-First Transportation Funding Act (AB 1525, Bonta): This bill would have prioritized transit funding for historically underserved communities. It’s a good way to begin to correct the harms of decades of underfunded streets and punitive urban planning.
Highway Pilot Projects to Reduce Emissions (AB 981, Friedman): This would have required Caltrans to complete 10 pilot highway maintenance and rehabilitation demonstration projects that would have resulted in significantly reduced emissions of greenhouse gases.
California Bike Smart Safety Handbook (AB 1188, Boerner Horvath): A requirement for the DMV to create a bicycle handbook died in Appropriations in a tight budget year.
No More Warrants for Infractions (AB 1266, Kalra): Eliminating the use of bench warrants for minor infractions would have reduced the temperature of traffic stops that can sometimes become lethal.

Measures to make policing less biased and more effective failed in 2023

Traffic policing is often aimed more at crime prevention than curbing traffic violence, and, as a result, it’s not effective at either and is the most common starting point for police encounters that turn violent. CalBike sponsored the Stop Baseless Searches Bill (AB 93, Bryan) to prevent police from searching people stopped while biking or driving. Investigations have shown that police are more likely to search bike riders during a stop for a minor infraction, that these stops are disproportionately of Black and Latino Californians, and that they’re unlikely to turn up any evidence of a crime, but this measure didn’t make it out of the Assembly.

We also prioritized the Stop Pretextual Policing Bill (SB 50, Bradford), which would have prevented police stops for minor infractions. It passed the Senate but died on the Assembly floor after last-minute opposition from law enforcement.

Fewer than half of violent crimes in California are solved. Yet police prefer to spend time on traffic stops, an element of the discredited “broken windows” theory of crime prevention. Changing attitudes about what’s needed to keep our streets safe from traffic violence is as big a challenge as convincing planners to design infrastructure that keeps people safe while biking and walking. We will continue to advocate for both.

Legislative Update: Mostly Positive Results for Active Transportation Bills at Midpoint

June 5, 2023/by Jared Sanchez

June 2 was the deadline for all bills to move from their house of origin or get nixed. While two of CalBike’s top-priority bills didn’t survive, many more excellent measures are moving forward. Here’s where we stand.

Bills moving forward

By June 2, all Assembly bills needed to pass a floor vote and move to the Senate, and Senate bills needed to move to the Assembly. Happily, most of the bills CalBike supports this year made the cut.

Stop Pretextual Policing

(SB 50, Bradford): Another Biking Is not a Crime measure, this bill prohibits police officers from stopping or detaining a bike rider for a low-level infraction, such as riding on the sidewalk or riding without lights, to deter pretextual stops and searches. While its companion bill, AB 93, didn’t pass the Assembly, we’re encouraged by the support.

Bicycle Safety Stop

(AB 73, Boerner): It’s not a question of whether this bill, which allows people on bikes to treat stop signs as yields when the right of way is clear, will pass the legislature since it passed each of the last two years. The challenge will be convincing Governor Newsom not to veto it — again.

Regional Prioritization for Clean Transportation

(AB 6, Friedman): This vital bill, a version of which passed the legislature only to be vetoed by the governor in 2022, requires regional transportation agencies to prioritize and fund transportation projects that significantly contribute toward regional and state climate goals, divesting from projects that contribute to GHG emissions and investing in transportation alternatives.

Daylighting to Save Lives

(AB 413, Lee): This bill prohibits stopping, standing, or parking a vehicle within 20 feet of any unmarked or marked crosswalk to reduce lethal collisions.

Climate-First Transportation Planning

(AB 7, Friedman) This bill keeps getting better as it’s amended. As it stands, it requires state transportation agencies to incorporate the principles of the Climate Action Plan for Transportation Infrastructure and the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in the project selection and implementation process.

Safe Sidewalk Riding

(AB 825, Bryan): Part of our Biking Is Not a Crime slate, this measure allows bicycle riding on a sidewalk adjacent to a street that does not include a Class I, Class II, or Class IV bikeway. It protects pedestrians by requiring people on bikes to share the space responsibly and imposing a 10 mph speed limit on bikes. Despite some opposition, it’s moving forward.

Decriminalize Transit Fare Evasion

(AB 819, Bryan): We’d like public transit to be free for everyone. Until then, this bill to decriminalize fare evasion by removing it as a misdemeanor classification is an excellent step in the right direction.

No More Warrants for Infractions

(AB 1266, Kalra): When someone doesn’t show up in court because of a traffic infraction, including bicyclists and pedestrians who get tickets, the judge can issue a bench warrant. If that person is later stopped (perhaps due to pretextual policing because of the color of their skin), they will have a warrant for their arrest and could be taken to jail. This measure eliminates the use of bench warrants for minor traffic infractions, thereby eliminating a pipeline that has often kept people struggling to get by stuck in a cycle of jail time and poverty.

Make Caltrans Freeway Data Public

(SB 695, Gonzalez): One of those wonky bills that could make a big difference, this will help advocates like CalBike uncover harmful freeway expansion projects whose funds could be better spent on active transportation.

Deadly Oversized Cars

(AB 251, Ward): This bill creates a task force to study the relationship between vehicle weight and injuries to pedestrians and cyclists and to study the costs and benefits of imposing a passenger vehicle weight fee. Heavier cars with taller grills are implicated in rising traffic fatalities, especially among vulnerable road users, so this is a timely measure.

These active transportation bills also moved forward:

AB 361 (Ward): Cars Blocking Bike Lanes
AB 761 (Friedman): Public Transit Transformation Task Force
SB 712 (Portantino): Tenancy & Micromobility

Signs of progress

Two bills that didn’t make it last year are moving forward, an encouraging sign.

Free Transit for Youth Pilot (AB 610, Holden): The governor vetoed this last year, citing budget concerns. The budget remains concerning, but the concept of giving free transit passes to young people is gaining momentum, so we hope this pilot gets the governor’s signature.

Automated Speed Enforcement Pilot (AB 645, Friedman): Enforcing speed limits with traffic cameras, which is common in other countries and some US states, has been a tough sell in California. A version of this bill died in committee the past two years. We’re thrilled to see it move to the Senate, though its passage is not assured.

The ones that didn’t make it

Unfortunately, two of CalBike’s high-priority bills died in the Assembly. We hope they’ll come back next year.

Equity-First Transportation Funding (AB 1525, Bonta) Our top-priority bill, this measure would have directed 60% of transportation funding to disadvantaged communities. It would have been a significant step toward correcting the racism built into our transportation infrastructure and improving streets in often-neglected low-income neighborhoods. The movement to right historical wrongs by removing freeways and other measures is growing, including at the federal level, so we hope to see another measure like this in the future.

Stop Baseless Searches (AB 93, Bryan): CalBike fought hard for this bill prohibiting police officers from requesting consent to conduct a search if the officer does not suspect criminal activity. Thank you to everyone who emailed their assemblymember.

These bills also failed:

California Bike Smart Safety Handbook (AB 1188, Boerner): It was expected to cost $4.1 million, apparently too much for the legislature to move it forward in this budget deficit year.

Highway Pilot Projects to Reduce Emissions (AB 981, Friedman): We’re not sure why the legislature doesn’t want Caltrans to take all opportunities to reduce the carbon emissions of freeway projects. Sigh.

Bills change as they pass through the legislature and get amended, for better and worse. We keep tabs on all the active transportation measures. Check our Legislative Watch page for the latest on all the bills on CalBike’s radar this year, and watch your inbox for opportunities to join our campaigns to pass essential active transportation legislation.

Legislative Recap: CalBike and Our Allies Deliver Wins for Bikes in Sacramento

October 11, 2022/by Kevin Claxton

The 2022 California legislative session ended on a high note, with CalBike’s sponsored legislation and many bike-friendly bills we supported becoming law. Breaking it down:

The legislature sent 19 excellent active transportation bills to the governor
The governor signed 15 of these bills into law
The governor vetoed four bills, mostly citing budget concerns
One bill we opposed became law, but with modifications that make it less harmful
An additional five bills died in the legislature

CalBike supporters played a key role in this victory, sending more than 5,500 emails, Tweets, and petition signatures to support active transportation legislation. Here’s a detailed recap.

CalBike-sponsored bills become law

Among the many excellent bills that passed the legislature this year are CalBike’s two sponsored bills.

The Plan for the Future Bill (SB 932, Portantino) will require general plans to include active transportation in their circulation elements and start building safe streets quickly. We co-sponsored this bill with our partners at Streets for All.

CalBike supporters sent over 2,200 emails and Twitter messages to Sacramento in support of the Plan for the Future Bill.

The Freedom to Walk Bill (AB 2147, Ting) doesn’t fully decriminalize jaywalking but prevents police from issuing tickets unless the street crossing is truly dangerous. It is a welcome first step to stop the over-enforcement of an outdated statute invented a century ago by car companies. And we know we’ve touched a nerve in the cultural zeitgeist because, for the second year in a row, this measure made it as a clue on NPR’s Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me!

CalBike supporters sent over 1,000 emails and Twitter messages to Sacramento in support of the Freedom to Walk.

Many more wins for active transportation

CalBike supported a historic slate of active transportation bills this year. Of 25 bills introduced, 15 (including our two sponsored bills) became law. That’s good news for people who get around by bike and for all Californians.

CalBike supporters sent over 500 emails and Twitter messages to Sacramento in support of the active transportation slate.

The OmniBike Bill (AB 1909, Friedman) makes bike-friendly changes to the California Vehicle Code. These small but significant amendments will make biking safer and increase access for e-bikes. The most significant change is that a car driver will be required to move over a full lane to pass a person riding a bike, where possible.

More than 1,800 CalBike supporters sent emails or signed a petition in support of the Omnibike Bill.

Here are the other active transportation bills that passed:

AB 2097 Friedman – No auto parking minimums near transit
SB 922 Wiener – CEQA exemptions for transit and active transportation infrastructure
AB 2264 Bloom – Pedestrian head start at crossing signals
SB 1079 Portantino – Sound-activated enforcement devices
SB 1472 Stern – Speeding and reckless driving
SB 307 McGuire – Great Redwood Trail Agency authorization
SB 1230 Limon – Zero-emission and near-zero emission vehicle incentive programs
SB 1107 Dodd – Protect California Drivers Act of 2022 increases liability insurance
AB 2863 Wilson – Bike parking standards in building codes (research)
AB 2174 Chen – Treat bikes and scooters as vehicles for purposes of towing regulations

AB 371 passes, but bikes spared from insurance requirement

For the past two years, we called AB 371 the Kill Bike-Share Bill because it initially imposed an outsized insurance requirement on bike and scooter sharing system operators that might have put an end to shared micromobility in California. Unfortunately, the bill passed, and the governor signed it. However, CalBike and our allies in the legislature were able to work with the bill’s author to remove the insurance requirement for shared bikes and reduce the coverage amount for scooters.

So the bad news is much less bad than it might have been, and bike-share still thrives in California. We’ll keep an eye on potential bicycle insurance requirements and be prepared to oppose it if it comes back again.

What got vetoed

The governor vetoed four excellent active transportation bills. The reason he gave for three of those vetoes was budgetary concerns because they required expenditures that weren’t in the budget passed in 2022. Those measures may come back, accompanied by budget allocations. And CalBike will work to get money set aside for an annual e-bike incentive program, even though AB 117, the bill codifying the program, got vetoed.

SB 457 Portantino and Wilk – Car-free tax credit
AB 1919 Holden – Free student transit passes
AB 117 Boerner Horvath – E-bike incentives program
AB 2438 Friedman – Align transportation funding with climate goals

What didn’t make it out of the legislature

Our biggest disappointment in 2022 was the Bicycle Safety Stop Bill. The safety stop allows people on bikes to treat stop signs as yields, and it’s been successfully implemented in several other states. It passed the legislature, but the author withdrew it ahead of a threatened veto from Governor Newsom.

Four more bills stalled out during the legislative process:

AB 2336, Friedman – Automated speed enforcement pilot program
AB 1778, C. Garcia – Prohibits any state funds or personnel from funding freeways in high-poverty or polluted areas
AB 1975 Nazarian – California bus shelter funding
AB 2237 Friedman – Regional transportation improvement plans

All five of these bills are excellent measures that would make our streets more welcoming to people on bikes, increase road safety, and make California more resilient to climate change. It sometimes takes more than one try to get a bill through, and we hope these bills come back in future sessions.

We don’t see the momentum for biking, walking, and public transit slowing down, and we’re already planning for a more ambitious agenda in 2023. Our progress this year shows that when we all raise our voices, we can bring about big changes!

Thank you to all of you who sent an email, tweeted, or signed a petition to support better biking, and congratulations on the role you played in moving California in the right direction. If you didn’t, there’s always next year.

CalBike Executive Director Responds to California’s Unprecedented Support for Active Transportation

October 7, 2022/by Kevin Claxton

This was an unprecedented year for bike-friendly and active transportation legislation in Sacramento. CalBike worked hard with our members and allies to advocate for bike-friendly measures, and it’s clear that our elected officials have heard the message that Californians want safer streets, more space for biking and walking, and strong measures to tackle climate change.

We can’t drive ourselves out of the climate crisis; California needs to fundamentally alter its transportation system. The 2022 legislative session shows that our elected leaders recognize the value of bikes and other modes of active transportation to help bring the changes we need. Several new laws will bring vital changes to our communities, reducing pollution, mitigating the effects of climate change, and improving equity and quality of life for all Californians.

Pedestrians aren’t “jays”

Car companies invented the concept of “jaywalking” 100 years ago. At the time, jay was an insulting word for a country bumpkin, and the implication was that country folk were too uneducated to know how to walk on city streets filled with cars. The auto manufacturers did this as part of a PR campaign as sentiment rose against the new vehicles for mowing down children in the streets (something that autos continue to do, but now with sadly little awareness or outrage).

With the governor’s signature on AB 2147, the Freedom to Walk Act, California joins a growing movement to decriminalize safe, midblock street crossings. The law leaves jaywalking statutes on the books but will prevent police from ticketing people who cross without endangering themselves or others.

The Freedom to Walk Act won’t affect most people’s walking behavior: Everybody jaywalks, and that will continue. But it will make the streets safer for Black and Latino Californians, who are disproportionately targeted while walking or biking, sometimes leading to lethal police encounters or economically harmful tickets.

CalBike applauds Assemblymember Phil Ting for writing this bill, and for his unwavering support for passing it into law.

Planning for the future

CalBike also cosponsored the Plan for the Future Bill, SB 932, which requires a specific change to a somewhat obscure planning document, but the bill will have a tremendous impact on our neighborhoods in the years to come. Cities and counties base their long-term planning decisions on General Plans, which are only updated every 15 years — sometimes even longer. The changes outlined in General Plans may take years or decades to come to fruition, if they are ever built.

The Plan for the Future Bill requires local governments to update the circulation element of their General Plans (which governs all elements of transportation into and through a community) to include Complete Streets and other features that enhance safety for people walking and biking, and plans must be updated by the middle of 2024. Then they have two years to start building what they have planned, so good ideas don’t gather dust. The bill also creates a state fund to help pay for the costs of these changes.

We can’t wait decades to create communities where it’s safe and appealing to get on a bike or take the bus rather than driving a personal car. The Plan for the Future Bill recognizes this and takes bold action to move California into the future we need. We thank Senator Anthony Portantino for authoring this bill and our friends at Streets for All for cosponsoring it and working with us to pass it.

Accelerating the speed of change

SB 922, which grants permanent CEQA exemption for active transportation infrastructure projects, will help the plans created under SB 932 become reality. The measure extends an exemption granted temporarily during the pandemic.

CEQA, California’s environmental review law, is crucial to assessing the potential impacts of construction projects on our fragile environment. However, the law has often been twisted by anti-development forces. A CEQA lawsuit delayed the implementation of San Francisco’s bike plan for many years, putting that city’s bike riders in harm’s way and delaying the shift toward a sustainable transportation system.

SB 922 recognizes that bikeways have a positive impact on the environment by making active transportation safer and enabling more people to choose alternatives to driving. We thank Senator Scott Wiener for his leadership on this issue.

Bikes belong on California streets

The OmniBike Bill, AB 1909, makes four essential changes to the California vehicle code:

Car drivers must change lanes to pass bike riders wherever possible.
E-bikes, including Class 3 bikes, can’t be excluded from most bikeways.
Cities can’t enforce bicycle licensing regulations, which have often been used to harass Black and brown bike riders.
People on bikes can advance on a walk signal, even if the traffic light is red in their direction.

These changes legalize logical and safe choices for people on bikes, and reduce potential police harassment, discrimination, and pretextual policing. The change lanes to pass provision gives drivers clear direction about how to safely pass bike riders and will make it easier for police to ticket offenders.

This law has a bonus provision because AB 2264, which also became law, gives pedestrians a 3-7 second head start to walk before cars get the green. Called a leading pedestrian interval (LPI), this measure has been shown to reduce collisions involving people walking by up to 60%. Under AB 1909, bikes will be able to advance on the LPI, increasing safety for people on bikes as well.

We thank Assemblymember Laura Friedman, who authored the OmniBike Bill and several other critical active transportation measures, for her leadership on these issues.

Electric bicycle incentive program takes shape

In 2021, CalBike helped win a budget allocation for an e-bike incentive, similar to the rebates that California offers residents who buy electric cars. This year, we have worked with CARB to provide input to help shape the program. And we have mobilized over 8,000 people who care about the program, which makes e-bikes more affordable for more Californians, to add their voices to the discussion. CARB expects the pilot project to launch by the end of March 2023.

These are just a few highlights from a historic slate of active transportation bills that became law this year, and CalBike is thrilled with the results. This progress signals rapidly growing support for the transportation mode shift that California needs, not just to EVs but to biking, walking, and transit. We look forward to building on this momentum in 2023 to ensure that all Californians have access to healthy, sustainable transportation options, to safe and welcoming streets, and to joyful, connected, liveable communities.