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CalBike’s blog — sharing the biking news you need to know

Stay informed about the bicycling movement in California by reading this blog and subscribing to our monthly newsletter, the CalBike Report. Keep apprised of which bills we are supporting with our Legislative Watch page, which we update regularly.

complete streets law
Happy bike riders making their way down an extra wide bike lane on a verdant street.
Yuba e-bike
e-bike
Dero-bike parking room
bike the vote

Bike-Friendly Candidates Elected in California Races

This post was updated November 15, 2024, to reflect new vote tallies. CalBike endorsed eight candidates for the state legislature and one bike champion in a county race. Six of those nine candidates won their races, one lost, and two are still too close to call. California State Assembly gets five new bike champions In […]

Adding new bike lane

Active Transportation Program Struggles After Deep Funding Cuts

Last week, the California Transportation Commission released staff recommendations for the 2025 Active Transportation Program (ATP). The news is dire: $2.5 billion in requests were made, but the California Transportation Commission (CTC) had only $100 million to award in statewide grants, enough to greenlight just 13 projects over the two-year funding cycle. Budget cuts that […]

CalBike Continues Campaign for Safer Vehicles

The path to achieving critical safety improvements on California streets is rarely straightforward. CalBike supports and sponsors legislation, but bills are often amended, sometimes in ways that remove the teeth from a measure, and even those that make it through can be vetoed. But a veto or amendment isn’t the end of the road for […]

Why I’m a Bike Advocate

I grew up in downtown Sacramento in a household without a car. From a young age, I understood that transportation was how we accessed opportunity. If something was close enough to walk or bike, or a bus or light rail route went there, we could access it. If not, that was not an opportunity open […]

How to Fight E-Bike Backlash

In a state where 4,000 people die annually and many more are injured due to traffic violence, some California cities are freaking out because teenagers on e-bikes…did a wheelie? The ultra-conservative enclave of Huntington Beach enacted a draconian law last year that allows police to impound bicycles of youth found to have violated its (probably […]

Daylighting Law Will Save Lives

Header graphic courtesy of Streets for All. The 2023 Daylighting to Save Lives Bill, AB 413, authored by Assemblymember Alex Lee and co-sponsored by CalBike, prohibits parking within 20 feet of most crosswalks. It allows cities to use that space for other purposes, such as bicycle parking, that don’t restrict visibility. Its provisions took effect […]

Taking Stock of Protected Bikeways 10 Years Later

As CalBike celebrates its 30th anniversary, it’s an excellent time to look at one of our accomplishments that turns 10 this year: the Protected Bikeway Act of 2014, AB 1193. Authored by Assemblymember Phil Ting and sponsored by CalBike, the bill created a new class of bike lane: Class IV, also called cycletracks. These are […]

Kellie Morris photo courtesy of Alan Crawford

Cycling and Older Adults: Insights from the 50+ Cycling Survey

Below is a guest post from Carol Kachadoorian, executive director of dblTilde CORE, Inc., reporting on the 50+ Cycling survey, which is conducted with funding from the Mineta Transportation Institute and San Jose State University.  Click here to participate in this year’s survey. With older adults comprising an increasing percentage of our population, a focus […]

Where CalBike Is Today

As we roll into CalBike’s 30th year, it’s time to take stock of where our organization is today. We’ve increased our reach and influence over the years, but we also face challenges heading into our next 30 years. Strength in numbers I’ve heard from members and supporters that they think of CalBike as a large […]

Bike the Vote

Bike the Vote in the November General Election 

One of the best ways to pass better laws around active transportation is to elect bike champions. Elected leaders who understand the value of safe streets for people biking, walking, and taking transit are critical allies in our work to bring better biking to all Californians. So, each election cycle, CalBike endorses candidates who we […]

Complete Streets

CalBike ED Statement on 2024 Legislative Session

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 […]

California State Capitol

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

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 […]