Category Archives: State

AB 902, Bicycle Traffic Violation Diversion Programs signed into Law!

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The California Bicycle Coalition has been working with lawmakers, including the bills author ur own Assemblyman Richard Bloom in Sacramento throughout the legislative session to get California to allow bicycle ticket diversion programs for adults*. The diversion programs allow the option to reduce fines for people ticketed on bikes. People ticket on bikes will now be able to take a bicycle education class in the same way drivers of motor vehicles have been allowed to opt for “Traffic School”.

We have good news: Thanks to the work done by California Bicycle Coalition - We won!

Yesterday Governor Jerry Brown signed into law Assembly Bill 902, to allow reduced fines for adults who take a bicycle education class. This is huge news and one we have been championing in Santa Monica for many many years. Now with this new law it can further encourage bike riding, make enforcement more equitable, while also helping boosting people’s confidence, knowledge and skills. The California Bicycle Coalition couldn’t have won this bill without it’s members, affiliates and outspoken advocates. We urge you to join the California Bicycle Coalition and help us win more laws that encourage bicycling.

Now that we have won at the state level, implementing diversion programs in Los Angeles and Santa Monica is now in our court. AB 902 goes into effect on January 1, 2016, and it’s up to us and our local partners, advocacy groups and you to make sure that our local police departments adopt diversion programs in our city.

We invite you to support the California Bicycle Coalition, and our local bicycle advocacy. We can only move this work forward with supporters like you!

*Currently only minors can opt for traffic diversion for bicycle traffic tickets.

Call to Action: Bills to transform how California funds bikeways

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Calbike FundingOur California Bicycle Coalition has two hugely important bills that will transform how California funds bikeway projects. Here’s what these laws would do:

  • Implement a Complete Streets policy for state funding: We are thankful to Senator Jim Beall for including sensible complete streets provisions in SBX 1-1 that will make the wisest use of road maintenance funding by including “new bicycle and pedestrian safety, access, and mobility improvements” in every project funded by the state. It calls for sidewalks and protected bike lanes or bike paths in transit-dense areas on most roads with a speed limit over 25 miles per hour.
  • Increase dedicated funding for biking and walking: Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia, Autumn Burke, and David Chiu’s ABX 1-23, doubles the size of the Active Transportation Program (ATP) with a $125 million increase. The ATP is the sole source of state funding dedicated to biking walking and Safe Routes to School projects. Last year, the ATP was underfunded by nearly $800 million for shovel-ready walking, bicycling and safe school access projects. ABX 1-23 also includes a bike network grants program that will support local agencies to build whole networks that connect every destination in communities like yours with an unbroken web of bike paths, protected bike lanes, and quiet bicycle boulevards.

Now we need your help. Contact your state Senator and Assemblymember now to let them know that you support implementing strong “complete streets” policies to ensure that state funding is being spent to build protected bike lanes, increasing the Active Transportation Program, and creating a state program to give cities large grants to build out entire bike networks.

Do you want a California Bicycle License Plate?

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CA bike license plate

The California Bicycle Coalition is pursuing a bicycle-oriented special interest license plate program for motor vehicles in California. Will you please take our brief survey and let us know what you would like most?

Please help set the vision for the bicycle-themed specialty license plate program, and create a popular design, by filling out the survey at calbike.org/licenseplate. Help the California Bicycle Coalition get a sense of how many interested Californians will help us win the license plate campaign.

TAKE THE SURVEY

 

Action Alert – Tell your legislators NOW – more ATP funding!

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The state Active Transportation Program (ATP) is the funding source for creating safe streets, sidewalks, and trails so that Californians can bicycle or walk to wherever they want to go. Local demand for ATP funding far outpaces the amount allocated in the budget, and many communities lack safe routes for biking and walking.

On May 14 (Bike to Work Day in LA and the Bay Area), the Governor released his latest budget proposal. We were disappointed to learn that the ATP did not see an increase in funding. Earlier this spring, the California Bicycle Coalition and 120 organizations statewide called for adding $100 million to the Active Transportation Program.

There is a clear need for increased funding. But despite an increase of more than a billion dollars in available revenue, the governor failed to recognize that need.

On Wednesday May 20th our champions in the Assembly budget committee stepped up and proposed a $25 million increase the the ATP. The California Bicycle Coalition and our partners statewide are rallying in support of the Assembly proposal, and pushing for it to be reflected in the final budget, which will be adopted by June 15.

We have one chance to get the entire Legislature to counter Governor Brown’s proposal and increase the ATP. Help us rally behind our champions in the Assembly so that all Californians can enjoy the freedom of walking and bicycling safely in their communities. Here’s how to help:

  1. Pledge your support at bit.ly/IncreaseATP
  2. Call your Senator and Assemblymember and tell them to encourage legislative leadership to adopt the Assembly’s proposal to increase the ATP.
    Our Santa Monica Representatives:
    •       State Assembly (District 50) Assembly Member Richard Bloom
    •   State Senate (District 26) Senator Benjamin Allen
    Find your representative here: findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov
  3. After you call, email your representatives to follow up, and please be sure to cc increasetheatp@calbike.org

Governor’s Budget Ignores Active Transportation Program

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Governor’s May revised budget ignores Active Transportation Program

Yesterday, the Governor released his “May revise” budget proposal, and despite over $1 billion in new available revenues, we were disappointed that the Active Transportation Program (ATP) did not see an increase in funding. Earlier this spring, 120 organizations statewide called for an additional $100 million to build out bicycling and walking networks statewide, and high demand for the program at the local level far outpaced available funding in the first grant cycle. A hallmark of Caltrans sustainability efforts, the ATP is California’s statewide competitive grant program dedicated to increasing walking and bicycling, especially in underserved communities.

The May revise includes an expenditure plan for $2.2 billion in Cap-and-Trade revenue from auction proceeds–more than twice the amount in the January budget proposal–which is the most likely source of new ATP dollars. However, most of the Cap-and-Trade revenue is slated to boost funding to the same set of programs in the January expenditure plan, with a small portion directed to a few new programs related to drought management, energy efficiency, and healthy soils.

While walking and bicycling improvements are technically eligible in several of the Cap-and-Trade programs that received a boost in the May revise, these programs primarily focus on public transit and affordable housing development. These programs’ constraints on project financing and development limit their ability to fund meaningful walking and bicycling projects critical for shifting the nearly ⅔ of trips in California under 1 mile that are currently taken by car. Walking and biking must be a core component of the Cap-and-Trade expenditures in order to reduce vehicles miles traveled (VMT) and ultimately, to help the California achieve our ambitious climate change goals.

The ATP continues to be the most effective source for robust bicycling and walking projects that create safe travel corridors, connect people to transit, provide Safe Routes to School, improve intersections, and close key gaps between destinations for people who walk and bicycle. Furthermore, these projects are essential to improving access to transit and regional economic opportunity for California’s rural disadvantaged communities. Our broad coalition–which includes environmental, affordable housing, transit, parks, public health, social equity, and walking and bicycling advocates, among others–will continue to push for $100 million directly into the Active Transportation Program in the final budget.

The Legislature will review the May revise in a second round of budget hearings over the next few weeks, and the final 2015-16 State Budget must be adopted by June 15.

Support the push for more ATP funding by signing the petition at bit.ly/IncreaseATP.
•  Call your Senator and Assemblymember and tell them to encourage legislative leadership to increase the ATP. Find your representative here: findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov
•  After you call, email your representatives to follow up, be sure to cc increasetheatp@calbike.org.

Statement issued by the Coalition for Active Transportation Leadership including the California Bicycle Coalition, California Walks, California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, California Park and Recreation Society, Safe Routes to School National Partnership, Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, TransForm.