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Each year Planet Bike donates 25% of profits to grassroots advocacy organizations like CBC. Planet Bike donated the lights in support of CBC's efforts to safeguard bicycling as safe, clean, affordable transportation in California. | |
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| Year in review |
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CBC juggled full advocacy agenda in 2009
Economic collapse and California's progress in addressing climate change helped drive CBC's advocacy agenda during the past year. Here are the highlights:
Federal economic stimulus funding
When California received $2.6 billion in federal economic stimulus funds for transportation this year, CBC joined other advocacy organizations to ensure that California spent a portion of the funding on ready-to-build bicycle and pedestrian facilities improvements.
In February, as the California Legislature began discussing how it would allocate stimulus funds for transportation, CBC and other organizations urged legislators to require Caltrans to allocate those funds in ways consistent with the Complete Streets principles embraced by Caltrans in October 2008 through Deputy Directive 64-R1.
Part of the Caltrans funds included $77 million for transportation enhancements (TE), a category of federal funding that includes bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure projects. When it learned that Caltrans was prepared to spend none of the $29 million in TE funds dedicated to state highways on bike-ped projects, CBC rallied local bicycle coalitions statewide to submit known projects in their areas. Because CBC was able to slow down the allocation process, Caltrans ultimately added eight ready-to-build bike-ped projects worth $14.1 million to its list of stimulus projects.
CBC later urged local coalitions to push cities and counties to submit bike-ped projects for the $48 million in TE funding being allocated by Caltrans to regional transportation planning agencies.
The first guidelines to implement Assembly Bill 1358, the Complete Streets Act of 2008, are nearing completion at the Governor's Office of Planning & Research.
OPR regularly issues guidelines for updating city and county general plans, as required under the California Environmental Quality Act.
Starting in 2011, AB 1358 calls for cities and counties, when updating the transportation portion of their general plans, to determine how they will accommodate all roadway users, including bicyclists, pedestrians and transit riders, as well as motorists.
With help from other bicycle advocacy organizations, CBC worked closely with OPR to develop detailed Complete Streets language for general plan update guidelines to be issued next year.
After more than a year of discussion, the California Natural Resources Agency appears ready to remove a longstanding preference given to motor vehicle traffic from California Environmental Quality Act guidelines.
CBC and dozens of allied organizations and public agencies have called for removing
impacts on traffic flows from among the guidelines' suggested "significance thresholds" that trigger required mitigation or further environmental review under CEQA.
Common CEQA mitigation measures for potential impacts on traffic include widening roads, removing pedestrian crossings and eliminating bike lanes.
CEQA guidelines are being revised in response to
Senate Bill 97 in 2007, which called for adoption of regulations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions or GHG. Revised CEQA guidelines must be approved by Jan. 1.
Legislation
Despite the distractions of a state budget in free-fall, the Legislature still managed to pass four bike-friendly bills.
Assembly Bill 1464: The California Bicycle Routes of Regional, Statewide or National Significance Act creates a process for recognizing bike routes with special recreational, scenic or historical significance. CBC sponsored the bill and is taking the lead on convening an advisory committee to oversee the designation process.
AB 662: The largest Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District busses are now permitted to carry up to three bikes. CBC hopes to see this authorization extended to transit districts statewide.
Senate Bill 734: The addition of definitions of "bicycle path" and "bicycle path crossing" to state law removes a significant gray area of the law. Because state law prohibits bicycling in occupied pedestrian crosswalks, bicyclists were being cited for riding through marked crossings where dedicated bike paths and streets intersect.
SB 83: Counties can ask voters to add an annual fee of up to $10 on motor vehicles registered in the county to fund programs and projects to relieve traffic congestion, including bicycle and pedestrian facilities.
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| Bicycling and the law |
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Many thanks to CBC board member and bicycle attorney Gary Brustin for reviewing this article.
Is it legal to ride on the sidewalk?
What the law says: State law says nothing about riding on the sidewalk, except for California Vehicle Code Section 21206, which leaves the question to local government: "This chapter does not prevent local authorities, by ordinance, from regulating the...operation of bicycles on pedestrian or bicycle facilities, provided such regulation is not in conflict with the provisions of this code."
Signs typically indicate where sidewalk riding is permitted, but a bicyclist would have to contact the city or county (e.g., public works department, police or sheriff's department) or consult local ordinances to be certain about local riding rules.
The rest of the story: Sidewalks are designed and built for pedestrians, who don't expect to encounter bicyclists and whose actions aren't particularly conducive to bicycle traffic. Pets on and off leashes, broken or uneven pavement, curbs and curb cuts, doorways, gates, driveways, garages, landscaping, bus kiosks, signs, parking meters, bollards and street lights are other sidewalk hazards facing bicyclists.
While riding on the sidewalk may seem safer when riding in the adjacent roadway is clearly risky, especially with small children, the rate of vehicle collisions involving bicyclists riding on sidewalks is actually 1.8 times higher than it is for bicyclists riding in the street.
Motorists often aren't looking for bicyclists on the sidewalk who enter the roadway at an intersection or driveway, especially those hidden by parked cars or landscaping. Motorists normally scan for traffic traveling in the lawful direction and may overlook bicyclists riding against the direction of traffic on the sidewalk. Collisions are common where a wrong-way bicyclist on the sidewalk crosses the path of a motorist making a right turn.*
The take-away: Riding on the sidewalk presents risks to bicyclists, to pedestrians who have nowhere else to travel safely, and to motorists on adjacent streets. At the very least, it should be done carefully and with full awareness of the hazards. In most cases, riding in the roadway is simply easier and safer.
* adapted from "Risk Factors for Bicycle-Motor Vehicle Collisions at Intersections," ITE Journal, Sept. 1994 |
| CBC News |
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CBC welcomes new executive director
This month CBC board member David Hoffman takes on the role of CBC's executive director as CBC ushers in a new era of growth and activity.
He succeeds founding board member K.C. Butler, who served as executive director for nearly four years. K.C. helped CBC survive a period of significant financial hardship while leading the organization to its most significant legislative accomplishment to date, passage of the CBC-sponsored Complete Streets Act of 2008. K.C. continues to serve CBC as treasurer.
David brings to the job more than seven years as a bicycle advocate. While working as a Pittsburgh, PA-based software consultant, he founded the Bike Pittsburgh bicycle coalition in 2002 after being run off the road by a car. He served as the coalition's first executive director and later worked as a bike advocate for the Thunderhead Alliance (now the Alliance for Biking & Walking). Today he also serves as planning director for the Marin County Bicycle Coalition.
David will help CBC expand its capacity for shaping future legislation and for serving as a resource to policymakers and local bicycle advocates. He'll also work with new CBC president Dave Snyder and the board development committee to strengthen and diversify board membership. You can reach David at david@calbike.org.
Thanks to CBC's supporters
CBC owes a big debt of thanks to the following people, organizations and businesses that made significant gifts during 2009*:
Mark Abrahams, Almaden Cycle Touring Club, Alta Planning & Design, Skip Amerine & Lea Brooks, Kevin Anderson, Rick Andrews, Back on Track Productions, David Baker, Paul Bartlett, Bob Bauer, Bruce Berg, Berk Blake, Gary Botto, Roger Bowman, Peter Brastow, Marianne Brems, John Brennan, William Brieger, Susan Butler, Jerry Cahill, Louis Carson, Alan Casamajor, Mary Rose Cassa, Andrew Casteel, Channel Islands Bicycle Club, Kevin Christian, Douglas Cole, Bard Cosman, John Crawford, Peggy Da Silva, Davis Bike Club, Christopher Davis-Murai, Henry DeJager, Diana Downton, Eagle Peak Cycling, East Bay Bicycle Coalition, Mike Eaton, John & Linda Elgart, Richard Fabian, Gary Fisher, Thomas Foor, Jean Fraser, Beverlee French, Kathleen Gavin, Bill Ginsburg, Roy Glickman, Ron Goodman, Larry Greene, Grizzly Peak Cyclists, Jim & Cathy Haagen-Smit, Aimee Hagen, Helen Hammer, Alan Hedegard, James Higgins, Robert Hoag, Holland's Bicycles, Kenneth Holloway, Timothy Houck, Doug Houston, The Houston Group, Owen Howlett, Genie Huey, William Hughes, Jr, Beverlee Human, Rick Hutchinson, Doug Johnson, Michael Jones, Edwin Jones, Gary Kates, Charles Katz, Susan King, Jim Kirstein, Craig Knoblock, Frank Kolafa, Jonathan Kurohara, John Langbein, Dale Larabee, Gregory Lassonde, Doug Linney, Robert Long, Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, Charlie Lotte, Ann Lyons, Pamela Maher, Tom Malzbender, Charles Mason, Sunny McKee, Allison McKee, John Meyer, Michael Michaud, Chris Morfas, Carl Morgan, Linda Moore, Norm Moyer, Carl Muhlstein, Edward Munyak, Kenneth Nieberg, Eric Nordman, Vince O'Brien, Shanna O'Hare, Don Olson, Gail Payne, Anita Pearson, Kevin Pedrotti, Doris Phinney, Planet Bike, Chuck Pribyl, Dan Pskowski, Patricia Raburn, William Radtkey, Brian Regan, Ralph Rickard, Wendy Ring, Ron Ritchey, David Roise, Nicholas Rosenlicht, Aimee Rutledge, Sacramento Bike Hikers, Sacramento Bicycle Kitchen, San Diego County Bicycle Coalition, Santa Rosa Cycling Club, Frank Schipper, Kevin Schmidt, Dewey Schorre, Walt Seifert, John Seyfarth, Tim Shea, David Simerly, Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition, Larry Smith, Alex Smith, Dave Snyder, Jennifer Stanley, John Steggall, Joel Storm, William Stringer, Tony Sustek, David Teitel, William Tench, Andy Thornley, Kris Tjarnnell, Terry Tracy, Stephan & Kate Vance, Peter Vincent, Michael Wallace, John Wasson, Chris Weide, John Whitehead, James Wiant, Stephen Williams, Thomas Williams, Williams Cycling/Delta Velo, Inc., Cindy Winter, Earl Withycombe, Larry Wolfe, James Wrona, Makiko Yamashita and Alex Young.
* through 12/15/09 |
| Safety education |
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To learn more about other courses being offered throughout California, visit the League of American Bicyclists website and select "Courses" and "California." |
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Borrego Springs
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