News from the California Bicycle Coalition

Bills pass key June hurdle

June brought another legislative deadline as lawmakers sought to get Assembly bills passed by Senate policy committees and Senate bills passed by Assembly policy committees. Here are some of key bills CBC is following that have passed this hurdle:

Cell phone fines: Drivers who ignore California's bans on using hand-held cell phones and texting could face tougher fines. Senate Bill 1475 would more than double the existing fines and was recently amended to add a point to a driver's record for a

2nd or subsequent offense, not a first offense, as originally proposed -- a concession that removed the opposition of the California trucking lobby. Bicyclists would be covered by the bill, but with modest fines (and no driving-record points) that reflect the absence of data indicating that people who phone or text while riding present a measurable traffic hazard.

Fines for right turns on red lights: Drivers caught on camera making an unsafe right turn on a red light could face a lower fine. Assembly Bill 909 would lower the base fine from $100 to $35 red-light cam

(that's before local court costs and administrative fees are added) for drivers who make a full stop before making an unsafe right turn. The bill addresses the effects of proliferating red-light cameras, which are capturing more of these drivers, who are appealing the fine in record numbers and clogging the courts. Reducing the fine would reduce appeals and increase convictions, while also reducing pressure that could eventually lead to a roll-back of photo enforcement.

SF intersection camera: AB 2729 would authorize San Francisco to install a monitoring camera at one of the city's most dangerous intersection for bicyclists and pedestrians -- Market and Octavia streets - as another way to prevent prohibited right turns. People on foot and riding bikes are routinely struck by motorists trying to turn right from Market onto Octavia, the entrance to southbound U.S. 101, despite signs, lights and barriers that prohibit right turns. Privacy concerns prompted the city to seek the Legislature's approval for the camera.

Neighborhood electric vehicles: Two bills would authorize Amador County and the city of Fresno to adopt local plans for allowing neighborhood electric vehicles, or NEVs, to operate on streets and roads with speed limits over 35 MPH. While AB 584 and AB 1781 could result in the creation of special shared, segregated NEV-bike lanes, neither bill contains minimum standards to reduce the safety hazards of NEVs and bikes sharing a segregated lane.

Pedicab regulation: More pedicab operators could be required to carry a driver's license in communities that adopt a pedicab ordinance. AB 2294 - originally written to apply only to San Diego County, where a pedicab passenger died last year in a fall - was amended to allow any city or county to adopt a pedicab ordinance that includes a licensing requirement. Licensing for pedicab operators raises fears about the potential for more widespread bicyclist licensure, but at a recent hearing Senate Transportation Committee Chair Alan Lowenthal from bike-friendly Long Beach said he didn't see any trend in that direction.

Bay Bridge bike lanes: Bike and pedestrian paths on the west span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge could be built with bridge toll revenues after completion of seismic retrofit projects, including construction of a new east span, which includes bike-pedestrian facilities. SB 1061 would enable regional bridge authorities to spend toll revenues on construction of bike-pedestrian facilities on the existing west half of the bridge.

Read more about the legislation CBC is following

Read CBC Executive Director David Hoffman's article about bikes and NEVs for Urban Velo.