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AROUND THE CAPITOL
| | 3-foot bill moves ahead despite stiff opposition
Senate Bill 910, the California Bicycle Coalition's 3-foot passing legislation, survived two contentious Assembly committee hearings in recent weeks and now moves to a vote by the full Assembly later next month.  Dozens of organizations and hundreds of bicyclists throughout the state have expressed their support for the important protections SB 910 would provide, even as AAA and the Teamsters continue to fight the bill. This month California bicyclists began writing to the CEOs of AAA's two California chapters to urge them to reverse their position on the bill.
AAA and the Teamsters testified at the June 27 hearing that passage of SB 910 would have dire consequences for California without citing any evidence of such problems in the 19 other states that have such laws in the books, including Wisconsin, which enacted its 3-foot passing law 38 years ago. The Teamsters threatened to push Gov. Jerry Brown for a veto, a sign they don't think they can win in the Legislature. The following week the Assembly Appropriations Committee approved SB 910 on a party-line vote (although we can't figure out what makes this a partisan issue, and neither can a number of Republicans who voted for the bill in the Senate). Meanwhile CBC is gearing up to mobilize bicyclists and their allies to urge their Assemblymembers to vote yes on the bill. PHOTO: SFChronicle.com |
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Other legislative highlights
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| Cell-phone penalties: Senate Bill 28, which would impose tougher penalties for violating California's cell-phone and texting ban for drivers - and, for the first time, penalties for bicyclists - has been approved by the Assembly Appropriations Committee. Next stop: the full Assembly.
Commuter benefits: This month the Assembly passed Senate Bill 582, which gives regional planning and air quality districts the authority to require certain non-driving commuter benefits -- including benefits for bicycle commuting -- from businesses in the district. The bill goes next to Gov. Jerry Brown for his signature. |
CBC submits Highway Design Manual comments
The California Bicycle Coalition has delivered extensive comments to a draft revision of the California Highway Design Manual. CBC hired registered engineer Michael Moule of Nelson\Nygaard to analyze the draft and offer comments.  Because California law requires local engineers to strictly follow state guidelines when designing bikeways, the HDM determines what kind of bikeways Californians enjoy. About a dozen of the largest bicycling organizations of the state signed on to CBC's comments, making them an important expression of the bicycling community's desire for better bikeways.
CBC recommends not only amending the manual's guidance, but also including guidance for designs that are conspicuously omitted from the manual, such as cycle tracks and raised and buffered bike lanes. CBC also called for a new bikeway design manual to encourage local engineers to develop the kind of facilities that have proven to get more people out on their bikes. Download a PDF version of CBC's 2-page cover letter and 25 pages of comments by clicking here. |
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CBC NEWS
| | CBC to host November advocacy summit
The California Bicycle Coalition will host an advocacy summit in Los Angeles on Nov. 5-7 where advocates from throughout the state will help shape the statewide bicycling agenda for 2012. "Our goal is to unite and strengthen California's bicycle movement," said Dave Snyder, CBC's executive director. "The stakes are high. With federal support for bicycling diminishing, it's more important than ever that we have the ability to win state-level commitments to fund bicycle projects and facilitate the rebuilding of our communities into more bicycle-friendly places." The summit will feature workshops on how to affect policy at the community level, win funding for bicycle projects, building strong advocacy organizations, reaching out to diverse audiences, and more. To learn more, contact CBC Executive Director Dave Snyder at dave@calbike.org or 916-251-2433. |
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AROUND THE STATE
| | Los Angeles enacts historic protections for bicyclists
The Los Angeles City Council today unanimously approved a first-in-the-nation ordinance that enables bicyclists to seek damages from drivers who harass or threaten them.  The ordinance awards triple the damages, or a thousand dollars, whichever is greater, plus attorney fees and punitive damages, to a bicyclist found to have been harassed or threatened. Councilmember Bill Rosendahl, sponsor of the ordinance, has launched an online campaign to encourage bicyclists in Los Angeles and beyond to share their stories of threats and harassment.
Meanwhile, earlier this month Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa issued a rare directive calling on city officials to implement the updated bike plan approved by the city council earlier this spring. Villaraigosa ordered the implementation of bike facilities and bike-friendly features in all public facilities, public works construction and other projects; bike infrastructure requirements and construction standards in zoning and building codes; bikeway design, installation and maintenance standards; and bike-related education in outreach campaigns. Last month Villaraigosa talked with CalBike Report about his reasons for backing Senate Bill 910, the 3-foot passing bill cosponsored by CBC and the City of Los Angeles. Read the complete interview here. Riverside commits to more bicycling: The Riverside City Council has voted to hire a consultant to improve bicycling for city residents. The city will use funds from local vehicle registration fee revenues earmarked for air quality projects. Awarded a bronze Bicycle-Friendly Community designation by the League of American Bicyclists, Riverside is a bright spot in a part of the state with little organized bicycle advocacy. SF improves Market Street: San Francisco's transportation agency recently completed bicycle-friendly improvements to Market Street - the busiest bike street west of the Mississippi River -- that include a continuous green separated bikeway, so-called "super-sharrows," and a new approach to paving that creates a smoother ride for everyone. As the city prepares to repave 2.3 miles of Market Street in 2015, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is taking part in the Better Market Street Project to ensure full accommodation of bicycling along the corridor. New SRTS local policy guide: The Safe Routes to School National Partnership has published the Safe Routes to School Local Policy Guide to help community members, policy-makers, parents and advocates to create a healthy built environment that stems from a "health in all policies" approach. |
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NATIONAL SCENE
| | Senate transportation bill contains no bicycle funding
Californians: It looks like the U.S. Congress doesn't want to help provide you with safe, adequate facilities for riding a bike. Yesterday the Senate released a transportation bill that contains no dedicated funding for bicycling and walking safety, which means the chances for getting dedicated funding in Congress's bill look bleak. The California Bicycle Coalition is communicating its disappointment with Sen. Barbara Boxer, chair of the Environment and Public Works Committee where the bill was drafted. Watch for more about next steps soon. Meanwhile, we're preparing to make sure that those dedicated bicycle categories are restored when the funding gets to California, since the federal transportation funding remains flexible. A strong CBC can even help to increase the proportion of federal money spent on bicycling! |
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PEOPLE
| | New San Diego coalition executive: Andy Hanshaw, best known for reviving San Diego's Bike the Bay fun ride, has been hired as the new executive director of the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition. He succeeds Kathy Keehan, who  took a position with the local air pollution control district earlier this year.
Hanshaw's resume serving as executive director of local business development agency Discover Pacific Beach as well as fundraising for San Diego State Alumni Association.
 Hubsmith shifts gears: Deb Hubsmith, advocacy director of the Marin County Bicycle Coalition and the organization's founding executive director from 1998 to 2005, has stepped down to focus on her work with the Safe Routes to School National Partnership. She'll continue supporting MCBC's work in the role of advisor. She is succeeded by Andy Peri, who has served on the MCBC staff for more than five years. PHOTO: (top) sdnews.com |
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CALENDAR
| | Mark your calendars: The Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition is hosting the Alliance for Biking & Walking's Winning Campaigns training on Oct. 14-16 in Los Angeles. Bicycling advocates from California and beyond will develop a blueprint for a campaign as the way to learn about setting goals, communications, tactics and strategies, social networking and fundraising.
JULY
San Francisco July 21: Car-Free Adventures and Heroes
Arcata July 23: 12 Hours of Humboldt San Jose July 23: San Jose Bike Party's 2nd Annual Ladies Ride AUGUST Big Bear Lake Aug. 6: Tour de Big Bear San Diego Aug. 26: Bike the Bay A benefit for the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition SEPTEMBER Worldwide Sept. 16: Park(ing) Day Chico Sept. 17-18: Chico Velo's Unknown Coast Weekend Bicycle Ride Carmel to San Simeon Sept. 10: Audi Best Buddies Challenge Sonoma County Sept. 11: Chileno Valley Cycling Classic San Francisco Sept. 24: Tour de Fat Worldwide Sept. 24: Moving Planet |
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